28 Nov A Thanksgiving Devotion from Dr. Emberton
Here is a Thanksgiving greeting from Dr. Sherilyn Emberton, president of Huntington University.
26 Nov HU People Truly Impacting the World for Christ
Members of the HU women’s volleyball team in Ethiopia.
Heather Barkley, HU Director of Communications
In the summer of 2013, Huntington University faculty, staff, and students took the institutional mission to “impact the world” literally as they traveled nearly 30,000 miles round trip to serve on three continents. The mileage they logged surpassed the circumference of the Earth – 24,901 miles.
Ethiopia
The Huntington University volleyball team learned the value of working and serving together through a summer mission trip to Ethiopia.
Coach Amy Settle (left) and player Kelsey Kruse.
“I definitely think there is a higher level of team chemistry and a stronger bond between all of us as teammates and friends,” said sophomore Kelsey Kruse who traveled with the team to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital city. “I believe that the stronger the relationships within a team are, the more successful that team will be, and I have seen that translate onto the court.”
The team worked with more than 1000 orphans and vulnerable children in three schools through Buckner International, a global ministry.
“We learned about the depth of brokenness and poverty in the world, what resources are needed to impact this reality, and the joy that is possible through Christ amid the darkness,” said second-year coach Amy Settle.
She plans to bring other teams to Ethiopia in the future in the hopes of building a school.
China
During the summer of 2013, Huntington University faculty returned to China to lead a team of 15 persons, who then trained 80 Chinese teachers and hosted English camps for 200 students. HU has been doing this since 2007, and has trained hundreds of teachers in China’s schools.
This year, for the first time, the English camps included high schoolers in addition to primary and middle-school students.
“These experiences help better equip us for life in the global world in which we live, and they promote awareness and a value of diversity,” said Shoshannah McKinney (right), associate director of the Institute for TESOL Studies.
McKinney, a 2003 HU graduate with a degree in Math Education, lived in China for four years, where she taught English at Liaocheng University. She and TESOL director Dr. Luke Fetters led the 2013 HU trip.
Team members stayed with Chinese families in Doumen, a district in the coastal city of Zhuhai near Hong Kong and Macau.
Greece and Turkey
Dr. Mark Fairchild (right) has made countless trips to Turkey, including two this summer. His first trip involved leading a tour of Greece and Turkey for the Biblical Archaeology Society and then conducting research about the Apostle Paul’s missionary journeys.
At the invitation of the Turkish government, Fairchild, Luke J. Peters professor of biblical studies at HU, made a second visit to Turkey this summer, serving as a consultant to the committee writing curriculum for a Christianity course to be taught in public schools.
He led a team, including other HU faculty, in the planning and execution of a workshop that certified 37 Turkish Christians to teach the course. Huntington is currently the only institution granted permission to certify Turkish Christians for this teaching opportunity.
“For the first time in almost 600 years, Christians will have the opportunity to tell the Gospel story and correct the many distortions of Christianity that are often propagated throughout the Islamic world,” Fairchild said. “This development has the potential to create better understandings between Muslims and Christians.”
12 Nov HU: Degree in Criminal Justice Coming in 2014
Next fall, Huntington University will launch a degree in criminal justice. This Bachelor of Arts degree will prepare students for careers in corrections, juvenile justice, law, criminology, addictions, and public policy.
“Criminal justice careers frequently involve working with people who have violated the law or who are victims of law violations,” said Dr. Mary Ruthi, professor of sociology at HU. “With the skills gained from our program, students will be able to show God’s love to people who are experiencing these difficult situations.”
Along with classroom instruction, students will be required to take an internship to gain real-world experience. Elective courses will help students cater their degree to their interests. A minor in criminal justice also will allow students to enhance their degrees in pre-law, psychology, political science, sociology or social work.
Jamie Hotchkiss, a 1996 HU grad and now an Indiana State Police trooper, commented, “Criminal justice taught at schools like Huntington could greatly benefit the criminal justice system overall. As in any profession, integrity and service are essential in law enforcement, and HU already has those core values.”
05 Nov HU Goes to the Ozarks
Six Huntington University students spent their fall break, October 11-15, doing volunteer work in Piedmont, Missouri. This small town of 2000 people in the Ozarks was hit hard by flooding in 2008. The students worked with World Renew Disaster Response to help with the rebuilding of homes.
04 Nov HU Students in Inner City Chicago
Huntington University’s Friesen Center for Volunteer Service is plunging into inner city Chicago November 8-10 for this year’s Urban Plunge trip. Psychology professor Dr. Tanner Babb and 14 students will work with Emmaus Ministries to serve the homeless population.
“The goal of the trip will be to expand students’ knowledge and understanding of those living in an urban setting,” said Abby Goering, Friesen Center volunteer coordinator. “We will also focus on showing God’s love to those we come in contact.”
Seven of the students come from Indiana, two come from Texas, and one each from Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, California, and Kentucky. They represent a variety of majors, including social work, writing, psychology, history education, exercise science, missions, business, and political science.
This is the 17th Urban Plunge trip for Huntington University. The trip serves as an important entry point for students to begin acclimating themselves to urban ministry.
The Friesen Center is a student-directed organization that coordinates HU students in volunteer efforts on a daily basis. The Friesen Center stands to build the idea that every one person can make a difference in the community.
30 Oct HU Named “Military Friendly School”
Huntington University has been named to the 2014 Military Friendly Schools list for the second year in a row. The list honors the top 20 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace America’s military service members, veterans and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus.
The list comes from Victory Media, an organization for military personnel transitioning into civilian life.
The 1,868 schools on this year’s list exhibit leading practices in the recruitment and retention of students with military experience. Now in its fifth year, the list is compiled through extensive research and a data-driven survey of more than 10,000 schools nationwide approved for VA tuition funding.
HU’s adult programs lowered the cost of degree programs $250 per credit hour for all 100 and 200-level courses for active-duty military personnel and their dependents.
23 Oct Two UB Students Inducted into Alpha Chi
Dr. Paul Michelson (right), professor of History at Huntington University, with the new Alpha Chi inductees.
Two United Brethren students were among the 20 Huntington University students inducted into the Indiana Beta Chapter of Alpha Chi during a convocation held Oct. 16.
- Emily Carbaugh, from Salem UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.).
- Bronwen Fetters, from College Park Church (Huntington, Ind.).
Membership in Alpha Chi is the highest academic honor at Huntington University. It recognizes scholastic achievement, a commitment to promoting academic excellence and integrity on and off campus, and service.
16 Oct HU Hires Director for Occupational Therapy Program
Huntington University is one step closer to opening its first doctorate program with the appointment of Dr. Ruth Ford (right) as the director of occupational therapy. The program will open in Fort Wayne, Ind., in fall 2014.
Ford previously served as the associate dean of occupational therapy at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. She comes to HU with 13 years of experience in academia, and is a practicing occupational therapist with 37 clinical years of experience in management, acute care, rehabilitation, outpatient, long-term care, and home health. She has managed more than 500 occupational and physical therapists and speech language pathologists, and has opened multiple occupational therapy programs.
You can read much more about her on the Huntington University site.
This doctorate program will be located within the Life Science Education and Research Consortium of Northeast Indiana at the Parkview Randallia campus in Fort Wayne. The program will build on Huntington’s undergraduate degrees in psychology, nursing, and exercise science. A bachelor’s degree and certain prerequisite courses are required for this program.
Ford will relocate to Huntington in January 2014 to begin her work. She is currently serving in a consulting role in preparation for the 2014 program launch. The HU website has more information about the occupational therapy program.
05 Oct Dr. Emberton Installed as 13th President of HU
Dr. Sherilyn Emberton was inaugurated on Friday afternoon, October 4, as the 13th president of Huntington University. The video above shows the entire service.
There were a lot of different speeches and–surprisingly–all of them were very good.
- Brooks Fetters, a UB minister who is currently mayor of Huntington.
- James Banks, an Indiana state senator.
- Connie Lawson, the Indiana secretary of state.
- Edward Blews, president of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities.
- The presidents of LeTourneau University and East Texas Baptist University, the two college where Dr. Emberton served prior to Huntington.
Short speeches were also given by Dr. G. Blair Dowden and Dr. Eugene B. Habecker, the two previous presidents of Huntington University.
The service included a “Blessing of the Bishops.” Bishop Phil Whipple and the four bishops emeriti who are still with us–Paul Hirschy, C. Ray Miller, Ron Ramsey, and Ray Seilhamer–gathered around Dr. Emberton and prayed for her.
The actual installation ceremony was conducted by Ms. Kelly Savage, president of the HU Board of Trustees, and Mrs. Nancy Hull, secretary of the Board of Trustees.
After the installation came a message from Dr. Emberton.
You can watch it all in that video.
01 Oct HU Inauguration This Friday
October 4-5 is Homecoming Weekend at Huntington University. On Friday, October 4, at 2:30 pm, Dr. Sherilyn Emberton will be inaugurated as the 13th president of Huntington University.
You are invited and encouraged to be a part of this historic event. If you are in the area or coming to campus for Homecoming, you are welcome to attend the ceremony in Zurcher Auditorium of the Merillat Centre for the Arts. A reception will immediately follow the ceremony in the upper level of Habacker Dining Commons.
If you cannot attend in person, you can watch the event via web streaming.