Messiah College President's Report 2007

an educationof distinction Each summer for 26 years, my husband, Kelly, and I have traveled to a restored inn located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, for a time of retreat and renewal. As we drive down River Road, I am captivated by the tranquil beauty of the region’s distinct landscape — the heavily wooded forest creates a canopy over the road, and the surrounding hills border a meandering stretch of the Delaware River, which runs alongside eighteenth-century stone farm houses and colonial villages. So distinct in its natural beauty, this same landscape inspired Pennsylvania artists, who forever captured the region in their Impressionist paintings. The distinctness of a Messiah College education has similarly inspired our thousands of Messiah students and alumni, and it is evident in their lives of work, worship, and service. “Distinct” is a word that suggests a difference in quality or nature — something that is recognizable or marked. At Messiah College, we are committed to providing an education that is intentionally distinctive because of its rigor, vision, and faith. We believe that God calls us to give our best, so a Messiah education is intellectually rigorous and academically invigorating. We seek to offer an excellent undergraduate education, rooted in the liberal arts, that challenges students to become critical thinkers and compassionate problem-solvers. The distinctiveness of our academic excellence is readily apparent in the publications, presentations, and awards earned by our talented faculty; by student achievements and honors including recognition as Rhodes, Truman, and Fulbright scholars; and by the significant contributions our alumni offer to the region and to the world. Through an innovative first-year educational program that creatively combines in- and out-of-class learning, we seek to cultivate an academic climate that enriches the lives and the critical thinking of our students from their very first days at Messiah. While academic rigor is central to our distinct mission, it is not the mission in its entirety. A Messiah education is also distinctive because of its vision, which comes from understanding that God calls us to be hopeful. We believe that the goal of education is not knowledge transmission, but personal and societal transformation. As a community, we learn to live as people of hope by affirming the promise of the Gospel and observing the creativity and giftedness of one another. From artistic design and expression to athletic prowess, to innovative scholarship and compassionate service, we are encouraged to use our God-given gifts of foresight and imagination to fulfill a vision of making a difference in the world. A third distinctive of a Messiah education rests in our understanding that God calls us to be faithful. We believe that education must be holistic — that intellectual, personal, and spiritual development are not separate entities but an integrated whole. Our educational program is designed to ensure that our students are addressing the most complex questions of life in the context of a supportive faith-filled community. We are committed to the spiritual formation of our students and, as we help them encounter God, we want the invisible to become more visible to them, the inaudible more audible. Designed to nurture spiritual growth, a Messiah education prepares students to live as gracious Christians who are committed to the way of love and the work of reconciliation. In the pages that follow in this report, you will find tangible examples of the distinctiveness of a Messiah education. In the same way that Pennsylvania Impressionist painters illuminated the distinct beauty of Bucks County, we intentionally design a Messiah College experience to encourage students and alumni to reflect the values of an academically rigorous, visionary, and faith-infused education to a world that needs young men and women equipped to be agents of transformation and hope. — Kim S. Phipps, Messiah College president 3 http://www.messiah.edu/offices/publications/the_bridge/winter07/scholars_feature/index.html http://www.messiah.edu/offices/publications/the_bridge/winter07/scholars_feature/index.html http://www.messiah.edu/offices/president/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Messiah College President's Report 2007

Contents An Education of Distinction A Rigourous Education of Distinction Articles A Visionary Education of Distinction Articles A Faith-Infused Education of Distinction Articles Sustaining an Education of Distinction Financial Reports/Volunteer Leader Appreciation Donor Recognition Messiah College at a Glance Meet Our Students A Mission of Distinction A Year in Photos

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