After 24 years as part of the Huntington University community, Steve and Twyla Lee have relocated to Colorado Springs. They are now professors in the Focus Leadership Institute. Their actual title is “Senior Fellows for Marriage and Family Life Studies.”

Steve chaired the HU Psychology Department for 24 years. Twyla, after 11 years as Director of Social Work Education at Taylor University, transferred to HU six years ago to develop a new program in Social Work. During those years, they served the UB denomination in various ways.

Huntington University appointed three new faculty members to teach in the Psychology and Social Work areas.

Tanner Babb, Instructor of Psychology (undergraduate and graduate levels). Babb spent three years as a child and adolescent case manager and as a marriage and family therapist with the Bowen Center in Huntington, Ind. After earning a Psychology degree from Huntington University, he went on to obtain a Master’s in Education, with a focus in marriage and family therapy, from Indiana University. He is currently finishing his dissertation for his PhD in counselor education and supervision at the University of Toledo. Babb is also a licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Associate.

Rev. Rick Leone, Assistant Professor of Social Work. Leone has worked in a variety of places, accumulating an interesting resume:

  • Taught in the Human Services and Sociology departments of Indiana colleges.
  • Worked at SouthernCare Hospice, providing pastoral care, social services, and bereavement services for clients and families.
  • Served at Crossroad Children’s Home as the director of pastoral care.
  • Worked as an outpatient therapist for TriCity Mental Health Care in East Chicago, Ind., where he also served in the Intensive Outpatient Program.
  • Worked as an inpatient therapist for Charter Hospital in Hobart, Ind.

Leone received his Bachelor and Master of Social Work degrees from Valparaiso University and Loyola University in Chicago, respectively. In addition, he holds a Master of Divinity from California’s Anglican Theological Seminary. He pastors Our Glorious King Anglican Church in Huntington, Ind., and the Anglican Fellowship of Fort Wayne, Ind.

Dr. Laura Gerig, part-time Instructor in Psychology. Gerig will teach half-time in the psychology department. She has previously taught psychology at Taylor University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Taylor University, and a master’s degree and a PhD in school psychology from Ball State University. Her doctorate specialized in neuropsychology. Her areas of interest are child development and psychological assessment.

Allen “Rocky” Layne has been named senior pastor of West Pleasant Hill UB (Rockbridge, Ohio) effective August 1, 2010. He is also planting a United Brethren church called Eternal Water. He and a core group are personally funding the church plant, which began April 4, 2010.

US News & World Report ranks Huntington University 8th in its list of the Best Regional Colleges in the Midwest. This is the fourth consecutive year HU has made the Top Ten.

In-state rival Taylor University topped the list, and Bethel University in Mishawaka ranked 19th.

Huntington also ranked fifth in the “Best Values” ranking for the Midwest (right behind Taylor).

Highlights of the college rankings will be published in the September issue of U.S. News & World Report, available on newsstands Aug. 31. The 2011 Best Colleges guidebook will be on newsstands Aug. 24.

US News divided schools into these categories: National Universities (Harvard, Stanford), National Liberal Arts Colleges (Williams College, West Point), Regional Universities (Creighton, Butler), and Regional Colleges. Many of the schools in the “Best Colleges” list actually bear the “university” name, as does HU. And some schools in the “university” category bear a “college” name (like Emhurst College).

To rank schools, U.S. News first organizes colleges and universities by category and then ranks them within each group. Rankings are based on the following criteria: peer assessment (25 percent), graduation and retention rates (25 percent), faculty resources (20 percent), student selectivity (15 percent), financial resources (10 percent), and alumni giving (5 percent).

The 6th Annual Tom Ponsot Memorial Classic Golf Tournament will be held on September 11, 2010, at the Clear Creak Golf Course near Huntington, Ind. The proceed go to support Camp Cotubic in Bellefontaine, Ohio.

Many of us have fond memories of attending summer camp while we were growing up. Friendships were formed, knees were skinned, challenges were conquered, life-long lessons were learned, and most of all, many were introduced to Jesus. Now that we are older, we are glad such places still exist for our kids and grandkids.

Camp Cotubic is one such place, and it held a special place in the heart of Tom Ponsot, a member of our Zanesville, Ind., church who passed away in 2005. Tom saw the great potential of Camp Cotubic and volunteered his time and financial resources to preserve it as a place where his own grandkids and many other children could continue to have summer camp experiences. Tom served as the Chairman of the Board for several years and was passionate about the camp’s ministry.

You can help in two ways:

* Enter a Team. Find three other friends and enter a team. The cost is $50/person and includes greens fees, cart, and lunch. You can register by sending your name to [email protected].
* Be a Sponsor. Your business, church, affinity group or you can sponsor a hole for $100.

To enter, or for more information, Ponsot-Golf-2011.

Huntington University has been listed as one of America’s Best Colleges by Forbes.com.

Huntington University was ranked 289th overall and ninth in the state of Indiana. Huntington was ranked among other top Indiana schools, including Taylor University and Goshen College, and above some state schools, including Purdue University and Ball State University.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, there are more than 4000 college campuses in the United States. Forbes.com ranked only the top 15 percent of all undergraduate institutions.

The Center for College Affordability and Productivity, in conjunction with Forbes, compiled its college rankings using five general categories:

  1. Student satisfaction.
  2. Postgraduate success.
  3. Student debt.
  4. Four-year graduation rate.
  5. Competitive awards from outside data sources, including the U.S. Department of Education, RateMyProfessor.com and Payscale.com.

This is the third year for the Forbes.com rankings.

About 260 people attended “Good Morning Greencastle,” an event hosted by Otterbein UB church of Greencastle, Pa., on Monday, August 2. The event was among the festivities of the 37th triennial Greencastle-Antrim Old Home Week.

“Good Morning Greencastle” featured singers, a comedy skit, a slideshow of local homes and gardens from the 1700s and 1800, and trivia questions about Greencastle thrown out to the audience.

The Herald-Mail published an article about the event, with photos. Take a look.

Bishop Phil and Sandy Whipple are making a sweep out west to visit our churches and bring a message of hope. They started their trek this past weekend, with the whole weekend spent at Adeline Christian Camp, Adeline, Illinois. The rest of their itinerary is included here:

  • Milltown UB, Parkston, SD (July 26)
  • Cream Ridge UB, Lenore, ID and Pastor Fred Browning (July 30)
  • Dayton UB, Dayton, WA and Pastor Greg Brownell (August 1)
  • Felida Christian Fellowship, Vancouver, WA and Pastor Ian McIntosh (August 2)
  • Philomath Community Church, Philomath, OR and Pastor Rick Finley (August 4)
  • Log Cabin Church, Boise, ID and Pastor Armond Taylor (August 8)
  • McGuire Bend UB, Dayton, IA and Pastor “Dot” Hasler (August 12)
  • Garden Prairie UB, Arlington, IA (August 13)

The 2011 US National Conference is less than a year away. So you need to get it on your calendar, and churches need to allow for it in their 2011 budget. Every active, licensed minister is a delegate, and each church can send at least one lay delegate. We will need to know each church’s delegate(s) by February 15. Churches can look for their info packet to arrive sometime in August.

Dates: July 6-9, 2011.

That’s a Wednesday through Saturday, as opposed to the Thursday-Sunday schedule in previous years. The conference will begin with a service on Wednesday night, and conclude with a service on Saturday morning.

Location: Sawmill Creek Resort in Huron, Ohio.

This facility served us well in 2007 and 2009, so we’re returning.

Theme: the Great Commandment of Luke 10:27.

The past two national conferences have focused on the Great Commission–evangelism. In 2011 we’ll focus on the inner life–loving God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind.

Cost: Registration will range from $55 to $90 (single and family rates)

Lodging at Sawmill Creek will still be at the 2007 rate of $95 per room, per night.

Registration will open sometime in January 2011.