12 Aug HU Launching Faith-Based Agriculture Program

Huntington University is set to launch Indiana’s first faith-based agriculture program, thanks to a $100,000 gift from an anonymous donor. HU’s new Institute for Agricultural Studies plans to offer its first agribusiness program in the fall of 2015.

“Congratulations to everyone at Huntington University for launching our state’s first new agriculture program in many, many years,” said Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann. “Recent studies confirm that the agriculture industry is growing as an important part of Indiana’s economy. We need future leaders for all parts of the agriculture industry, and the new Huntington University program will prepare young men and women for those positions.”

Agriculture is one the largest sectors of Indiana’s economy. It produces over $37 billion in annual revenue, and 83% of the state’s acreage is devoted to farms or forests.

Huntington University hopes to collaborate with the state’s public agriculture program at Purdue University. Officials from the two schools have met multiple times.

“Some options we have discussed,” says HU President Sherilyn Emberton, “involve shared faculty, joint undergraduate research opportunities, and service-learning international trips for both Purdue and Huntington students. The possibilities are endless.”

Emberton first felt compelled to consider the opportunity when she looked out an airplane window as she arrived in Indiana for the first time. “I was so struck by the beauty of the cornfields,” she recalled. “After meeting the people of this region and seeing the overwhelming connection to everything agriculture, I began to sense a strong conviction that Huntington University was being called to launch a faith-based program in agriculture.”

The Institute for Agriculture Studies will:

• Be guided by three core values–faith, family, and farming.
• Provide innovative, agriculture-based solutions to meet challenges in Indiana, the nation, and the world.
• Address a growing need for agriculture professionals.

Emberton established an Agriculture Task Force in December 2013. The members:

• Dr. Del Doughty, associate dean for academics at HU.
• Dr. Bruce Evans, HU professor of biology.
• Dr. Dale Haupert, member of HU’s Board of Trustees.
• Dr. Collin Hobbs, assistant professor of biology at HU.
• Joe Kessie, senior vice president at Lake City Bank in Warsaw.
• Jeff Mize, CEO of Ag Plus in South Whitley.
• teve Platt, Huntington farmer and former HU men’s basketball coach.
• RD Schrader, partner at Schrader Real Estate and Auction.
• Terry Shively, President of Farmers Grain and Feed Company.
• Kip Tom of Tom Farms and president of CereServ Inc..
• Anita Wickersham, associate professor of accounting and business at HU.
• Dr. Mike Wanous, vice president for academic affairs at HU.

Wanous, who began his role at the university in July, has a strong background in agriculture. He holds a Ph.D. in genetics from the University of Missouri, a Master of Science degree in plant breeding from Texas A&M University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in agronomy and international agriculture from the University of Minnesota. Wanous spent a sabbatical in the United Kingdom working at an international center focusing on plant science and microbiology.

On March 25, Emberton made the first public announcement about the possibility of an agriculture program at a Huntington University event called Feed A Farmer. The luncheon celebrated National Agriculture Day and provided a public forum not only to honor agriculture professionals but also to gather their impressions of an agriculture program at HU. More than 70 people attended, including FFA (Future Farmers of America) members and their advisors from five area high schools.

In addition, Feed A Farmer provided Huntington with an opportunity to announce the success of a student-led campaign to market agriculture in Indiana. The day before, a team of seven Huntington University students took home the top prize, $25,000, for an entry in a statewide marketing competition called “Promoting the Good Works of Indiana Agriculture,” sponsored by Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann’s office. The group’s work will be integrated into the state’s efforts to market agriculture to 18 to 35 year-olds. The campaign, “Hoosier Grown,” laid out a blended-media approach, recommending traditional advertising, movie theater spots, digital marketing, social media, strategic partnerships, and events. HU’s proposal was selected out of 30 teams from 17 colleges and universities from across the state.

Agriculture education is not new to Huntington University. Under the leadership of faculty member Dr. Fred A. Loew, the university had a thriving agriculture curriculum in the early 1900s. Loew served as the first Agricultural Agent for Huntington County and directed the Purdue Experiment Station north of the campus. He is credited with introducing soybeans to Northeast Indiana.