23 Apr HU Launching Graduate Occupational Therapy Program

Huntington University will launch a graduate program in occupational therapy in the fall of 2014. The university is currently searching for a director to create the master’s and doctoral level degree programs. This will be the university’s first doctorate degree.

The graduate programs will be located within the new Life Science Education and Research Consortium of Northeast Indiana, which will open on the Parkview Randallia campus in Fort Wayne, Ind.

“Occupational therapy is an in-demand field which is expected to continue to grow given recent medical developments with stroke survivors as well as people recovering from joint and hip replacements,” said Dr. Norris Friesen (right), senior vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty. “Given the interest in exercise science, our mission and the fact that there are no other similar programs in our area, this is a very unique opportunity for us to influence the next generate of occupational therapists with an accredited program that seeks to integrate God’s message of grace and love by helping people regain their strength and abilities to live full and fruitful lives.”

Read more.

23 Apr Accolades for HU Student Newspaper

Huntington University’s student newspaper, The Huntingtonian, earned first place with special merit in the 2012 American Scholastic Press Association’s newspaper competition.

The Huntingtonian was judged among hundreds of other schools across the country. First place with special merit is given to those schools with “special and outstanding design and content,” according to the ASPA.

“You have an excellent student newspaper, which shows the creativity and journalistic knowledge of your editors, reporters, writers, photographers, layout/graphics designers and advisor,” said one of the ASPA judges.

The ASPA graded the publications on content coverage, page design, general plan, art, advertising and illustrations, editing, and creativity.

17 Apr The Horizon Program’s First Graduating Class

Four years ago, Huntington University created a program to promote a more racially and ethnically diverse campus. This spring, the university will graduate its first students from that program.

Launched in the fall of 2008, the Horizon Leadership Program is a partnership between Huntington University and Youth for Christ USA. A cohort of students from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds is selected each year to receive the Horizon Leadership Scholarship. A combination of federal, state and institutional aid, the scholarship covers all fees associated with tuition and housing costs for up to 10 semesters.

On May 12, Logan Placencia of Auburn, Ind., Evianna Monroe of the Bronx, N.Y., Christopher Burton of Rock Island, Ill., and Shar’Niese Miller of Fort Wayne, Ind., will be the first Horizon graduates. Since their arrival on campus four years ago, more than 20 students have followed in their footsteps, including six students selected for the 2012-13 school year.

“When I consider the paths that the members of this graduating class have traveled in order to arrive at this moment, I can’t help but to be amazed, inspired and encouraged,” said the Rev. Arthur Wilson (right), who led the Horizon program over the past four years.

The program has had an “immensely positive” impact on the campus culture, according to Dr. Ron Coffey, vice president for student life.

“This program has introduced the typical student body to people who might not look like them or talk like them, but through living and studying with each other, students started to see that they had more in common than not,” said Horizon recipient and 2012 graduate Christopher Burton. “The Horizon program has helped HU begin to reflect the real world. You now see light faces, dark faces, faces of color all around campus. And that’s a true reflection of how the world is.”

Over the past four years, the Horizon program has welcomed more ethnically diverse students to HU and has helped the university move closer to its goal: To create a more diverse campus, even outside of the program.

“By almost any metric, the program has been a success,” said Jeff Berggren (right), senior vice president for enrollment management and marketing. “Just consider that in the first year of the Horizon program in 2008 we enrolled more new minority students than we had enrolled in our entire student body the previous year of 2007,”

16 Apr Arthur Wilson Named HU Campus pastor

After leading the student body for a year in the interim, Rev. Arthur Wilson (right) has been named the new campus pastor of Huntington University.

“Arthur has done a wonderful job as the interim campus pastor, and I’m glad we can make this appointment permanent,” said Dr. Ron Coffey, vice president for student life.

In addition to his role at HU, Wilson serves as the assistant pastor at New Covenant Worship Center in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Read more about Arthur Wilson.

05 Apr Zack Keller Wins HU Women’s Auxiliary Scholarship

Huntington University senior Zachary Keller (right) of Portland, Ind., has been awarded a $1200 scholarship from the Huntington University Women’s Auxiliary. This scholarship, designated for a math education student, was established in 1973 by Mrs. Elba Kriegbaum.

Keller, who will graduate in May 2012 with a degree in math education, has received the Auxiliary Scholarship for the past two years. Presently, he is completing his student teaching at Manchester Junior-Senior High School.

Chosen to be a teaching assistant for Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth in Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., last summer and again this summer, Keller will be teaching two college level math courses to talented high school students from across the United States.

At Huntington, Keller served as a program coordinator and tutor during his sophomore and junior years. Also, he was the student director for the Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service during his junior year and a program coordinator during his sophomore year.

Keller coordinated a trip to Jamaica, and participated in missions trips to India and New Orleans through the university. He also volunteered with Youth for Christ and Open Door Ministry, and worked as a summer counselor at Camp Lutherhaven.

03 Apr 264 Graduates Receiving HU Degrees May 12

Huntington University’s 114th commencement exercises are coming up. Degrees will be awarded to 264 graduates.

Date: May 12, 2012
Time: 3 pm
Location: Merillat Physical Education and Recreation Complex.

Dan Wolgemuth (right), president and CEO of Youth for Christ USA, will give the commencement address. Wolgemuth, a 1977 Taylor University grad, joined Youth for Christ USA as its president and CEO in 2005.

The university will also award three honorary doctorate degrees.

1. An honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree will be presented to commencement speaker Dan Wolgemuth.

2. An honorary Doctor of Divinity degree will be presented to the Rev. Luther Whitfield (right). Whitfield joined Youth for Christ in 1991 as the urban inner city director. In many years of service with the organization, he has helped to develop urban ministry programs for Fort Wayne, including the formation of the Primetime Community Center. Primetime inspires the youth of Fort Wayne through Campus Life ministries, juvenile justice programs, and sports programming. Whitfield continues to serve Primetime today as its senior director. He is also the senior pastor of New Covenant Worship Center, a church based at the Primetime Community Center.

3. An honorary Doctor of Humane Letters will be presented to 1977 Huntington alum Charles Curie (right). Curie is the principal/owner of The Curie Group LLC in Rockville, Md., which is a management and consulting firm specializing in working with national and international leaders in public and private health care. He is a 1977 graduate of Huntington, with degrees in psychology and sociology; he served as student senate president during his senior year. He also holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Chicago. In 2001, Curie was nominated by President George W. Bush and unanimously confirmed by the US Senate to head the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Dr. Tim Smith (right), Huntington University associate professor of history, will present the baccalaureate sermon at 10:30 am in the fieldhouse. His message is titled “The Empire Strikes Back” and will focus on Ecclesiastes 9:11.

Smith joined the Huntington history and political science department in 2007. He previously taught history at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. His research and teaching focus on British imperial and diplomatic history. He is also the director of the Centre for Non-Western Studies. Smith recently published two books on the Vietnam War titled, “Churchill, America and Vietnam, 1941-45” and “Britain and the Origins of the Vietnam War: UK Policy in Indo-China, 1943-50.”

The commencement exercises and the baccalaureate sermon are open to the public, and no tickets are required.

02 Apr HU Prof and Student Design App for Grading Papers

Grading essays and writing assignments just became much easier thanks to an iPhone/iPad app created by Huntington University professor Del Doughty and 2011 graduate Andrew Martin.

Apple released the new application, called HighMarks, on March 5. It cuts the time spent grading papers for teachers up to 50 percent.

“For most teachers, the toughest part about the job is grading papers,” said Doughty, professor English. “It’s especially tedious when one has to keep making the same comments. That led me to wonder, ‘In what ways can I rethink the grading process to eliminate the repetitive, tedious parts?’”

Doughty began brainstorming ideas to design a new application to make the grading process easier. Realizing he needed a developer to design the actual application, Doughty turned to animation alum Martin, who had just finished developing the application, “Mafia Card-Generator,” a popular video game.

HighMarks incorporates touch-screen and voice command technology into the grading process of essays. A student sends his or her writing assignment to the teacher’s e-mail. The teacher then pastes the assignment into HighMarks. The teacher may leave comments, use grammatical correction options, and assign a letter grade.

The application costs $1.99, and may be purchased through the iTunes Store.

26 Mar HU Launching New Program in Athletic Training

This fall, Huntington University will launch an innovative new program in athletic training.

The 3-2 athletic training program starts with three years of undergraduate study at Huntington, followed by two years of graduate work at Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind. Students will emerge with a Bachelor of Science degree in pre-athletic training from Huntington and a Master of Athletic Training degree from Manchester.

Dr. Matthew Ruiz (right), HU associate professor of exercise science, says, “There is a large and growing demand for athletic training experts in the workforce. In coming years, professionals without a master’s degree will be underprepared to meet the realities of the industry. This partnership with Manchester will ensure that our students are ready and equipped to enter the workforce.”

23 Mar Six Freshmen Chosen for HU’s Horizon Scholarship

Huntington University has chosen six incoming freshman to receive the Horizon Leadership Scholarship for the 2012-13 school year.

This is the program’s fifth year. The Horizon Leadership Program is a partnership between Huntington University and Youth for Christ with the goal of creating a more racially and ethnically diverse campus. The scholarship covers fees associated with tuition and housing costs for up to 10 semesters through a combination of federal, state, and institutional aid. Recipients are required to maintain a 2.5 grade point average, meet with the director of the program weekly, and volunteer at the Primetime Center in Fort Wayne.

“The Horizon Leadership Program provides a tremendous opportunity for ethnic-minority students to become trailblazers for the younger youth within their homes and communities who will follow in their footsteps,” says Arthur Wilson (right), director of urban scholarship and mentoring for the program. “As a Horizon participant, students play a pivotal role in reflecting the diversity of God’s kingdom within the community of Huntington.”

Seven students received the award in 2011. The recipients of this year’s scholarships:

• Reneson Jean-Louis, from Homestead, Fla., a senior at South Dade Senior High School. He plans to study pre-law at HU.
• Vanessa Robles, from San Antonio, Texas, a senior at Karen Wagner High School. She plans to study marketing at HU.
• Brianna Cash, from Lima, Ohio, a senior at Lima Senior High School. She is interested in studying biology pre-med.
• Mirlyne Charles, from Homestead, Fla., is a senior at South Dade Senior High School. She plans to study biology pre-med.
• Corean Sanders, from Fort Wayne, Ind., a senior at South Side High School. She is interested in studying graphic design.
• Madison Rhoades, from New Haven, Ind., is a senior at New Haven High School. She plans to study math education.

Earlier this year, Huntington University received a national award for its programs in promoting racial and ethnic diversity.

14 Mar HU Prof Writes about the Juvenilization of American Christianity

Huntington University ministry professor Dr. Tom Bergler (right) has released a new book titled “The Juvenilization of American Christianity.”

In his book, Bergler traces the way in which, over the past 75 years, youth ministries have breathed new vitality into four major American church traditions: African American, Evangelical, Mainline Protestant, and Roman Catholic.

“In the book, I argue that youth ministries have revitalized American Christianity but at the cost of making American Christians more immature,” Bergler said. “And I call this process the juvenilization of American Christianity.”

Bergler shows how this “juvenilization” of churches has led to “widespread spiritual immaturity, consumerism and self-centeredness, popularizing a feel-good faith with neither inter-generational community nor theological literacy,” he says. Bergler’s critique further offers constructive suggestions for taming this juvenilization.

“I’m in favor of youth ministry, but it needs to be done in a way that fosters spiritual maturity,” he said.

Bergler is an associate professor of ministry and missions at Huntington University. He completed his Ph.D. in American Religious History from the University of Notre Dame and his M.A. in theology and church history from Wheaton College. He served as a staff worker for University Christian Outreach for seven years, helping to evangelize and disciple students at the University of Michigan, the University of London, and Michigan State University. He also co-founded the Spring Academy, a Christian theology and ministry camp for students from state universities.

He currently serves as senior associate editor of The Journal of Youth Ministry, and is the author of numerous articles and papers on the topic of ministry.