Thiel College President’s Newsletter Winter Weekend 75 College Avenue Greenville, PA 16125-2181
Congratulations Tomcats!
In one of the closest Presidents’ Athletic Conference Wrestling Championship finishes, the Tomcats claimed the 2012 team championship, outscoring two-time reigning champion Waynesburg University by just three points. Thiel secured its first conference team title since 2009 and ninth-year head coach Craig Thurber was named conference Coach of the Year. The championship was Thiel’s seventh under Thurber and the 11th over the past 13 seasons. Corey Brown led four individual Tomcat champions, claiming his fourth individual PAC title and taking his record to 99-24. The other Thiel champs were Patrick Morris, with his second individual conference title; Jacob Lowry, with his
first individual PAC title; and Stephen Ceremuga, winning his weight class. Thiel’s wrestlers scored academically during the last year as well with the team earning a Scholar Team Award from the National Wrestling Coaches Association for the second straight year—they posted the seventh-highest GPA in the country with a 3.4485—and Corey Brown and Matt Lowry being named Scholar All-Americans by the NWCA. Brown also was named Scholar-Athlete of the month for Dec. 2011 by the PAC. “Thiel is very proud of the wrestling team,” said Dr. Troy VanAken, Thiel president. “They are a great example of how academic achievement goes hand-in-hand with athletic success.”
Part of a college president’s job is to be a “cheerleader” for the institution. In my case, it’s been an incredibly easy and enjoyable facet of my job as so many things are happening at Thiel College about which we can all be excited. During the inaugural Winter Weekend last month, Thiel College’s new strategic plan was approved by the Board of Trustees. (You can read more about the events of Winter Weekend on the following pages.) The final plan has The Thiel Commitment, an initiative we began in 2009, at its heart, reflecting Thiel’s campus-wide commitment to a personalized, motivating, challenging and relevant education for every student and to the delivery of superior programs and services that respond to student needs. The new strategic plan is built on four pillars: 1) a commitment to academic excellence and relevance, 2) a commitment to a culture of caring and confidence, 3) a commitment to enhanced facilities and infrastructure and 4) a commitment to superior delivery of programs and services. With this vital foundation in place, we can move forward with an operational plan that will take us to the sesquicentennial in 2016. During the strategic plan discussions over the past year, an emphasis on “academic excellence” rose organically to the top of our priority list. Bill Dietrich, as a lifelong scholar and student, placed great emphasis on the value of learning—as evidenced by his generosity to Thiel and other colleges and universities. It was an easy decision to partner Bill’s gift of a $25-million fund to Thiel with this most vital aspect of Thiel’s new strategic plan. Therefore, during Winter Weekend, we announced the initial focus of the gift—the Kenneth and Marianna Brown Dietrich Honors Program, which is named in honor of Bill’s beloved parents. The Dietrich Honors Program will reinvigorate Thiel’s honors program and become an integral part of a strong academic experience for our students for generations to come. As another sign of our commitment to celebrating and supporting academic excellence, January saw our first “Students of the Month” named—seniors Amy Jane Matchett and Scott Hunkus. Each month during the academic year, two of our most academically gifted seniors will be chosen by a vote of the faculty for this new honor. (You can see who is chosen each month by visiting www.thiel.edu.) Congratulations to our inaugural pair! We are busy in all areas of the College of course. The College Advancement staff is working hard to reach our second $1 million year for The Thiel Fund. Lauren Oman Zuschlag, who has moved from Alumni Services to director of annual giving and parent relations, is leading The Thiel Fund effort, which stood at $657,501 in late February. This fund is an important source of support for Thiel’s students, so with only four short months until the end of the fiscal year on June 30, please consider a new or increased gift this year. Gifts to this fund help support academic programming, scholarships, annual operations and athletics. We also continue to work toward the realization of the Dr. James Pedas Communication Center and Alumni Stadium enhancement projects. If you’d like to learn more about any of these vital projects, please contact me at thepresident@thiel.edu or 724-589-2155. It really is a wonderful time to be part of the Tomcat family, and 2012 is already shaping up to be an historic one in the life of the College. I am glad that you can share in it with the entire Thiel College community.
Troy D. VanAken, Ph.D. President
March 15, 2012 Vol. 2, No. 2
President Troy VanAken at the Black & White Ball with senior David Mossa (left) and senior Nick Gargaro (right).
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