20 Feb HU Keeps Tuition Increase to 3%

Huntington University approved a 3% increase for fulltime undergraduate tuition for 2007-2008. Annual tuition at Huntington University is currently $18,420. The increase amounts to $280 more per semester for fulltime undergrads.
Across the United States, the average tuition and fees at four-year private institutions this year is $22,218, reflecting an average increase of 5.9% over 2005-2006, according to College Board’s 2006-2007 annual survey of colleges.

20 Feb HU J-Term: Serving at United Brethren Camps

Two groups of students spent their January Term, January 8-24, at United Brethren camps–16 students at the Michindoh Camp and Conference Center in Hillsdale, Mich., and ten students at Camp Living Waters in Luther, Mich.

Camp Michindoh. Dr. Bill Bordeaux (right), professor of chemistry, took 16 students to Camp Michindoh, where they worked with fifth and sixth graders from Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana schools. The class was called “Outdoor Environmental Education for Children.”

The students served as cabin leaders for 10-12 elementary students, helped the camp staff in classroom and laboratory settings, and taught team-building classes.
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20 Feb HU J-Term: Among Arizona’s Poverty-Stricken

Katie Jo Brown sits in the middle of the dull white classroom reading out loud. All around her is a mob of 36 children, 7-9 year-olds, all scrambling on top of her to point out the misplaced silly objects in the book. Their eyes are wide with wonder as they glance at the colorful pages trying to be the first one to find the hidden pieces.

Brown, a junior elementary education major from Eaton Rapids, Mich., was among seven Huntington University students who spent their two-and-a-half week January Term in Arizona. They were led by Kathy Turner, instructor in education.

The trip was offered to junior students who were required to have a practicum in a minority setting. Students that didn’t participate in the multi-cultural trip will be placed in a school in Fort Wayne, Ind.
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20 Feb Huntington University J-Term: Italy

During Huntington University’s January Term, many students take advantage of trips offered by departments or professors. This year’s J-Term offered eight off-campus and 25 on-campus classes spanning the two-and-a-half weeks (January 8-24), giving students a chance to delve in-depth into a single subject.

One group traveled to Italy to study the country’s rich art culture. The group consisted of 29 students, two faculty members, and three non-student adults. Over the course of their trip, the group visited Venice, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano and Rome, gaining an understanding of the historical art and architecture. The group visited such landmarks as St. Mark’s Cathedral, the Guggenheim Museum, and St. Peter’s Basilica.

Rebecca Coffman, professor of art, and Ken Hopper, assistant professor of art, designed the trip so that students would learn to appreciate the different art styles.

Junior Melissa Shepard, an entrepreneurship/small business major from Brooklyn, Mich., said of her Italy experience, “The friendships and experiences will be a memory that I will never forget, and when I look back on college as I grow older, I will always have Italy as a climax to my experience in college.”

02 Feb Huntington Appoints Department of Nursing Director

Huntington University has appointed Margaret Winter as the director for the new Department of Nursing. Winter will begin her position in the fall of 2007.

“The excitement of Huntington University and the community for a nursing program was obvious and contagious during my interviews,” Winter said. “There is a good deal of support for beginning this program, and I am looking forward to the challenges and the achievements that will be a part of this developing opportunity.”

For six years, Winter has taught in the Olivet Nazarene University Department of Nursing. Her specialty area is obstetrics, though she also teaches transcultural nursing and supervises pediatric clinicals. Prior to coming to Olivet, she taught nursing at Indiana Wesleyan University as adjunct faculty and at Scott Community College in Iowa. In addition to teaching at Olivet, Winter works at Dukes Memorial Hospital in Peru, Ind., on the obstetrical unit and in the Day Surgery Department.

Winter holds a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Illinois and a Master of Science degree in nursing from Northern Illinois University. She is a doctoral candidate at Nova Southeastern University in Florida.

“Margaret brings both clinical and educational experience to our program,” said Dr. Norris Friesen, vice president and dean of the university. “I am not only impressed with her experience but also her commitment and passion to teach nursing. Margaret has a heart for missions and views nursing as a vital way to communicate the good news of the gospel.”

Winter is a pastor’s wife and works with her husband at the Church of the Nazarene in Peru. She is an advocate against child abuse and gives lectures on Shaken Baby Syndrome.

“Margaret comes to us with a wealth of experience in teaching, missions and service,” said Dr. Pat Pierce, interim director of HU’s nursing program. “She understands the Christian ministry of the university as well as the discipline of nursing and is an outstanding role model.”

02 Feb HU Social Work Majors in Phoenix

Four social work students at Huntington University completed January Term in Phoenix, Ariz., working in a community neighborhood ministries program and in a local agency called Southwest Leadership Foundations. 

Emily Risser, senior social work major, gave 10 days of volunteer service at the Neighborhood Ministries program where she worked with children in the surrounding community who attend a daily boys and girls club. 

Mack Miller, Nicole Callaway, and Jenna Rumple, all junior social work majors, were assigned to Southwest Leadership. Miller and Callaway provided service to the organization’s community center called the KEYS. Callaway worked in a preschool for children ages two to five, and Miller worked in an afterschool program for kindergarten through third graders as well as in the youth development program for at-risk and adjudicated youth. Rumple worked in the recovery from homelessness program call The Bridge, which is a “hands-on” assistance program for at risk families to recover from homelessness for up to two years. 

This meets the requirement for completion of their junior social work practicum. The area of Phoenix was chosen to provide a diverse culture experience for students to assist them with gaining a perspective of the Hispanic culture. The trip was coordinated through Food for the Hungry, which is headquartered in Phoenix. Jamie Fiedler, a UB endorsed missionary serving with Food for the Hungry in Phoenix, provided staff support for the trip.

12 Jan Amber Hirschy – Making a Difference in Cambodia

Amber Hirschy, daughter of former bishop Paul Hirschy, has lived in Cambodia since last May, immersing herself in a new culture and impacting her world for Christ. She works for two different organizations. One is an economic development organization, while the other organization works against sex trafficking.

“I had heard about the situation with trafficking girls for sex,” Amber said, “but it wasn’t until I knew the girls that had experienced it that I really began to understand how horrid and widespread it is. These girls have really touched my heart, and I love working with them.”

A passion for international economic development is what brought Hirschy to Cambodia. At Huntington University, she studied business management, economics, and finance. After graduating from Huntington University in 2005, Amber contacted an organization called World Hope International concerning any positions available in economic development. When they informed her in December 2005 of an opportunity in Cambodia, she knew it was for her.

“I was incredibly blessed and was able to raise all of my support in four months which allowed me to leave for Cambodia in May,” Hirschy said.
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12 Jan Huntington University Cheerleading Clinic

The Huntington University ten-member cheerleading squad (right) will host a cheer clinic on February 3 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Merillat Complex for Physical Education and Recreation. The squad invites girls ages 6-14 to participate. To attend the clinic, participants need to complete a registration form and send it along with a payment of $25 per person. While pre-registration is requested, registrations will be accepted at the door. Parents are welcome to stay and watch during the clinic.

For more information on the cheerleading clinic, including the schedule and registration form….

17 Nov Fall Work Day at Huntington University

On October 21, Huntington University students plunged into the community for the annual Fall Work Day, a tradition since 1996. Volunteers divide into groups, usually by dormitory floors, and are assigned a location and project.

Fall Work Day has averaged about 425 volunteer hours a year. This year’s 222 volunteers, up from 186 in 2005, gave 777 hours of community service. One group went to Huntington’s Head Start to help with yard work–pulling weeds and raking leaves. Another group went to the YMCA to assist with organizing and cleaning rooms. Nichole Wolf (right), a freshman educational ministries major, took donations for the Boot Shake, a Red Cross fundraiser. Maggie McWilliams (left), a freshman elementary education major from Franklin, Ind., helped with cleaning at Good Shepherd UB church.

Community organizations and individuals who need help contact the college’s Joe Mertz Center. The JMC, a student-directed organization founded in 1992, has become an integral part of campus life. More than 70 percent of resident students are involved in some form of volunteer service, and more than 10,000 hours of labor are contributed by the campus community each year.

31 Oct Huntington University Offers Two Spanish Majors

Beginning next fall, Huntington University will offer majors in Spanish and Spanish education. “Students need them,” says Dr. Del Doughty, professor of English. “Given both the recent and longer term demographic changes across the U.S., and the impact of economic globalization, it is vital for well-educated people to attain fluency in at least one language other than English.”

In the fall of 2004, 42 people who inquired about attending Huntington University also expressed an interest in a Spanish major.

The Spanish education program will combine the major in Spanish with the necessary courses required for teacher certification, training students to become high school Spanish teachers.