Kim S. Phipps, Ph.D.
	News Release
	The Processional Staff

Messiah College Names Dr. Kim S. Phipps
as Eighth President

December 15, 2004

Dear Friends:

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am pleased to announce Dr. Kim S. Phipps as the eighth president of Messiah College. Dr. Phipps, who has been serving as interim president since July 1, will begin her term of service as president immediately.

The board believes that Dr. Phipps brings exceptional gifts to the presidency and is confident in her ability to provide strong leadership to the college. Kim has a proven record of excellent academic and administrative leadership at Messiah. Her contributions to the college have been many, and we look forward to working with her in the role of president.

From the beginning of this process, the board and the presidential search committee were committed to a rigorous, extensive search to find the best possible candidate to lead Messiah College as its eighth president. With the expertise and counsel of People Management International, a professional executive search consulting firm, the search committee was able to conduct a national search process, yielding an impressive and competitive applicant pool, ahead of its anticipated schedule. The search committee’s preliminary timeframe indicated a final decision would likely occur at the board’s winter meeting in late January. However, after completing final interviews with the candidates, both the search committee and the board felt that Dr. Phipps distinguished herself as the clear choice to assume the presidency. As such, the board felt no need to wait to share this good news with the Messiah College community and is excited to move forward and to enter the new year under Dr. Phipps’ leadership.

Following the holiday recess, as a community, we will celebrate Dr. Phipps’ appointment as president with a series of receptions and special events for students, faculty, administrators, and staff.

Details related to the official inauguration celebration with our alumni and other off-campus community friends will be determined at a later date by a committee to be appointed by the Office of the President.

The board is grateful for the hard work of the Presidential Search Committee and for the participation of the Messiah community in the search process. The Presidential Search Committee wishes to thank the many highly qualified candidates who became part of this process. The committee is also grateful for the professional support given by Robert Stevenson and Tommy Thomas of People Management International; their expertise and counsel were invaluable to us throughout the search process.

I look forward to celebrating with you as we congratulate Dr. Phipps as she assumes her role as our new president.

Sincerely,
Eunice F. Steinbrecher
Chair, Presidential Search Committee