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School of Graduate Studies hosts inaugural Commencement

September 13, 2017

 One week after undergraduate commencement, Messiah hosted its inaugural School of Graduate studies commencement May 19 in which 104 students received degrees in Parmer Hall.

  • Representatives from each program served as speakers, including Katie Galaska, graduate program in business and leadership; Kelli AlAssad, graduate program in counseling; Eric Fleming, graduate program in education; Sarah Dillon, graduate program in higher education; Jennifer Wagner, graduate program in music conducting; Talisha Sneeringer, graduate program in nursing.
  • During the ceremony, Associate Professor of TESOL Jan Dormer received the Harry and Nancy Preis Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award.
  • Rachel Cornacchio, director of the graduate program in music, conducted the School of Graduate Studies Choral Ensemble.

To celebrate tradition—while also making room for the future—we’ve two students from the School of Graduate Studies this year from the Class of 2017.

Katie Galaska ’10, MBA ’17

Souderton, Pennsylvania

Noticing a small representation of female leadership at the accounting firm where she works, Katie Galaska ’10, MBA ’17 explored the topic further for her Master of Business Administration (MBA) capstone project.

“After attending Messiah for my undergraduate degree in accounting and recognizing how strong the business department is, I couldn’t imagine obtaining my MBA from anywhere else,” said Galaska. “The business department places a focus on the real world and seamlessly incorporates the Christian faith into business to build leaders who are faithful and ethical.”

The 13-class program took Galaska a little less than 2.5 years to complete. She says the most surprising part of the graduate school journey included the diverse mix of fellow students—from various career paths, ages and undergraduate degrees—she met along the way. “The majority of our classes had group projects that were deliberately chosen to mix up our backgrounds and allow us to gain additional knowledge and skills from each other,” she said.

She says the flexibility of the program being fully online allowed her to continue working full time to pursue her professional and personal goals—one of which is being an effective Christian leader. “Messiah prioritizes integrity and ethics within the business program,” she said. “While other programs may place a slight emphasis on these values, Messiah recognizes that a Christian leader will answer to both an earthly supervisor and a heavenly Father for one’s leadership and actions.”

For Galaska, an immediate outcome of her MBA degree includes implementing some of her capstone findings in her current job. “After my capstone project, I’ve been leading the female leadership initiative at my firm and promoting recommendations to upper management,” she said, “which I hope will lead to happier, more confident and more productive employees.”

Eric Fleming ’04, M.Ed. ’17

Red Lion, Pennsylvania

Attending graduate school at Messiah was a homecoming of sorts for Eric Fleming ’04, M.Ed. ’17. With a bachelor’s in Spanish, he returned a little more than a decade later to complete a Master of Education, selecting the curriculum and instruction track.

“I really didn’t know what to expect, so I can’t say I was surprised by a whole lot,” said Fleming of beginning the program. “The summer intensive course was truly intense, but I really enjoyed being in the classroom again for that weeklong course.”

As part of his degree, he completed a 50-page capstone project. He credits Associate Professor of Graduate Education Maude Yacapsin with supporting and encouraging him through the process. He said he even considered postponing the project for a semester, but Yacapsin urged him to stick with it. In the acknowledgements section of the project, he thanks her and the other Messiah professors who helped him during the two-year journey:

“Some people pay for a diploma, but I paid for an education, and that is exactly what I got. Behind every challenging assignment, late-night forum post and daunting list of readings was a professor who was personally invested and unquestionably demanding.” 

Fleming, who teaches high school Spanish at York Country Day School in York, Pennsylvania, says his master’s has made him a better classroom teacher. “At some point down the road, though, I’d love to take a leadership role,” he said. “With this degree, I feel prepared to do so.” B

—Anna Seip