2007 – 2008 Messiah College President's Report - (Page 3)

the Recently, my family provided me the wonderful gift of cooking classes at a local gourmet shop. I was particularly eager to enroll in one that focused on California fusion cooking. As I travel throughout the United States, I savor dishes prepared with the fresh and distinctive ingredients of California: avocados, artichokes, almonds, citrus fruits, and other healthy produce and sauces. California fusion cuisine blends ingredients that may not seem complementary at rst glance. But, when combined, they create delectable dishes that satisfy even the most discerning palettes. In its mission and identity, Messiah College fuses its own distinctive blend of core ingredients: a faith commitment rooted in our unique heritage and an occurs when a person’s entire being is actively engaged in the process — when there is a fusion of intellect and faith. Our foundational commitment to academic excellence infuses everything we do. Through a robust general education program rooted in the liberal and applied arts and sciences, we seek to provide students with the knowledge and skills that will prepare them for a lifetime of leadership, service, and reconciliation. As a Christian college, we honor God with our delity to intellectual rigor, as demonstrated in nancial support for faculty and student scholarship. We encourage members of our community to nurture the life of the mind not for its own sake but for the inherent value of si n of faith intellect n We believe that authentic education only occurs when a person’s entire being is actively engaged in the process — when there is a fusion of intellect and faith. insatiable quest for intellectual inquiry. The theme of this year’s President’s Report, “At our core: the fusion of intellect and faith,” emphasizes the College’s unwavering commitment to a holistic education that addresses the intellectual, personal, and spiritual formation of each student. As we approach the dawn of our 2009–2010 Centennial year, we recognize the myriad ways our predecessors have enriched a Messiah College education throughout the past 99 years. Yet at its very core, we nd the enduring hallmarks of the fusion of faith and intellect. Throughout the College’s history, social and cultural critics have claimed that intellect and faith should never be allowed to in uence one another. Messiah’s history and mission, however, prove exactly the opposite truth. We believe that authentic education only intellectual development and discovery and for the many contributions our faculty and graduates can make to a rapidly changing 21st-century world. Our distinctive style of academic excellence fueled by faith is demonstrated in our commitment to the chapel program, small-group Bible studies, book discussions, prayer groups, and service and mission outreach opportunities. We desire that students’ dedication to Christ is deepened, particularly through signi cant relationships with faculty and staff mentors as well as with their peers. Because our students come from diverse Christian traditions, we seek to help them nurture their spiritual development through intellectual challenge, personal spiritual disciplines, and opportunities for active service. In order for our graduates to become transformational catalysts for change in the Church and society, we must ensure that students’ personal character is cultivated during their tenure at Messiah. As we challenge students to ful ll their vocation to serve God and others, we also provide opportunities for students to learn the importance of self-discipline, the value of adhering to community standards, and the necessity of taking responsibility for others’ needs as their own. We know we succeed in this pursuit when our students experience the fusion of faith and intellect that inspires them to commit passionately to service, leadership, and reconciliation across barriers of race, culture, gender, socioeconomic spheres, and even differing worldviews. In the late 1990s, my predecessor President Rodney J. Sawatsky described the fusion of Messiah education as “rigorously academic and unapologetically Christian.” As we re ect on everything that our students, faculty, and staff have accomplished this past academic year, and as we prepare to enter our second century, his words remain true for us today. Just as the savory blends of California fusion cooking avor the culture of that region, so may we at Messiah College season the Church and society as we are guided by our core commitments to carry out our unique mission in innovative and exciting ways. — Kim S. Phipps, president (Pictured left) This aerial photograph of campus was taken by Don Pratt, professor of engineering, from an aircraft that the Messiah College Flying Club built under his supervision. 3 http://www.messiah.edu/centennial/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of 2007 – 2008 Messiah College President's Report

2007 – 2008 Messiah College President's Report Contents The Fusion of Intellect and Faith Centered on Scholarship Fueled by Faith Energized for Impact Stewards of our Mission Financial Reports / Volunteer Leader Appreciation Donor Recognition From Our Core Messiah College at a Glance A Year in Photos

2007 – 2008 Messiah College President's Report

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.