Dr. Sherilyn Emberton will preside over Huntington University as the institution’s 13th president for one final academic year. She recently announced her plans to retire at the conclusion of the 2024-25 spring semester.  

Dr. Emberton came to Huntington University in 2013 from East Texas Baptist University where she served as provost and vice president for academic affairs. Under her leadership, Huntington University expanded its reach and academic offerings to two additional campuses in Fort Wayne, Indiana (2014) and Peoria, Arizona (2016). Annual enrollment also increased from approximately 1,100 students in 2013 to 1504 students in 2023. 

Bishop Todd Fetters has worked closely with Dr. Emberton for the last nine years and has developed, not just an ongoing institutional partnership, but a cherished friendship. When asked for comment, he had this to say,

“The Church of the United Brethren in Christ is grateful for Dr. Emberton’s leadership at Huntington University. She has led our denominational college through continual growth and innovation, making it stronger than ever. I admire the way she has led with vision, collaboration, humility and a deep faith. 

I admire the way Sherilyn has always connected to people, especially her love for students. Her pride in them has been abundantly clear. She wants the best for them! And then there is her humble Christian spirit, which is always present. 

Although I’m sad to see Sherilyn leave, I’m grateful for her service to our University and denomination and I’m confident that God has exciting things in store for her.”

You can find the official press release here to learn more about her time at Huntington University.



 

Huntington University’s Veritas Theology Institute could be a great opportunity this summer for a high school student in your church to explore a deeper level of theological study and experience life on HU’s campus. This eight-day academy is taking place June 8-15, 2024, and is open to all high school sophomores and juniors. Applications are available online at www.veritastheology.org.

The tuition for this experience is $300 until May 1, 2024. After that early bird date, tuition will be $350. There is also an HU legacy tuition rate if one both of the applicant’s parent’s attended Huntington University. Only 30 spots are available for this summer’s institute, so consider the high school students in your world who might be interested in something a little more intense and interactive this summer and share this opportunity with them.

Find out more about the Veritas Theology Institute at Huntington University here.

 

 

The next Idea to Action Symposium will be held Monday, February 12, 2024, from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm. The topic for this event is Missiologically-Informed Evangelism in Post-Christian America and will feature presenters Dave Datema (Frontier Ventures), Jordan Monson (Huntington University), and Andy Sikora (United Brethren National Office).

This Idea to Action symposium is an online only event and is free of charge for all participants. Registration is open until February 5.

Register Here

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Jamie Hoffman via email at jamie@ub.org or by phone at 260-356-2311, ext 311.

 

Dr. Sherilyn Emberton, president of Huntington University, speaking at a press conference about the Step Forward campaign.

Huntington University set out to raise $34 million, and ended up raising over $56 million! HU made the announcement earlier this week.

In 2014, as the Huntington University Board of Trustees looked toward the schools 125th anniversary in 2022, they approved Step Forward, a comprehensive campaign to raise $34 million, the largest campaign in University history.

“For those of us in the room when that was decided, that was a large goal and frankly, a pretty daunting one,” said Tom Clounie, Advancement Committee chair. “And it had a ticking clock on it. We knew this campaign was intended to wrap up in 2022 as part of the University’s 125th birthday year.”

That $34 million figure included funding for six capital projects, nine new academic program launches, and growing the endowment and scholarship funds. Seeing how well things were going, the trustees upped the goal to $40 million in the fall of 2019.

Capital Projects
When this campaign launched in 2014, only six capital projects were on the University’s radar. But the University has gone well beyond that. Below are the capital projects which have been completed since 2014.

  • New occupational therapy labs ($75K).
  • Renovations at HU Arizona to create space for an entire occupational therapy program location ($125K).
  • The reconfiguration of the Nursing Lab in the Dowden Science Hall ($300K).
  • Forest Glen baseball field renovations and new turf project ($1.3M).
  • The reimagination of the student center (known as the HUB) ($4.3M).
  • The construction of the Welcome Center as part of the Merillat Centre for the Arts ($800K).
  • The Ware Plant Science Production Facility addition to Dowden Science Hall ($500K)
  • The construction of the Don Strauss Animal Science Education Center ($1.2M).
  • The creation of the esports competition lab ($35K).
  • The updates to the sand volleyball court and construction of the pavilion ($50K).
  • The UB Launch renovation ($100K).

Endowment
$5.8 million has been added to the University endowment. That’s over $1.8 million more than the goal. The overall endowment during the campaign years (2014-2022) has increased by 50%.

New Academic Programs

  • $3.8 million has been invested in launching five new academic programs, including.
  • The Doctoral Program in Occupational Therapy — one of the first in the country.
  • The Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy assistant — the first in the country.
  • The Bachelor of Science degree in engineering.
  • The Master of Business Administration degree.
  • 12 degree programs in agriculture.

Academic Upgrades

  • Nearly $1.2 million has been invested in academic upgrades and improvements, including:
  • Additional academic classroom resources ($250K).
  • Anatomage Tables ($300K).
  • Agriculture tractors/trucks/equipment ($400K).
  • Technology ($200K).

Investing in People

  • Scholarships. $4.3 million has been raised toward the Forester Fund, HU’s student scholarship fund, which provides financial assistance for over 90% of the University’s traditional undergraduate students. Every dollar raised for that Fund goes directly toward student scholarships. Since 2014, overall enrollment has increased by 12.7%.
  • Employees. $4.8 million has been invested in personnel and employee compensation.

“The results of this campaign allow HU to move forward faster to accomplish the mission God has called us to do,” said Dr. Sherilyn Emberton, president of Huntington University. “God’s faithfulness to the University through challenging times and a global pandemic is beyond evident in this campaign, not only in the capital projects completed and the dollars raised, but more importantly in the lives impacted. Nearly 400 additional graduates earned HU degrees as a direct result of this campaign. That’s a powerful statement to the steps of faith taken by so many since 2014.”

Huntington University will begin an undergraduate Electrical Engineering program in the Fall of 2022 through the University of North Dakota. Check out the video below to hear from Dr. Jeff Lehman, Associate Dean of the Sciences and Professor of Computer Science, about this exciting opportunity for future Foresters! For more information about Huntington University’s Electrical Engineering program, go here.

Thursday, November 18, is the annual Huntington University Day of Giving. Every gift goes toward student scholarships. Day of Giving is all about helping current and future students experience HU. They’ve arranged a variety of matching grants to make your gift go further. For more information and to donate, go to www.huntington.edu/DayOfGiving.

Congratulations to Bishop Paul Hirschy! On October 1, Huntington University awarded him the Distinguished Alumni Citation, a “lifetime achievement” award which recognizes exceptional service over an extended period of time.

Paul graduated from HU in 1968, where he served on the student senate for four years and was study body president. He then went on to a lifetime of ministry in the United Brethren church, which included:

  • 9 years as pastor of Park UB church in Bluffton, Ind.
  • 4 years (1978-1981) managing the denominational printshop in Huntington, Ind.
  • 20 years (1981-2001) as the elected Director of Church Services at the UB national office.
  • 4 years (2001-2005) as bishop of the US National Conference.
  • 7 years (2005-2012) working as a development officer at Huntington University.

Since 2012, Paul has served as an associate pastor of College Park UB church in Huntington, Ind.

The award was presented on Friday night, October 1, as part of the 2021 Huntington University Homecoming.

Huntington University has an opening for a Campus Pastor. This is a fulltime position with benefits. The campus pastor is responsible for fostering the spiritual formation of students. Under the direction and leadership of the VP for Spiritual Formation, the campus pastor will oversee day-to-day ministry programs and outreach experiences including worship, student discipleship, chapel programming, and small groups.

Qualifications

  • Growing Christian with a track record of discipleship and accountability relationships.
  • A ministry/theological graduate degree or its equivalent.
  • Licensed or ordained UB minister. If not licensed/ordained through the UB denomination, willing to transfer license/ordination to the UBIC.
  • A minimum of three to five years of successful full-time pastoral leadership in a university ministry or church setting.
  • A deeply held sense of calling to ministry with college-age students in an intellectual community.
  • Gifted in spiritual counseling, preaching, creative worship, discipleship and small group ministries.
  • Understanding of and commitment to the goals and character of Huntington University.
  • Evangelical in theological orientation, in general accord with the Church of the United Brethren in Christ’s Confession of Faith and willing to become a member of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ.

To apply, send cover letter, resume, and STAFF application to Human Resource Office, Huntington University, 2303 College Avenue, Huntington, IN 46750 or by email to employment@huntington.edu.

Staff application and job description may be found here. :

Huntington University is an equal opportunity employer.

Charles Brady, 99, a business professor at Huntington University for 27 years (1958-1986), passed away Monday, March 29, 2021. He held the title of Associate Professor Emeritus of Business and Economics.

During his time in the Department of Business, the department grew from three graduates in 1959 to comprise about one fourth of the student body by the time he retired. He always had a “deep conviction for the need of committed Christian business graduates.”

Visitation: 1-4 pm Saturday, April 3, 2021.
Location: Myers Funeral Home Huntington Chapel, 2901 Guilford St., Huntington, IN 46750.l
Memorial Service: Friday, April 16, 2021.
Service location: College Park UB church (Huntington, Ind.).

Charles was born in Missouri in 1922. He enlisted in the US Armed Forced in 1942–his senior year of college–and served for three years in Hawaii, Okinawa, and Korea. Following his honorable discharge as a sergeant, he returned to Northwest Missouri State University to receive his degree in business administration. Mr. Brady then went on to teach business, earn his Master of Arts degree from Northern Colorado University, and became superintendent of a small high school in Kansas.

He taught high school for six years and spent seven years as superintendent of school in Kansas. Then, in 1959, Huntington University president Dr. Elmer Becker recruited him to come teach at Huntington.

Charles and Doris Brady were married in 1947. They were longtime members of College Park UB church in Huntington. They both served the church in various ways over the years. Charles also represented the church as a delegate to Central Annual Conference and served on the conference finance committee. After retiring from the college in 1986, he served as interim camp director for Camp Cotubic (Belfontaine, Ohio) and Camp Living Waters (Luther, Mich.). Doris passed away in November 2019. They are survived by a son and daughter.

“Charles Brady provided a clear example of Christ, scholarship and service to the community at Huntington University,” said Dr. Sherilyn Emberton, current president of HU. “He and his wife, Doris, were loyal supporters of all things Huntington and were seen many years after their retirements as faithful attendees in support of student and staff events. We are forever blessed by Mr. Brady’s love for his students and the Forester Family.”

Today is the Huntington University Day of Giving. They set a goal of $100,000, which will go toward student scholarships. As of 9:30 am, $38,000 had been given. They keep a real-time running total of the gifts, so you can check throughout the day.

The Day of Giving page includes a map of the United States. The first gift in every state unlocks an additional $300, and that state is turned from gray to Forester green. As of 9:30 am, just six states were green–Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, and Idaho. The goal is to turn every state green (and claim that $300 for each turned state).

Another 16 states have United Brethren churches. It would be great for all of those states to be green by the end of the day.