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17 Nov

November 17, 2014 |
Dr. Martin Salia

Dr. Martin Salia

Steve Dennie, Director of Communications

Dr. Martin Salia passed away shortly before 4 am Monday morning, November 17. He had been diagnosed with Ebola on November 10. An air ambulance flew him to the United States on Friday night, November 14. He arrived Saturday afternoon at the Nebraska Medical Center, one of four US facilities equipped to handle highly infectious and dangerous diseases.

Heroic Measures to Save Dr. Salia’s Life

When he arrived, Dr. Salia was already in critical condition, with no kidney function and respiratory failure. Within 12 hours, he was in complete respiratory failure. Dr. Phil Smith, medical director of the Nebraska biocontainiment unit, said, “We used every possible treatment available to give Dr. Salia every possible opportunity for survival.”

That included continual dialysis, a ventilator, blood plasma from Ebola survivors, and various drugs, including ZMapp, the drug used on Dr. Kent Brantley and other Ebola survivors.

Smith continued, “As we have learned, early treatment with these patients is essential. In Dr. Salia’s case, his disease was already extremely advanced by the time he came here for treatment.”

Salia arrived on what was determined to be day 13 of his illness (people don’t show symptoms right away). The two previous Ebola patients treated at the Nebraska Medical Center, both of whom survived, arrived on days 6 and 8.

Dr. Salia was chief medical officer and surgeon at the 60-bed Kissy United Methodist Hospital in Freetown, and also helped at several other medical facilities. It’s not known where he contracted the disease.

His body will be cremated. An autopsy is too dangerous, since the bodies of Ebola victims are extremely contagious.

Statement from Jeff Bleijerveld

Sierra Leone Conference funded the medical training of Dr. Salia, sending him to Burkina Faso to a school which specialized in training missionary doctors. In recent years, Dr. Salia was involved as a consultant and occasional visiting physician at Mattru Hospital, the United Brethren hospital in Sierra Leone.

Rev. Jeff Bleijerveld, who knew Dr. Salia through his role as Director of Global Ministries for United Brethren churches in the US and Canada, issued this statement:

“I am saddened by the death of Dr. Martin Salia. This highly skilled surgeon served his countrymen selflessly and with a strong Christian witness. In addition to his employment at Kissy Hospital in Freetown, Dr. Salia graciously volunteered his services to our hospital in Mattru, Sierra Leone. People across the United Brethren in Christ denomination, in 18 countries, will be remembering Mrs. Salia and their two sons in prayer.”

Dr. Salia with his wife and two sons.

Dr. Salia with his wife and two sons.

The Salia Family

Dr. Salia leaves behind a wife and two sons, ages 20 and 12, who live in New Carrollton, Md. According to Dr. Richard Toupin, a former doctor at Mattru, Mrs. Salia came to the States in 2003 and later became a US citizen.

Mrs. Salia traveled to the Nebraska Medical Center, and was able to view her husband through a video connection. In a statement released through the medical center, she said, “In the short time we spent here, it was apparent how caring and compassionate everyone was. We are so appreciative of the opportunity for my husband to be treated here and believe he was in the best place possible.”

The Days Leading Up to the Evacuation

The Washington Post did some excellent reporting about what happened in Sierra Leone regarding Dr. Salia’s early diagnosis.

When Dr. Salia began feeling ill, the Post article said, he was taken to the 120-bed Hastings Ebola Treatment Center (a converted police training base) in the Freetown area. An Ebola test conducted by a team of Chinese lab workers yielded a negative diagnosis. Coworkers rejoiced and embraced Dr. Salia.

However, Ebola tests taken during the first three days of the illness tend to be inconclusive, because the bloodstream doesn’t yet have enough of the disease to be detected.

When Dr. Salia’s symptoms persisted—high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue–he told a coworker that, despite the negative diagnosis, he thought he had Ebola.

A second test was done on November 10, this time by a South African team at Lakka Hospital in Freetown. That test confirmed that he had Ebola.

A group of American doctors who came to the Hastings center, along with the US State department, were involved in facilitating Dr. Salia’s eventual evacuation. Mrs. Salia, a US citizen, agreed to cover the costs.

The article said Dr. Salia seemed to be constantly working, and quoted the United Methodist Bishop in Sierra Leone, John K. Yambasu, as saying, “His hobby was surgery.”

Dr. Salia told fellow doctors that he didn’t know where exactly he contracted Ebola. The Kissy hospital itself didn’t work with Ebola patients. However, Salia served at several other medical facilities.

Three of Dr. Salia’s colleagues at Kissy United Methodist Hospital are under quarantine in the surgery ward where Dr. Salia treated patients.

The Washington Post reports that since the Ebola crisis began, the disease has claimed the lives of 320 Sierra Leonean medical workers. Dr. Salia was the sixth Sierra Leonean surgeon to be stricken with Ebola. All six have died.

Contributing Toward the Costs

Mrs. Isatu Salia, 40, told the Methodist Church news service that she would pay the $200,000 cost of bringing her husband to the US.

Are you interested in contributing toward those expenses? If so, Jeff Bleijerveld, director of Global Ministries, suggests that you gives through the United Methodist Church, which employed Dr. Salia in Sierra Leone.

The Great Plains United Methodist District, which covers the states of Kansas and Nebraska, has established a “Dr. Martin and Isatu Salia Fund” to help offset the costs of medical, transportation, and other expenses related to Dr. Salia’s Ebola treatment.

15 Nov

November 15, 2014 |

Steve Dennie, Director of Communications

According to news reports, Dr. Martin Salia, 44, is on his way to the US for Ebola treatment. Dr. Salia is a surgeon at Kissy United Methodist Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He is a United Brethren member, but is not employed by us in any way. However, he has served as a consultant and occasional visiting physician at Mattru Hospital.

On Friday, a Phoenix Air air ambulance traveled to Sierra Leone to evaluate Dr. Salia to determine if he was stable enough to endure the long flight. According to NBC News, the plane, with Dr. Salia aboard, left Sierra Leone at 11:30 Friday night (Eastern Time) and is due to arrive at the Nebraska Medical Center around 3pm Saturday afternoon (ET). According to NBC, the medical team suggested that Salia may be sicker than other patients treated in the US.

Following is information about Dr. Salia gleaned from news reports and from conversations with various news organizations which have contacted the UB national office in Huntington, Ind.

Nebraska Medical Center

Nebraska Medical Center is one of four US facilities designed to handle infectious diseases like Ebola. Dr. Salia would become the 10th person treated for Ebola in the United States, and the third at Nebraska Medical Center. The others were infected in Liberia: missionary doctor Rick Sacra and NBC News cameraman Ashoka Mukpo.

The Center said on Thursday night (Nov. 13) that a Phoenix Air medical evacuation jet was on its way to evaluate an unnamed patient in Sierra Leone for possible evacuation to their 10-bed bio-containment unit in Omaha. The plane’s medical crew would decide whether or not “the patient is stable enough for transport.” If so, he would reach Omaha on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 15.

The United Brethren church is not involved in any efforts to bring Dr. Salia to the States, and news reports don’t identify who is underwriting the substantial expenses. There is some conflicting information. One report says Dr. Salia himself plans to cover the expenses. Perhaps the United Methodist Church, which employs Dr. Salia, is involved. We don’t know.

Inside a Phoenix Air air ambulance.

Inside a Phoenix Air air ambulance.

Dr. Salia and Kissy Hospital

Dr. Salia is the sixth Sierra Leonean doctor to be infected with Ebola. The other five have all died.

Reports say Dr. Salia showed symptoms of Ebola on November 6, but tested negative. However, when tested again on November 10, the diagnosis was positive. Salia was then taken to the Hastings Ebola Treatment Center in the Freetown area. Kissy Hospital was closed the next day, and the staff was put under a 21-day quarantine.

It’s not known, or at least hasn’t yet been reported, how Dr. Salia contracted Ebola. Kissy Hospital does not deal with Ebola patients. He did help in at least three other medical facilities, as did other workers at Kissy.

The United Methodist Church website reported that, after this diagnosis, “Sierra Leone United Methodist Bishop John K. Yambasu and Beatrice Gbanga, the United Methodist Sierra Leone Conference’s medical coordinator, held an emergency meeting at the hospital to talk about steps to protect the staff and make sure the hospital is disinfected immediately.”

Dr. Dennis Marke is listed as the Chief Medical Officer at Kissy Hospital. Dr. Marke, also, is from a United Brethren background and has worked as a surgeon at Mattru Hospital.

Two Quarantines

The UMC article says that in September, a patient at Kissy Hospital was diagnosed with Ebola, and died after having been transferred to the government’s Connaught Hospital in Freetown. At Kissy, certain parts of the hospital were closed and the staff put under a 21-day quarantine. Dr. Salia was diagnosed with Ebola several weeks after that 21-day quarantine expired.

With Dr. Salia’s diagnosis, the staff at Kissy was put under another 21-day quarantine, starting Tuesday, November 11. The UMC article states, “The Sierra Leone Conference Ebola response team will provide a 50-kilogram (110-pound) bag of rice, sugar, milk, soap, water, and other food to the quarantined staff. The staffers also will receive minutes for their cell phones so they can report on their health condition in case of any emergency or deteriorating health.”

The United Methodist Church also operates Mercy Hospital in Bo, the country’s second-largest city (and home to Sierra Leone Conference’s national headquarters). Two nurses at Mercy Hospital contracted Ebola, and are currently at the Hastings Treatment Center, along with Dr. Salia. Mercy Hospital was closed and quarantined on October 17; it is expected to reopen on November 17.

Dr. Salia’s Family and Legal Status

Dr. Salia’s wife, Isatu Salia, and their two sons (ages 20 and 12) live in New Carrollton, Md. It is being reported that Dr. Salia lives in Maryland, that he is a “permanent legal resident” of the US, and that he continues to hold a green card. The Associated Press described him as “a citizen of Sierra Leone but also a legal permanent US resident.” At the moment, we can’t confirm anything about his legal status, when his family came to the United States, or the circumstances under which he returned to Sierra Leone while his family remained in the US.

In a November 14 article on Voice of America News, Mrs. Salia said she hadn’t been able to speak to him since his diagnosis. She heard the news from a sister-in-law, Dr. Salia’s oldest sister, who also works at Kissy Hospital. But  say she talked to Martin on Friday. She described his voice and weak and shaky, but said he told her “I love you” in a steady voice.

Mrs. Salia says, according to Newsday, that her husband frequently travels to the US, but doesn’t stay very long “because he believes people back in Africa need him.”

Dr. Richard Toupin, a former doctor at the UB Mattru Hospital in Sierra Leone, has known Dr. Salia for a number of years. He is quoted as saying of Dr. Salia, “He is one of the best-trained surgeons in his country. He is a very competent surgeon.”

14 Nov

November 14, 2014 |

hu-money-basket600

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries

On Thursday Dr. Norris Friesen, director of Institutional Effectiveness at Huntington University, stopped by the Global Ministries offices. He dropped off a basket of cash and checks to assist with our relief efforts in Sierra Leone. After read the latest news on our website and Facebook pages, the faculty wanted to do something to make a difference.

In total $1816 was collected.

I can’t tell you how touched I am with their gift. We work alongside each other, overlapping as we interact with students, but their generosity truly speaks to our partnership in the gospel. We’re not just neighbors; we’re one body serving the same Kingdom purposes under Christ.

The gift will be used for our continuing relief efforts in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

13 Nov

November 13, 2014 |

HU is going to a Fort Wayne Komets hockey game! UB youth groups and others in the northeast Indiana area may want to join the fun.

The game is on Friday, Nov. 21, at 8 p.m.

Komets tickets are only $6 when you purchase from Marcy Hawkins in Alumni Relations. All tickets purchased through HU directly benefit the Forester Fund. That’s right, 100% of our ticket sales will be used to help provide student scholarships!

Contact Marcy Hawkins by email at mhawkins@huntington.edu or directly at 260-359-4097. Don’t forget to wear your green!

13 Nov

November 13, 2014 |
Bishop Phil Whipple at the UB National Office in Huntington with the camp directors. L-r: Bishop Whipple, Chad and Dana Toelke, Brad North, Scott Stephens, and Angela Monn. Scott Stephens.

Bishop Phil Whipple at the UB National Office in Huntington with the camp directors. L-r: Bishop Whipple, Chad and Dana Toelke, Brad North, Scott Stephens, and Angela Monn. Scott Stephens.

Phil Whipple, Bishop

On September 17, I met in Huntington with the directors of four camps.

  • Scott Stephens, fulltime director of Camp Cotubic (Bellefontaine, Ohio) since the beginning of 2014.
  • Angela Monn, fulltime director of Rhodes Grove Camp (Chambersburg, Pa.) since 2009.
  • Brad North, fulltime director of Camp Living Waters (Luther, Mich.). He’s been a camp director for 18 years, but is new to Living Waters this year.
  • Chad and Dana Toelke, from the Coleta UB church in Illinois, who direct the three summer camps at Camp Adeline (Adeline, Ill.). They raise some of their own support and live on the campground.

Until 2005, these camps were owned and operated by United Brethren regional conferences. However, in 2005 we disbanded those conferences and let the camps reorganize as independent entities, no longer under United Brethren ownership or sponsorship. The camps have continued doing well.

But I had some concerns—that perhaps we, as a denomination, could do more to help minimize some risks they might face.

These thoughts were actually prompted over a year ago when we were interviewing candidates for the presidency of Huntington University. I asked Dr. Sherilyn Emberton how she felt about the university being connected to a denomination. She said she wanted that connection. She felt that in the future, some government pressure might fall on independent schools that lack a definite denominational connection. They might be challenged, “You say you’re faith-based. Show us your connection.” She saw value in being connected to a denomination that’s been around for over 200 years.

That made me wonder, Had we put our camps at the same risk? Would it be helpful if they had some kind of formal connection to the denomination?

So I invited the camp directors to come to the National Office. There were three main areas I wanted us to address, and I was pleased with our discussions.

Connections with the Denomination
We no longer own the camps, and don’t want to be owners. When we disbanded the conferences in 2005, there was no intent to harm the camps. They just needed to reorganize themselves as independent camps, separate from the denomination.

However, this may have also put them at risk. The State of Ohio has told Camp Cotubic that they are not a faith-based organization. Rather, the state views them as a children’s camp. Scott Stephens told me they just settled for $26,000 in back taxes—an amount which originally exceeded $70,000. They struggled to show that they were a faith-based group.

Rhodes Grove Camp in Pennsylvania, on the other hand, entered into a covenant with United Brethren churches when Mid-Atlantic Conference disbanded in 2005. The covenant explains what the camp does, says a majority of the board members will be United Brethren members, and sets forth some agreements concerning what the camp and churches will do to maintain their relationship.

This covenant is signed every so many years. I just signed the covenant. Ron Ramsey signed the previous one.

We gave copies of the covenant to the other camp directors, as an example of a document that will show a clear connection to an ecclesiastical body of churches. They’ll take that document to their boards.

Connections with Huntington University
There has been a fairly big disconnect between the camps and our college. For instance, more could be done to recruit HU students as camp counselors and for other roles. Camp Cotubic sees 3500 students a year come through. If college students from your university interact with your church’s high school students, they’ll have an impact. There’s an openness to see that reconnection happen.

We spent about an hour with Dr. Emberton, talking through what can mutually benefit the camps. Lots of ideas were tossed around. Professor Lance Clark, in the Digital Media Arts department, talked to us about a videographer going to the camp. Some camps already produce a video for the week and give it to campers as a keepsake. We talked about PRIME experiences for ministry students that can happen at camps. There was talk about the soccer team doing a camp, and about a January Term class being hosted at a camp. So a lot of options are being considered.

Early in the second semester, the plan is to have the camp directors come back to share with students summer opportunities at the camps.

Connections with Other Camp Directors
Finally, I wanted these camp directors to get acquainted. None of them already knew each other. They may have heard of the other camps, but hadn’t met. They now plan to meet once a year, probably rotating among the different camps so they can see what the other camps are like and what they are doing.

Although these camps are no longer owned by the United Brethren church, UB churches are still their strongest supporters. That hasn’t changed. We believe in what camps can do in making an impact on a student’s life.

11 Nov

November 11, 2014 |

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries

I just learned, Tuesday afternoon, that a United Brethren doctor in Sierra Leone has been admitted to an Ebola Care Center. Dr. Martin Salia, a United Brethren member, is a gifted surgeon who currently serves a hospital outside Freetown. Dr. Salia has often performed surgery at the Mattru UB Hospital as a visiting physician. He participated in the strategic planning meetings that took place at the hospital in February 2013.

To date, five United Brethren members have died from Ebola. The first was Mrs. Baindu Laga, a pastor’s wife and nurse from Kenema. Just last week an entire United Brethren family from Freetown–Mr. Vandie Lansana Samuka, his wife, and two children–were buried.

In the 1990s, Sierra Leone Conference sent Dr. Salia to Burkina Faso to participate in extensive training designed for producing medical missionaries. Martin was mentored by a missionary doctor with years of experience. The idea was not just developing Martin into a good surgeon, but into a follower of Christ.

The Sierra Leone Conference helped support Martin with this training, with the understanding that he would return to work at Mattru Hospital. But then the civil war occurred, and the hospital fell into chaos and disrepair. While decisions were being processed about whether or not to take him on at Mattru Hospital, Martin landed a job at the Kissie Hospital in Freetown.

In February 2013, during the strategic planning meetings, I watched Dr. Salia perform surgery on a one-year-old boy who had a hernia the size of a softball. The surgery was amazing to watch. All of the staff were Sierra Leoneans. Christian worship music played in the background. Before any incision was made, everybody stopped what they were doing and gathered around while Dr. Salia led them in prayer. The surgery went well, and they said the boy would be running around the village within a couple of days.

In your prayers, please ask God to deliver Dr. Salia from this Ebola infection.

11 Nov

November 11, 2014 |

At Rhodes Grove Camp.

The equestrian program at Rhodes Grove Camp.

At Rhodes Grove Camp.

At Rhodes Grove Camp.

Angela Monn

Angela Monn

Steve Dennie, Director of Communications

All of the year-round United Brethren camps became independent entities after 2005, when we went through a denominational reorganization and discontinued the regional conferences. Rhodes Grove Camp in Chambersburg, Pa., has probably done the best job of maintaining close relationships with United Brethren churches. Partly, that’s because so many UB churches are located nearby—about 15 UB churches within 15-20 miles. None of the other camps share that advantage.

“We are centrally located among them,” says Angela Monn, director of Rhodes Grove Camp. “A lot of history for them is located on these grounds.”

Angela began working for Rhodes Grove in 2006 as Conference Ministry Director. That involved managing all of the guest services and helping guest groups plan their experience at the camp. In 2009, she was named executive director.

Angela is very intentional in keeping United Brethren churches in the loop about what is happening at Rhodes Grove and, of course, inviting them to be part of the camp’s ministry. She estimates that 70-80% of the summer youth campers come from United Brethren churches. Ministry from the summer of 2014 yielded 112 first-time decisions for Christ, 215 rededications, and 50 baptisms.

In 2017, Rhodes Grove will celebrate its 100th anniversary. As a lead-up to that milestone, the camp launched a major capital campaign.

The campaign uses the theme of “advancing tabernacle faith.” The focal point of the camp for 90 years was the big white tabernacle. This historic building became structurally unsound and had to be torn down in 2005. But its memory lingers.

“The tabernacle was a very important structure to many folks,” Angela says. “So many spiritual decisions happened within that building–commitments to Christ, commitments to advancing the kingdom, commitments to pastoral ministry and missionary service. Spiritual commitments too numerous to count.

“It was necessary for that building to come down, because it was unsafe and not cost-effective to repair. But it caused a lot of pain for a lot of people to see the tabernacle go away.

“We want to share that the tabernacle wasn’t a destination. Tabernacle faith is a journey. When the Israelites moved around in the Wilderness, the tabernacle went with them.

“Here at Rhodes Grove, the presence of the Lord is still here. We recognize the many great things that happened under that tabernacle roof, but the ministry of Rhodes Grove Camp continues. Lives are still being changed. The Kingdom is still being advanced. All of the same things are happening, just not in that building.”

The capital campaign will position the camp for future ministry. There are several parts.

The first part is debt elimination. The camp carries a debt of $684,000 on the Miller Lodge, which was built in 2001. Erasing that debt will free up $44,000 a year for other ministries.

They also want to become a spiritual life center, which can take in a number of ideas and ministries. One of them involves providing pastoral mentoring and a getaway for ministers and spouses.

Finally, they plan to expand the popular equestrian program. They currently provide four weeks of equestrian camp (four one-week camps) during the summer. This year’s camps were maxed out by April 1. They want to improve the facilities to serve more youth and provide year-round equestrian opportunities. They’ll initially expand the ministry for able-bodied riders. But on down the road, Angela envisions adding therapeutic options for persons with mental or physical disabilities.

The 2014 camp season began Memorial Day weekend with family camp. Rhodes Grove has 38 RV sites, plus hotel rooms and cabins. Training for the summer staff began after family camp, and the first camp began June 15. They held 12 camps during a five-week period.

They also do day camps and high adventure camps during which they take kids to the Pittsburgh area for white-water rafting. In 2013 they launched a paintball camp, which had a tremendous response.

Angela came to the Chambersburg, Pa., area to attend Wilson College. She and her husband, Bill, met there. They now have two teenage sons.

Angela’s background is in accounting and business management. She describes herself as a “spiritual mutt.” She attended a Christian school through fourth grade. “I learned to love the Lord very early as a youngster based on the influence of the teachers and mentors at that school.”

Over the years she has attended Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist, and other churches—“a myriad of foundational teachings,” she says. Her family currently attends the nearby Antrim Brethren in Christ church.

“For me, it’s more about my relationship with Christ,” she says. “I love the Lord.”

11 Nov

November 11, 2014 |

Dr. Kevin Miller, professor of communication at Huntington University, wrote the best article of the year in the Christian Scholar’s Review. That was the verdict of a panel who read every article published in Volume 43. Miller’s article (brace yourself), “Reframing the Faith-Learning Relationship: Bonhoeffer and an Incarnational Alternative to the Integration Model,” appeared in the Winter 2014 issue.

In his essay, Miller noted that the faith-integration model, with its working assumption that “All truth is God’s truth,” has become the standard approach for many scholars at evangelical universities as they seek to understand the relationship between faith and learning. He offered an alternative incarnational model of scholarship that drew from the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s ideas about a “religionless Christianity.”

In offering an evaluation of Miller’s essay, one juror wrote that it “is a lucid essay with a bold thesis that deserves to be read and discussed widely.” A second juror notes that the essay “is clearly written, easily accessible to people from a variety of fields, and engages directly with an issue that is essential to all Christian scholars, namely, the relationship between their faith and their work….Shifting the discussion away from thinking ‘Christianly’ to thinking ‘humanly’ provides a new way to account for what we do, one that works equally well within and outside Christian circles, and so is also of use to Christian scholars working in secular communities.”

Miller earned a Ph.D. in Communication at the University of Kentucky, a Master of Arts in Journalism at Ohio State University, and Bachelor of Arts in English at Eastern Mennonite University. Before teaching, he was associate editor at Christianity Today magazine. He joined the HU communication faculty in 2002.

11 Nov

November 11, 2014 |

Indiana governor Mike Pence visited Huntington University on Thursday, November 6.

During the visit, he met with an economics class full of seniors. He addressed and fielded questions about a wide range of issues–the midterm elections, unemployment, Indiana’s economy, and his own presidential ambitions.

“Just his genuineness came forth in the classroom today,” said Sam Thompson, a senior. “Having the chance to sit down with students in an informal matter with all of the cameras off to talk with the governor.”

Aaron Tan asked if Pence was interested in running for President in 2016 or 2020. “He didn’t really give an answer. He says he wanted to focus on Indiana. That’s where his heart is and his passion is.”

Pence also met with a business class in an open-forum setting. At the end, the students prayed with the governor. 

A press conference was held at the university, during which Pence said, ““This is a great school, and it has a national reputation among Christian institutions around the country. I wanted to come here and encourage, but I also want to learn and look for ways that the state of Indiana can provide additional support for all the good work that’s being done here.”

11 Nov

November 11, 2014 |

CC_FiveStar_SchoolSilver_hiresFor the sixth consecutive year, Huntington University’s athletic program has been named a recipient of the Champions of Character Five Star Award. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced the 2013-2014 awards in October.

The award uses a point system and consider a variety of factors: character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion, plus the five Champions of Character core values: integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership. The Foresters also earned points based on exceptional student-athlete grade point averages and minimal ejections during competition.

To receive this award, institutions must score at least 60 out of 100 possible points. HU earned 76 of the possible 100 points to rank among 60 schools named to the silver level (66th overall).

Eight of the ten schools in the Crossroads League received Champions of Character awards, putting Crossroads among 17 conferences to be recognized as a Champion of Character Conference.

St. Francis, a Catholic university in Fort Wayne, Ind., was the only Crossroads school among the 12 Gold Medallion winners (scoring 90 or above). HU, Bethel, Goshen, Spring Arbor, and Taylor received the Silver Medallion. Two other Crossroads schools, Grace and Indiana Wesleyan, qualified for the Bronze Medallion. Only Mt. Vernon Nazarene and Marian University didn’t make the list.

Huntington University competes in 16 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 38 NAIA All-America honors and 222 All-America Scholar Athlete honors.