William Hitchens

Campus Events Worker I, Kline 2nd Shift

12 years of service

Unlike many of his Campus Events co-workers, who move from assignment to assignment, Bill Hitchens worked in Kline from his first day until his retirement. He is known for sporting a white beard that often resulted in his being compared by passers-by to Santa Claus. As evidenced by the low turnover rate of his student worker crew, Hitchens worked well with students and took his service to them seriously. He also takes great pride in his family. His daughter and son attended Messiah during his years here. Hitchens’s plans for retirement include spending time with his wife and tinkering with antique automobiles. 

Kay L. Huber

Associate Professor of Nursing; Director of Wellness Center

23 years of service

Kay Huber came to Messiah in 1984 with a distinguished background in nursing practice and education. Her advocacy and activism in gerontology is highly respected among students, department colleagues, and the nursing community at large. For many years, Huber organized and managed the summer Elder Hostel programs at Messiah. Her passion for community health nursing and helping elders “age in place” motivated her to seek additional venues of service. In 1996 her indefatigable spirit was channeled into the development of a prototype nurse-managed center called the Wellness Center, located in Steelton, which has become a focus for collaborative nursing scholarship and serves as a model for other nursing programs seeking innovative ways to provide community health practice opportunities for nursing students among under-served populations. In recognition of this work, Huber was awarded the Barnabas Servant Leader Award.

Paul W. Nisly

Professor of English

35 years of service

Arriving from graduate school in his native Kansas in 1972, Paul Nisly immediately stepped into the chairmanship of his department. Under his very capable and discerning leadership for twenty-four years, the Department of Literature, Language, Communications and Fine Arts grew to include twenty-four full-time faculty members.

As Professor of English Literature, Nisly consistently demonstrated a strong dedication to teaching, working with students through genuine interpersonal relationships. As many alumni continue to express their heart-felt appreciation for those relationships, they say, “No student has ever been just a name to Paul Nisly.”

As a colleague, Nisly’s proven integrity and commitment to duty made his name come up again and again whenever the faculty needed someone to represent them in an important situation. They elected him with the assurance that he would serve with faithfulness, ability, and dedication.

Since Nisly is a dedicated servant of Christ, it was no surprise to the Messiah College family hat in the 1990s he was chosen by his church to be the local bishop, a job requiring love-motivated living as much as skillful leadership.