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Friday, November 17, 2023

The public is welcome to stroll through New Wilmington’s Market Street and take in artwork created by students from Westminster College and the Wilmington Area School District for the Environmental Art in the Community project.

The environmentally inspired artwork in varying formats can be viewed between now and Friday, Dec. 8, by taking a self-guided tour through downtown New Wilmington during business hours. The creative pieces—produced by students in grades three through college level—are on display in 14 different businesses.

A guided art walk will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3. Beginning at Westminster College’s Cultural Center in the McKelvey Campus Center, the tour will proceed along both sides of Market Street and conclude at Shenango on the Green, where creating writing pieces will be read and a reception will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Student awards will be given in several categories based on voting and select student artwork will be available for purchase.

Locations include:

Thursday, November 16, 2023

A short film created by a team of Westminster College students for the fall 2023 Pittsburgh 48 Hour Film Project was selected as the competition’s Best Student Film.

“Loose Grip,” produced by the team Give ’Em Props Productions from Kandice Hartner’s Single Camera Video class, earned the honor at the film project’s Best of Screenings and Awards Show on Oct. 29. The film was also nominated in the categories Best Use of Required Character and Best Leading Actor.

The annual contest challenges teams to research, shoot and edit a short film in a single weekend. For the fall competition, the genre themes fall into two categories: horror and science fiction. Teams were provided guidelines and required elements and given just 48 hours to craft, shoot, edit and submit a four- to seven-minute film. Teams chose from one of two genres and were given a required prop, a line of dialogue and a character.

The Westminster students selected the genre “parallel universe” and were required to use an adhesive bandage as a prop, include the line “I learned this secret long ago” in the script, and incorporate the character of skater Shawn Taker into the story.

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Dr. Deanne Buffalari, associate professor of neuroscience and psychology and department chair at Westminster College, recently attended the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP) annual conference in Portland, Ore., where Buffalari presented on alternative grading and mid-career mentoring.

Monday, November 13, 2023

Westminster College political science alumnus Rocky Radeff ’14 was recently elected mayor of Sheffield Lake, Ohio. Read the full Chronicle-Telegram story here.

Friday, November 10, 2023

Students’ cinematic creations delivered the spooky for Westminster College’s 2023 Titan Terror Project—and two teams walked away winners.

Thursday, November 9, 2023

Abigail Guiste ’26, a sophomore neuroscience major and participant in Westminster College’s TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) program, was awarded a $750 scholarship from the Pennsylvania Association of TRIO programs (PATRIO).

A native of Pittsburgh, Guiste is one of 13 local students awarded the scholarship.

Guiste’s winning essay explained how TRIO helped her become the person she is today while planning future academic goals and personal growth strategies.

Guiste is a member of the Westminster College Honors Program and is consistently active in TRIO by attending meetings and utilizing the available support tools to further her success as a student.

“Abigail's hard work, involvement across campus and desire to help others will serve her exceptionally well as she works to become a neurologist,” said Erik Austin, program director for Westminster’s TRIO SSS.

Westminster’s federally funded TRIO SSS program provides services and resources to first-generation, income-eligible students and those with disabilities to ensure they successfully navigate their college education. TRIO scholars have access to academic tutoring, academic success and wellness coaching to promote classroom achievement and personal wellbeing, support for learning and other disabilities, and career and college mentoring.

To learn more about Westminster’s TRIO SSS program, please visit https://www.westminster.edu/academics/trio.cfm or contact Austin at austined@westminster.edu.

Thursday, November 9, 2023

Record-breaking recording artist and “America’s Got Talent” runner-up Jackie Evancho will help spread the holiday cheer at Westminster College when she performs on the Will W. Orr Auditorium stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, as part of the Celebrity Series season.

“An Evening of Holiday Cheer” will feature Evancho singing timeless holiday classics such as “O Holy Night,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “White Christmas” and many more. Evancho gained stardom at age 10 as the youngest-selling solo platinum artist of all time. She has sold millions of records and has thrilled audiences all over the world with her vocal talents.

Her show is sponsored by Springfield Restaurant Group and supported by The Caroline Knox Memorial Trust Fund, “Reflecting God’s Light into the World.”

This holiday show is open to the public. To purchase tickets, please contact Georgene Gib, box office manager, at 724-946-7354 or visit www.westminster.edu/celebrity.

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

The Westminster College Symphony Orchestra will present its fall concert at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17, in the Will W. Orr Auditorium on the College’s campus.

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Westminster College’s History Department will host Sarah Stankorb ’02 for a series of conversations about her journalism work and recently-published book “Disobedient Women: How a Small Group of Faithful Women Exposed Abuse, Brought Down Powerful Pastors, and Ignited an Evangelical Reckoning,” on Tuesday, Nov. 14.

During Stankorb’s visit, she will hold class lectures and leadership discussions throughout the day. A public event will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Dietz Sullivan Lecture Hall in the Hoyt Science Center on Westminster’s campus. The event is co-sponsored by the Westminster Chapel Office, Heinz Endowment, First-Year Program, and the Department of Philosophy and Religion. Copies of Stankorb’s book were provided to the College through a generous donation from alumni Benjamin ’06 and Dr. Christie Grewe Nelson ’06.

“Westminster College is thrilled to welcome back to campus Sarah Stankorb. Sarah has had a remarkable journey since she set foot in my classroom in 1998 and her investigative journalism work will serve as an inspiring example for students and early career professionals,” said Westminster College Professor of History Dr. Russell Martin, who also serves as the chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion.

Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, the journalist, essayist and author said she often found escape in books. She studied world religion and philosophy at Westminster College, earning her undergraduate degree in 2002. A chance to study abroad in Northern Ireland and Israel further opened her eyes to how faith, and conflict, can shape people’s everyday existence. 

She earned her master’s degree from University of Chicago’s Divinity School, where she studied ethics and South Asian religion and history. Hundreds of her pieces have been featured in publications, including VICE, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Republic, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and others. She writes about religion, politics, gender and power.

Her book, published in August, is “for and about people of faith and those who have walked away. The deeply researched work gives long-overdue recognition to the women who upturned their lives to speak out boldly, even as they were expected to submit and remain silent.” For more information about her book, visit www.sarahstankorb.com.

The evening event is free and open to the public. For more information about this event, please contact the chair of the History Department Dr. Russell Martin at martinre@westminster.edu.

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Westminster College is a leader in experiential learning rooted in the liberal arts tradition. This event will highlight career opportunities that arise from the College’s liberal arts education model, including critical thinking skills essential for investigative journalism, and provide students with networking opportunities proven to enhance experiential learning during an undergraduate’s journey. Experiential learning is a key component of the College’s Strategic Plan 2018-2027.

The Department of History is committed to providing students with a variety of experiential experiences that help unlock the fundamental value of an undergraduate degree in history. History students participate in internships, externships and research programs on and off campus. As part of broadening students’ field of view, History participates in hosting speakers, including, most recently, Katherine Blunt from the Wall Street Journal and Dr. Heim Sperber of Western Galilee University.

To help advance these objectives, the History Alumni Advisory Council (History AAC) supports the College’s History program by advising on best practices in relevant fields, supporting experiential learning programs, and developing internship and research pipelines. History AAC is led by chair Matthew V. Kerns ’07, associate dean of admissions at Widener University Commonwealth Law School and vice chair Alissa Bookwalter ’07, chief of staff for Naval Reactors, with members drawn from libraries, museums, public service, sustainable agriculture, universities and urban development. History AAC highlights the advantages of studying humanities at a liberal arts college empowered by highly-customized experiential education and research opportunities. 

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Westminster College’s Titan Theatre Group will present “Goosebumps: The Musical” at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, and Sunday, Nov. 12, in Beeghly Theater on Westminster’s campus.