Messiah College moves toward university status

The Messiah College Board of Trustees announced recently that it approved Messiah moving to university status by July 1, 2020.

“In many ways, university status is a much more accurate reflection of how Messiah has functioned for several years now,” said President Kim Phipps. “With our comprehensive offering of undergraduate and graduate programs in both the liberal arts and applied sciences—including our expansion to master’s and doctoral programs—Messiah’s educational profile is already well-positioned with the academic distinction of a nationally recognized, private Christian university.”

This decision was facilitated through a two-year process initiated by a representative campus task force. In addition to distinguishing the strength and breadth of Messiah’s academic programs, College leadership agreed that other factors affirm Messiah’s advancement to university status, including its current multi-school structure with interdisciplinary centers and public educational programs; expansion of educational facilities and academic research opportunities for students; participation in international and other off-campus programs; and an increase in Messiah’s visibility—particularly with student recruitment inroads in China and Malaysia.

Phipps will be forming an implementation team to oversee the transition. Celebration of the status change will be a focal point of the 2020 Homecoming festivities.