Waynesburg University celebrated its 168th birthday with the annual Charter Day celebration on March 21.
The event was celebrated with a special edition of the usual Tuesday chapel service in Roberts Chapel. The service began with a welcoming performance by the Waynesburg University Brass Ensemble. Following that was the
The Waynesburg University Lamplighters Concert Choir performed “He, Watching Over Israel,” by Felix Mendelssohn, followed by University Provost Dr. Dana Cook Baer leading the call to worship.
Following an invocation by the Rev. Jim Tinnemeyer, university chaplain and Vice President of Student Services, junior Bonner Scholar Andrew Brunette read the Scripture lesson, followed by a performance by the concert choir, as well as the chapel worship team, of “Give Me Jesus” by Craig Courtney and Jeremy Camp.
After this, University President Douglas G. Lee introduced the speaker: Chancellor Timothy R. Thyreen.
Thyreen served as president of the university from 1990 to 2013 and has been working as chancellor since 2013. During Thyreen’s tenure as president, one of the biggest accomplishments at Waynesburg was when the university became the first college in Pennsylvania to become a part of the Bonner Scholar Program, which was one of the focal points of Thyreen’s address on Tuesday.
Thyreen also talked about the changes that took place during his tenure as president. Thyreen mentioned a conversation he had with Corella Bonner, one of the founders of the Bonner Foundation, on the balcony of Stover Campus Center. Thyreen pointed out several of his visions for the university to her, which included a chapel, as well as more dorms and academic visionsand all of those things ended up coming to fruition.
Mary Fox, event planner for Waynesburg, played a central role in putting together the service.
“It’s an annual event, so some of the planning kind of carries through from year after year,” said Fox. “But this year, being the 25th anniversary of the association with the Bonner Foundation, it was decided [this past summer] to make this Charter Day a focus on the 25th anniversary of [Waynesburg’s] association with the foundation.”
To coincide with the anniversary, there was a celebration dinner this past Saturday, which also included Thyreen as a speaker.
Overall, Fox was pleased with the event.
“I think [the event] went very well,” said Fox. “Everything went as it was planned, so that was a good thing. I was very pleased with how it went.”
For Fox, Thyreen’s focus on the Bonner program stood out.
“I think as far as Chancellor Thyreen’s talk was just how significant the Bonner Foundation and the Bonner program is to the very fabric of this university,” she said.
Following Thyreen’s speech was the benediction, led by Tinneymer, before the service concluded with Lee performing “Fanfare,” by Jacques Lemmens as the Recessional.
Thyreen closed the service with the quote that served as the title of his message:
“All things good must be taught again…. forever.”