Harrisburg Institute

Urban experience for suburban students
Students at the Harrisburg Institute and Philadelphia Campus live out Messiah’s mission in the city

For students interested in getting a taste of city life, Messiah College has satellite campuses in Harrisburg and Philadelphia. These secondary sites allow students to experience the diverse atmosphere and opportunities of the city while still benefiting from a Christian living and learning environment.

Harrisburg Institute
Messiah’s Harrisburg residences are part of the Harrisburg Institute, which began in 2002. The College currently leases five townhouses and several apartments from Grace United Methodist Church, which are located in the historic district of downtown Harrisburg. During the Institute’s pilot semester in the fall of 2004, 22 students lived at the Harrisburg Institute. For the spring of 2005, the number increased to 27 and this semester the Harrisburg Institute has 21 students. After further renovation, this site will incorporate enough space for 50 students, as well as staff offices, classrooms, conference rooms, and a community art gallery.

Rochelle Wilkins Tate, associate dean of students, is an educator-in-residence at the Harrisburg Institute and lives there with her husband, Tim, and three of their children. They facilitate programs and serve as a spiritual resource for prayer, conversation, and any other student needs.

“Our home really is not our own—our home is open to students,” Wilkins Tate says.

A large component of living in Harrisburg is performing community service. Students at the Harrisburg Institute continue their coursework at Messiah’s main campus and are required to participate in at least one group project per semester. These projects are designed to help students interact with the community and experience more of the city and its residents.

On October 1, the Harrisburg Institute hosted a downtown Block Party, along with the local neighbors, churches, and businesses, that included light refreshments, live music, and giveaways from local merchants. About 80 people attended the event.

Living in Harrisburg offers students an excellent opportunity to secure an internship. Situated across from the state Capitol building, the Harrisburg residences are also ideally located for experiencing cultural life, visiting restaurants, and taking a stroll along the Susquehanna River, which borders the city.

“I love living in Harrisburg; it has helped me to be more independent and it’s good training for when I am on my own,” says Molly Burke ’06, who spent the past two years at the Harrisburg Institute.

Messiah College Philadelphia Campus

According to Wilkins Tate, the Harrisburg community has been very open and accepting toward Messiah students.

“It’s been such an excellent relationship,” Wilkins Tate says. “I think we set the standard for other schools who want to come because [Harrisburg] likes our students.”

Wilkins Tate and her husband have also set up a shuttle service for students without cars. The shuttle will run periodically throughout the day to transport students to and from classes at Messiah’s Grantham campus.

Wilkins Tate understands parents may be concerned about safety in Harrisburg Because of the maturity required, Harrisburg housing is reserved for juniors and seniors. While there have been no problems in the past, city living requires a heightened sense of caution. In order to raise awareness, Messiah College public safety officers conduct a safety orientation with students at the start of each semester.

“I also have a daughter who is a first-year student at Messiah this fall,” Wilkins Tate says. “[My husband and I] are certainly there to be a help and a resource for students—to help them be safe and to be challenged in their faith.”

Wilkins Tate hopes parents will encourage their students to become a part of the Harrisburg community and to be involved in the urban educational adventure themselves.

Messiah College Philadelphia Campus
Messiah’s Philadelphia Campus, founded in 1968, consists of seven large renovated townhouses located on Broad Street, across the street from Temple University’s main campus. The small, close-knit atmosphere of the Messiah College Philadelphia Campus encourages a focus on community, while its setting and affiliation with Temple University offer students a whole new living and learning experience. Students at the Philadelphia Campus take selected Messiah courses taught on site and participate in courses at Temple University that count for credit toward a Messiah degree.

“We see the importance of providing a well-rounded education,” says Kate Nicely, recruitment coordinator for the Philadelphia Campus. “Students who really want to take advantage of all the educational opportunities available to them will find that the Philadelphia Campus will teach them things they couldn’t have learned elsewhere.”

Students at the Messiah College Philadelphia Campus

Part of this learning process is facilitated by the Guided Discovery Program, which brings students and educators together to engage in the surrounding neighborhoods, Temple University, and Messiah’s own community. The program includes three immersion weekends each semester. These immersion weekends help students practice what they have learned, particularly through community service.

In the past, these community service projects have added more beauty to Philadelphia. Messiah students cleared a vacant lot and worked in a community garden, pulling weeds, trimming overgrowth, and planting trees and flowers. On another community project, students painted a mural on an exterior wall of the R.W. Brown Community Center. Nearby residents were thankful for the public art display and students were able to incorporate Christian service with their new urban environment.

“Central to the Philadelphia experience is living and studying in a setting that intentionally focuses academic inquiry on the integration of Christian faith, urban living and civic engagement,” says Timothy Peterson, program director at Philadelphia Campus and professor of urban studies.

While in Philadelphia, students often witness new social and economic issues, such as homelessness, for the first time. According to Nicely, students find they cannot ignore these problems, and are encouraged to question and challenge their faith, worldviews, and sense of self during their time in Philadelphia.

“I was stretched, pulled, and pushed more into who God wants me to be because I went to Messiah College Philadelphia Campus,” says Anna Geeslin ’05, who spent two semesters in Philadelphia.“Looking back, I think I am more accepting and open to new things, but also more astute and aware of the things that could pull me down.”

“The more I observe and learn, the more I see God’s heart for the city,” says Stephanie Vroman ’06, who is spending her junior and senior years in Philadelphia.“And it’s becoming so that I can no longer just continue passing people by. God’s calling has become more clear in my life through my experience in Philly.”

Surrounded by one of the nation’s oldest and most historic cities, students have access to a vast amount of opportunities, particularly when seeking an internship. Messiah currently has a database with 900 contacts, providing numerous options and choices for students in a variety of disciplines. During her time in Philadelphia, Mollie Bickley ’04 was able to intern at“Trading Spaces Family,” which landed her a job as production assistant and researcher for the “Dr. Phil Show” after graduation.

“The chance to intern with such a well-known show was not possible in central Pennsylvania and it would have been insanely competitive to obtain in Los Angeles or New York,” Bickley says.“Interning with the Messiah Philadelphia Campus was one of the best decisions I ever made for my career.”

As the recruitment coordinator, Nicely finds some students intimidated by the idea of living in a city and skeptical of studying in Philadelphia. However, once students adjust to the urban setting and realize its abundance of opportunities, they usually want to stay longer. There are typically 70 to 75 students at the Philadelphia Campus each semester.

Parents often share concerns over safety. However, Nicely says when parents see the campus for themselves, their worries are often laid to rest. The townhouses are situated directly across from Temple campus and have never had any security breaches. The Messiah townhouses are also included in Temple’s security rounds. During orientation, a special forum allows parents to meet with Peterson to ask any questions and air concerns.

“Our intent is to communicate to parents that they are not abandoning their daughter or son to the uncertainties and challenges of urban life, but that there is a committed and gifted staff of people who live here with them and serve as important guides and fellow participants,” Peterson says.