The Bridge - The Engle Center: From home to health services facility

The Engle Center for Health and Counseling Services has served Messiah students and faculty for years. Now equipped with a self-care room, counseling offices, laboratory services, treatment rooms and an EKG machine, the facility has come a long way since its dedication in 1996. There’s even a therapy dog named Adi, a golden retriever “on call” to help students de-stress after a tough day.

 Did you know the Engle Center used to serve a completely different purpose? Formerly called Hillcrest Apartments, the building housed married couples and their families, including then-President Ray Hostetter and his wife Audrey.

Later, the center was named in honor of Dr. Harold and Mary Elizabeth Engle in recognition for their many years of service in the medical field and to Messiah College. Dr. Engle, as a physician and Mrs. Engle, as a nurse, served in private medical practice, at Hershey Medical Center and throughout Taiwan, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Dr. Engle served on the Board of Trustees and as Board Chair for 20 years.

In its early years, the center hosted an off-campus doctor who came in three mornings per week for students. Today, however, you’ll see the center as a bustling hotspot for students who need medical help or counseling during the school year.

At the center, the emotional well-being of students is just as important as the physical. Students have the option to meet with Messiah’s on-campus nurse practitioner or to attend sessions with mental health counselors.

Eleanor Muir, director of the Engle Center, said, “As a smaller campus that focuses on equipping students for success, Messiah College provides a variety of resources at the Engle Center and elsewhere on campus.”

From housing a college president to caring for students, the facility has transformed to meet the College’s needs. And with a golden retriever as a fellow employee, how could the Engle Center go wrong?

—  Jake Miaczynski ’20