Catholic High School Invites Belmont Abbey College President to Give Commencement Address

May 12, 2005 -- Dr. William K. Thierfelder, Belmont Abbey College’s 20th President, will deliver the main address at St. Joseph's Catholic School’s 2005 Commencement exercises on Saturday, May 28, 2005 at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Taylors, South Carolina.

The Commencement ceremony will begin at 10:00 AM.

Thierfelder, who was named the 20th president of the Abbey in August 2004, had served as president of York Barbell Company in York, Pennsylvania prior to arriving at the Abbey.

Thierfelder has also served as an executive director of the Player Management Group, LLC and was founder and president of ProSportDoc, Inc., a successful performance enhancement service company that helped professional athletes develop their physical and mental abilities to better train and compete.

As an adjunct assistant professor of surgery at the Milton S. Hershey College of Medicine of the Pennsylvania State University, Thierfelder also founded the Sports Performance Training Program at the Hershey Medical Center. The former Olympian and two-time All-American frequently speaks at the national level, presenting lectures, seminars and workshops to coaches, athletes, clinicians, and psychologists across the country.

A native of the Bronx, Thierfelder received his masters and doctorate degrees in sports psychology and human movement from Boston University. He is a licensed psychologist, a diplomat of the American Board of Psychological Specialties and is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Strength & Conditioning Association, and the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology. He is also a member of the American Psychological Association, the International Society of Sports Psychology, and the United States Olympic Committee's Sport Psychology Registry.

St. Joseph's Catholic School is a private, Roman Catholic co-educational college-preparatory school located in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1993 in response to the need for Catholic secondary education in upstate South Carolina, the school has since rapidly expanded its enrollment, facilities, and programs. A middle school was added in August of 2003.

Located on a beautiful 36-acre campus, its three buildings provide over 125,000 square feet, along with an on-site athletic complex. Centrally located within Greenville County, the campus is also accessible to neighboring cities such as Spartanburg and Anderson with its close proximity to Interstate 85.

The school offers a traditional, college preparatory, liberal arts curriculum, including the arts, the humanities, the sciences, and a complete program of Catholic theology. In addition, students may choose from a multitude of co-curricular sports, activities, and clubs represented on campus.

Ranked one of the best liberal arts colleges in the South by U.S. News and World Report, Belmont Abbey College celebrates excellence and virtue steeped in its 128 year Catholic Benedictine heritage. It is home to students from over 34 states and 17 countries and welcomes everyone from any background or tradition committed to this vision of excellence and virtue. The campus consists of the College, the Monastery and the Abbey Basilica, which can be found on its sprawling 650 acres of picturesque landscape.

Just minutes from Charlotte, NC, the nation’s second largest banking center, Belmont Abbey College offers students numerous internship opportunities and career placement.

The College believes in development of the whole person – mind, body and spirit. By offering a wide array of clubs and activities including Division II athletics, theatre, publications, and study abroad, Belmont Abbey College invests in the personal growth of its students.

Founded in 1876, the College celebrates its heritage and is inspired by the Benedictine monastic tradition. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the College and Abbey Basilica greet thousands of visitors each year.