News Archive

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Westminster College will host alumni Tim ’85 and Kristin Mezmar Kaiser ‘86  as part of the Come to the WALLace  worship series at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4, in the Wallace Memorial Chapel on the College’s campus.

Natives of Pittsburgh, the Kaisers lived with their sons in Los Angeles before returning to the East Coast. “Life in the Fast Lane...Faith in the Fast Lane” will focus on the challenges of leading a life of faith while residing in Los Angeles. The Rev. James Mohr, college chaplain, will conduct an interview followed by a question-and-answer session.

Kristin Kaiser currently serves on the Westminster College Board of Trustees and recently completed her tenure as director of planned giving at Orchard Hill Church in Wexford, Pa. She volunteers for numerous community organizations and sits on the governing board at Orchard Hill. She previously mentored and coordinated Teach for America, the California Reading and Literature Project and Project SEED with The National Science Foundation and California Institute of Technology.

Tim Kaiser is an acclaimed producer of television, music, documentaries and film. He is a two-time Emmy Award winner and has produced over 600 primetime television shows. Some of his work includes “Seinfeld,” “Will & Grace” and “2 Broke Girls.” He is actively involved at Orchard Hill Church and Westminster College where he received an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree in 2019.

The event is free and open to the public.

Come to the WALLace is open to Westminster campus family and the local community. The nondenominational worship service includes prayer, music, a message from the campus chaplain and guest speakers.

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Monday, October 30, 2023

The Westminster College Wind Ensemble will perform a concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, in the Will W. Orr Auditorium on the College’s campus.

Monday, October 30, 2023

Westminster College’s Center for the Environment was recently named the beneficiary of Peoples Gas’ Eat, Drink, Help Program.

The initiative gives local small businesses the opportunity to nominate a charity for a monetary donation of support through Peoples. Mona Moufid, owner of Mona’s Chocolates in New Wilmington, Pa., nominated the Center. Peoples presented Westminster’s Center for the Environment $1,000.

“Westminster’s Center for the Environment’s entrepreneurial spirit inspired me to nominate them for the Peoples Eat, Drink, Help Program. I enjoyed reading their progress of the honey company, and the donation will be put to good use,” said Moufid.

Dr. Kerri Duerr, associate professor of environmental science and director of the Center for the Environment, said funding like this directly helps the program and Westminster students.

“It enables us to create meaningful educational experiences for students that benefit their education, personal growth and our local community,” said Duerr. “We sincerely value this support and are committed to using these funds to enhance both our educational programming and community partnerships.”

Monday, October 30, 2023

Dr. Kathleen Howard, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Swarthmore College, will present the 16th Annual Ken and Nancy Long Chemistry Lecture at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, in Hoyt Science Center 101.

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Westminster College will continue its Beyond the Quad art series on Wednesday, Nov. 1, with screenings of entries from the Titan Terror Project film competition.

The event begins at 6 p.m. at the New Wilmington Borough Amphitheater with the film competition’s award winners announced during the evening. Audience members will have the opportunity to vote for their favorites.  Film entries are in the horror genre but are meant to be suitable for all audiences, with content appropriate for viewers of all ages.

The Titan Terror Project is a short film competition open to the community with entries due by Oct 27. Film entries should be two to five minutes long and all films should feature a doll. The films will be split into three judging categories: Newbies for first-time filmmakers and Repeat Offenders for those with experience with filmmaking. There is also a category for high school students.

“We want people to get out in this colorful time of year and make a short movie now. Take advantage of the spooky season,” said Bradley Weaver, adviser for the film contest and a faculty member in Westminster’s School of Communication.

The event is free and open to the public, and popcorn and other refreshments will be provided. In case of inclement weather, screenings will be held in Mueller Theater, located in McKelvey Campus Center on Westminster’s campus.

Beyond the Quad is supported by Westminster College alumni Bob and Debby Caleskie Jewell, both 1980 graduates, and coordinated by the Center for Professional Development and Community Engagement at Westminster College.

For more information, contact the PDCE’s Dr. Helen Boylan at boylanhm@westminster.edu or 724-946-6293.

Friday, October 20, 2023

Westminster College’s Foster Art Gallery will host an artist lecture and gallery reception for ceramics artist Jeremiah Ibarra from 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, in the gallery located in Patterson Hall.

Thursday, October 19, 2023

Peyton Aujay, a senior at Westminster College, was one of six musicians awarded an opportunity by the Pittsburgh Creators’ Project for his musical talent.

Thursday, October 19, 2023

Westminster College has been awarded $437,351 by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to support the development of an on-campus high-fidelity nursing simulation lab that will benefit current Westminster nursing students and first responders in the region.

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Westminster College students and faculty members from the School of Communication and Center for the Environment showcased their new interdisciplinary work at the 83rd Pennsylvania Communication Association (PCA) Annual Conference held at Slippery Rock University on Friday, Sept. 29.

They presented “Westminster’s Green Team: Communication at the Intersection of Science, Sustainability, and Social Media,” delivered as part of the PCA’s salon session on “Rachel Carson: Listening to the Voices of Nature.”

Avery Keenan, a sophomore environmental science major from Cranberry, Pa., introduced his research with Dr. Patrick Krantz, associate professor of environmental science, on using real-time monitoring of bee hives to study temperature regulation, swarm behavior and honey production.

Hallie Hughes, a sophomore environmental science major from Jeannette, Pa., presented her research on nature therapy being done in collaboration with Dr. Helen Boylan, professor of chemistry. Their research investigates the combination of mindfulness outdoors and its effect on stress, attention span, and short-term memory.

The presentation culminated with Reid Sanderson, a junior broadcasting and sports communication major from Meadville, Pa., who discussed his research with Bradley Weaver, broadcasting and sports communication lecturer. Sanderson’s work is the creation of environmentally focused education media that communicates science and initially focused on the research of Keenan and Hughes. One of Sanderson’s video packages was shared as part of the presentation and was favorably received by the audience.

“We received positive feedback and witnessed how ‘The Green Team’ project sparked some inspiration among PCA members,” said Weaver. “A few asked for our social media links. They want to share the videos with their colleagues and students.”

Keenan and Sanderson had the opportunity to work on their projects as summer research fellows funded by the Drinko Center for Undergraduate Research. Grants from the Drinko Center covered registration fees for all three students.

Questions about this project can be directed to Dr. Patrick Krantz at krantzpd@westminster.edu.