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Messiah University
Messiah University

Awards & recognition

Awards & Recognitions

Phipps Community Leader Scholarship

The Phipps Community Leader Scholarship honors Kelly and Kim Phipps for their lifelong dedication to students and Christian higher education. Through decades of service at institutions like Malone University and Messiah University, the Phipps family has shaped academic excellence, campus diversity, and a gracious Christian culture. Their leadership has driven transformative initiatives, fundraising success, and community engagement.

This scholarship is made available by the Agapé Center and is given to a student who exemplifies leadership and service.

2026 Student Recipient

Alessandra LaGeorge

Alessandra LaGeorge is a senior communications student. She is both a Martin Scholar and Honors Program participant here at Messiah. She holds an internship with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Recreation. She has worked for the Agape center for three years, with a culminating role of Assistant Director and Salvation Army After School Outreach Coordinator. She has also been heavily involved with the Multi-Cultural Council, having been on the Black Student Union for 2 years, and now holding the position of MCC Chair for her senior year. In her free time, she enjoys reading, swimming and singing on the Messiah University's Gospel Choir United Voices of Praise. After Messiah, Alessandra hopes to continue her education in a cool city.   

S.R. Smith Servant-Leader Award

Initially established as the Barnabas Award, the S.R. Smith Servant-Leader Award is given annually by the Agapé Center to those who enrich our educational community by promoting the ideals of service that substantially benefit others. Phillip and Rebecca Smith have generously agreed to endow this annual award as it fits with a core tenet of Phillip's great-grandfather's (S.R. Smith) founding vision for Messiah University, i.e., equipping men and women for lives of commitment to Christ and service to others. Wheel-thrown basins are given out each year to recipients as a token of appreciation for their commitment to service and living lives as Jesus called us to.

The awards are made available by the Agapé Center and are given to one current undergraduate student and one current employee at Messiah University, with a matching award given to an organization of each honoree's choice.

2026 Student Recipient

Justine Forbes

Justine is a senior majoring in Human Development & Family Science with a pre–Counseling & Therapy minor. She feels deeply blessed to participate in service opportunities at Messiah and is honored to be surrounded by a community at the Agape Center and across Messiah that embraces a posture of servanthood toward all people, rooted in love for the Lord. 

 

Justine has chosen Bethesda Mission to receive a monetary gift.

2026 Employee Recipient

Leanne Rutt

Leanne Rutt serves as Associate Professor and Program Director of the Master of Occupational Therapy program at Messiah University, where she is dedicated to preparing students for thoughtful, service-oriented professional practice. Her work reflects a deep integration of faith, vocation, and community engagement, with a particular focus on holistic, family-centered support for individuals’ developmental and psychosocial well-being. She has developed community partnerships that provide students with meaningful, real-world learning opportunities while advancing housing stability and employment for vulnerable populations. Beyond her academic role, Leanne demonstrates a sustained commitment to service through active involvement in her church and the broader community. Across these roles she strives to demonstrate integrity, hospitality, and compassion.

Leanne has chosen Paxton Minstries to receive a monetary gift.