Thiel College is a private,
liberal artsThe term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
, sciences and professional studies
collegeA college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
related to the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaThe Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
, Thiel provides affordable high-quality college experience with dedicated faculty, numerous leadership opportunities and a wide variety of student activities and organizations.
Campus
Thiel is situated on a 135 acres (54.6 ha) campus in the small western
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
town of Greenville, which is about halfway between
ClevelandCleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
and
PittsburghPittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. Thiel has an enrollment of 1,096. The student body is 54% male and 46% female. 58% of students are from
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, while 36% are from other states and Puerto Rico, and the remaining 6% are international students. 10% of students are minority students. The college has a student:faculty ratio of about 13:1 and 68% of classes have 20 or fewer students.
Degrees and Accreditation
Thiel offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Associate of Science, and Associate of Arts degrees. Degrees are offered in more than 60 majors, minors and areas of study. The academic calendar includes a fall and spring semester as well as May, June, July, Online and Evening sessions during the summer.
Thiel is accredited by the
Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary SchoolsThe Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation...
;
Pennsylvania Department of EducationThe Pennsylvania Department of Education is the executive department of the state charged with K-12 and adult educational budgeting, management and guidelines. As the state education agency, its activities are directed by Pennsylvania's Secretary of Education, Gerald L. Zahorchak...
; and the
American Chemical SocietyThe American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
.
Athletics
The Thiel Tomcats compete in NCAA Division-III athletics, in the
Presidents' Athletic ConferenceThe Presidents' Athletic Conference is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member teams are private, liberal arts institutions of higher learning located in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky....
.
Tomcats currently field teams in baseball, men's and women's basketball, cheerleading, dance, men's and women's cross country,
footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, men's and women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's indoor track & field, men's and women's outdoor track & field, men's and women's volleyball, and wrestling.
Student Life
Thiel offers a variety of student life activities, clubs and organizations, and leadership opportunities, including 28 honorary societies and academic clubs, Greek life, leadership and service organizations, student government, a student theatre troupe, multicultural and religious groups, marching and concert bands, several choirs and much more. The Thiel Activities Board (TAB) provides a wide range of recreational activities - everything from karaoke night to overnight trips to New York City!
Greek life at Thiel includes: Fraternities:
Delta Sigma PhiDelta Sigma Phi is a fraternity established at the City College of New York in 1899 and is a charter member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference. The headquarters of the fraternity is the Taggart Mansion located in Indianapolis, Indiana...
,
Kappa SigmaKappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...
, Phi Theta Phi and
Sigma Phi EpsilonSigma Phi Epsilon , commonly nicknamed SigEp or SPE, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College , and its national headquarters remains in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded on three principles: Virtue,...
; sororities:
Alpha Xi DeltaAlpha Xi Delta is a women's fraternity founded on April 17, 1893 at Lombard College, Galesburg, Illinois. Alpha Xi Delta is one of the oldest women's fraternities as well as one of the ten founding fraternities of the National Panhellenic Conference...
,
Chi OmegaChi Omega is a women's fraternity and the largest member of the National Panhellenic Conference. Chi Omega has 174 active collegiate chapters and over 230 alumnae chapters. Chi Omega's national headquarters is located in Memphis, Tennessee....
,
Sigma KappaSigma Kappa is a sorority founded in 1874 at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Sigma Kappa was founded by five women: Mary Caffrey Low Carver, Elizabeth Gorham Hoag, Ida Mabel Fuller Pierce, Frances Elliott Mann Hall and Louise Helen Coburn...
and
Zeta Tau AlphaZeta Tau Alpha is a women's fraternity, founded October 15, 1898 at the State Female Normal School in Farmville, Virginia. The Executive office is located in Indianapolis, Indiana...
.
Living on Campus
Thiel guarantees housing for four years in nearly 30 residence halls, apartments, theme houses and townhouses. Nearly 88% of students live on campus. In addition to the Davis Square apartments, College Ave. Apartments and Townhouses, Thiel provides six dormitories for its students: Sawhill, Stewart, Bane, Hodge, Harter, and Florence West. Hodge Hall is scheduled for renovations during summer 2011. Other facilities on campus include a fitness center, multi-sport air-supported dome, theater, cafeteria and bistro dining.
Academic Expenses and Scholarships and Financial Aid
Tuition for the 2010-2011 academic year is $21,998 with room/board at $9,200. More than 98% of students received some form of financial assistance. Thiel offers many scholarships and financial opportunities, including Merit Awards of up to $10,000 or one of five full-tuition Presidential Scholarships. Students should apply by January 15 for consideration.
History
Thiel College started in 1866 following a meeting between the Rev. Dr.
William PassavantWilliam A. Passavant was a Lutheran minister noted for bringing the Lutheran Deaconess movement to the United States. He is commemorated in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on November 24 with Justus Falckner and Jehu Jones...
and A. Louis Thiel. At the Lutheran Church Pittsburgh Synod convention in
Greensburg, PennsylvaniaGreensburg is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city is named after Nathanael Greene, a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War...
in 1869, it was decided that Thiel Hall would become a college and serve western Pennsylvania. Thiel College began its corporate existence on September 1, 1870. Thiel College was originally located in Philipsburg, now
Monaca, PennsylvaniaMonaca is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States along the Ohio River, northwest of Pittsburgh. Monaca was first incorporated as Phillipsburg in 1840, and had been known by that name since the 1820s. In 1892, the name of the borough was changed to Monaca in honor of the Native...
. It moved to Greenville in 1871.
Notable alumni
- Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
, Aviator, Honorary Doctorate of Science (1932)
- Mark Funkhouser
Mark Funkhouser is a former mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, serving one four-year term from May 1, 2007 until May 2, 2011. Prior to serving as the city's mayor, Funkhouser served as Kansas City's city auditor.-Early life and education:...
, Mayor of Kansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
(2007-2011)
- Lynn Jones
Lynn Morris Jones is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals...
, former Major League Baseball (MLB) player (Detroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
and Kansas City RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
), 1979 - 1986
- Firdaus Kharas
Firdaus Kharas is a Canadian director and producer of animation, film and television media.Kharas worked as a bureaucrat with the United Nations and as assistant deputy chairman of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, before becoming involved with media...
, Canadian director and producer of animation, film and television media
- Mark Nordenberg
Mark A. Nordenberg , also known as "Nordy" to many students, is a lawyer and the seventeenth Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh.In 1977, he joined the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law...
, Chancellor, University of PittsburghThe University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
(1995- )
- Tom Regan
Tom Regan is an American philosopher who specializes in animal rights theory. He is professor emeritus of philosophy at North Carolina State University, where he taught from 1967 until his retirement in 2001....
, professor and writer, Animal Rights Movement
- Carl Aaron Swensson
Carl Aaron Swensson was an American Lutheran minister and founder and President of Bethany College.-Background:...
, American Lutheran minister and founder of Bethany College
- Jack M. Wilson
Jack M. Wilson was the 25th President of the five-campus, 60,000-student University of Massachusetts System, serving from September 2, 2003 to June 30, 2011. During his career, he has served various institutions as Professor of Physics, Department Chair, Research Center Director, Dean, Vice...
, President, University of MassachusettsThis article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
(2004- )
External links
- Thiel College
- http://www.thiel.edu/president/index.htm
- http://www.thiel.edu/about_thiel/pdf/2010-2011-Fact-Sheet.pdf