Messiah College dedicates new Harrisburg Institute facility Oct. 3, joining Harrisburg’s emerging educational corridor

Harrisburg, Pa. (Oct. 2, 2007) — The building that once housed McCreath Laboratories at 28 Dewberry Street is now home to 25 Messiah College students and the offices of the college’s Harrisburg Institute for Community Research and Collaborative Partnerships. Messiah College, joined by Mayor Stephen R. Reed, dedicated the new facility on Oct. 3, celebrating the occasion with more than 75 Messiah students, trustees, employees, community friends, and the local media.

The dedication ceremony opened with remarks by President Kim S. Phipps, followed by comments from Mayor Reed—who presented the president with a commendation officially declaring Oct. 3, 2007 as “Messiah College Harrisburg Institute Day” in the city of Harrisburg. Craig Dalen, director of community life in Harrisburg, and David Hietela, director of the Harrisburg Institute, then led the guests in the reading of a Litany of Dedication. The ceremony concluded with a formal ribbon cutting with President Phipps, Mayor Reed, Russ Ford, president and CEO of Harristown Development Corporation, Craig Dalen, David Hietala, and Jessica West ’08, a student living at the Harrisburg Institute. Jessica West then closed the dedication with a benediction. Following the ceremony, guests were invited to tour the facility, hosted by student tour guides who live and study at the Harrisburg Institute.

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