03 May Dr. Ann McPherren Named HU Vice President
Dr. Ann McPherren has been appointed vice president for Huntington University Planning and Strategy. She will report directly to President G. Blair Dowden and will be part of the Senior Leadership Team. The position gives McPherren responsibility for coordination, development, implementation, and monitoring of the new strategic plan and process. She will also continue serving as professor of business and economics, teaching six hours each semester. McPherren celebrates 25 years of service at the University this year. She graduated from HU in 1979.
Playing sports, watching movies and taking road trip adventures sounds more like summer vacation than an internship. But for Huntington University senior Josh Wood, it’s all part of the job.
Mrs. Charlotte (Char) Binkley, executive director of the WBCL Radio Network in Fort Wayne, Ind., will also receive the Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Her voice is familiar to Christian radio listeners throughout the area.
Rev. Charles Billiam (Bill) Eakin will receive the Doctor of Divinity degree. He has served nearly 60 years with Youth for Christ, a term longer than any other staff member in the organization’s history. He continues serving as a Campus Life coach in Indianapolis. During the 1980s, he spoke at the United Brethren Youth Convention. He and his wife established 30 Youth for Christ clubs in Akron, Ohio. Later, as the international field director, he managed all overseas activities for Youth for Christ, a position that took him to 40 countries. In 1974, Eakin and his family moved to Indianapolis, where they have remained.
Dr. Robert C. Andringa (right), president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), will give the Commencement address at Huntington University on Saturday, May 13. Dr. Norris Friesen, Huntington’s vice president and dean, will deliver the baccalaureate address to graduates and their parents at 10:30 a.m., in the Zurcher Auditorium of the Merillat Centre for the Arts. Commencement will be held on the campus front lawn at 3 p.m. You can read more about them on the Huntington University site.
As vice president and dean, Dr. Friesen (right) is the chief academic officer of Huntington University. He supervises the faculty, assistant and associate deans, the RichLyn Library, academic registration, and adult and graduate education. He came to the university in 1985 as Dean of Student Services, was named Vice President for Student Development in 1993, and accepted his current role in 2002.