On April 21, Huntington University broke ground for new Welcome Center, which should be completed by late fall 2016. It’s a 3000-square-foot addition to the Merillat Centre for the Arts, and will cost around $700,000. A member of the HU Board of Trustees gave a $500,000 lead donation to get the project underway.
The Welcome Center will mostly house the Admissions office, which is currently located in the lower-level of the Livingston Residence Hall.
Legendary Huntington University cross-country and track coach Tom King announced will retire from coaching at the end of the 2016 track season.
King came to HU in 1970 as Dean of Men, and also took over the track teams and began building a cross-country program. During the next 40+ years, his track teams won 15 league titles. In the early 1990s, the women’s track program won four consecutive national championships in the National Christian College Athletic Association.
Since 1987, over 80 of his student-athletes qualified for the NAIA National Track and Field Championships, and earned 56 All-American honors. They include four-time national shot-put champion Jim Arnett, two-time national champion John Ngure, and national runners-up Danielle Vohs and Jenny Keil. He has also coached well over 100 All-American Scholar Athletes.
Accolades from his 47-year tenure:
33 times: Conference Coach of the Year 33 times.
7 times: District 21 Coach of the Year.
2 times: NCAA Coach of the Year.
King also served as HU’s athletic director 1987-1995, and in 2001 was inducted into HU’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
Huntington University is opening a campus in Peoria, Arizona. It will offer bachelor’s degree programs in Digital Media Arts, with majors in film production, broadcast-fusion media, and graphic design. Classes start with the fall 2016 semester.
The university leased a 30,000 square-foot, three-story building. It will be home to all kinds of high-end toys, including computer labs, private editing suites, film and TV studios, a state-of-the-art TV control room, lighting equipment, high-end cameras.
Students will be prepared for careers in such fields as motion picture production, editing, audio/studio recording, podcasting, broadcast journalism, sports broadcasting, and commercial graphic art.
Twenty students from the Huntington University attended a weekend retreat for adults with intellectual disabilities January 22-24. Each student was paired with a camper and helped them through all of their daily tasks and activities. The students were part of HU’s doctoral program in Occupational Therapy, class of 2018.
This is the second year the OTD program has partnered with Camp SonRise to provide students with a service experience. Camp SonRise is an overnight camp for adults with intellectual and physical disabilities that provides respite for their caregivers for a few days. The camp is a ministry of Bethesda Lutheran Ministries, a Christian organization that provides homes for people with developmental disabilities across the country.
At Sonrise, the volunteers participate in Bible studies, worship, and prayer sessions. On the last day, the students met to discuss the experience and how they had seen God work during their time at the camp and in their interaction with campers.
“HU is already distinguishable from other programs in our mission to educate students through the teachings of Christ,” she continued. “The foundations of occupational therapy align well with a Christian view in that we make a commitment to serve others. Our understanding of the Christian faith and our incorporation of faith in the classroom and in experiences like SonRise provide students with a well-rounded and empathetic foundation on which to build their identities in the OT field and in their communities.”
The complete Huntington University chapel program on November 19, 2015, when four generations of the Merillat family–including matriarch Ruth Merillat–participated in a panel discussion led by HU president Sherilyn Emberton.
Ruth Merillat will celebrate her 95th birthday on January 18, 2016. Over the years she and her late husband, Orville, who passed away in 1999, have been a huge blessing to Huntington University and to many United Brethren churches and ministries across the world. Orville and Ruth started a cabinet company in 1946 which grew to become Merillat Industries, the world’s largest cabinet manufacturer.
On December 29, Ruth suffered a minor stroke. The family announced, “After a brief hospital stay, Ruth is now at home and getting some much-needed rest to help with her recovery. She has received countless flowers, cards, and well-wishes from her vast network of friends, and would like to thank each and every one of you for your thoughts, kindness, and prayers. As you can imagine, this is an important time for Ruth and our family as we work toward providing her with the 24-hour care she now requires.”
On November 19, Huntington University hosted four generations of the Merillat family on campus. Ruth Merillat, Richard & Lynette Merillat, and Tricia (Merillat) McGuire, along with her two daughters, were part of a panel on the subject of giving. Dr. Sherilyn Emberton, president of HU, led the panel discussion during the morning chapel. The video above includes the entire chapel.
The Merillats, members of Trenton Hills UB church in Adrian, Mich., first gave to Huntington University in 1968–a gift of cabinets for a house the college owned. In 1972 they led the campaign for the new Merillat Physical Education Complex, and gave toward nearly every building constructed in the 1980s and 1990s.
Three buildings on Huntington University’s campus are named after the Merillat family: The Merillat Complex (PLEX), the Merillat Centre for the Arts (MCA) and RIchLyn Library (a combination of the names Richard and Lynette).
The Merillats have contributed toward many other Christians organizations, and to numerous United Brethren causes–missionaries, church construction, church staff, national office staff and equipment, and much more.
Dr. Sherilyn Emberton (third from left) and other Huntington University staff wishing Ruth Merillat a happy 95th birthday.
A group of Huntington University Occupational Therapy students decided to spend their January Term in Haiti. This trip is about offering mobility options and fittings to Haitians in need. This is the second year that a group of Occupational Therapy students have made this trip.
Nate Short, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy, has accompanied the students during both trips. HU partners with Wheels of the World, a program created by Joni and Friends International Disability Center, for this project.
Huntington University is participating in a student-led food drive called “U Can Crush Hunger,” which has a goal of raising 125,000 pounds of food. It is sponsored by the Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana, Inc.
The Oct. 19-31 drive is a friendly competition between five colleges and universities: Huntington University, IPFW, Indiana Tech, Ivy Tech, and Saint Francis. The goal is for each school to collect 25,000 pounds of food.
Although Huntington University is the smallest of the participating schools, they hope to win this “food fight” while helping to alleviate food insufficiency in Huntington County.
Students, faculty, staff, administration, alumni, community members and friends are encouraged to donate to the campaign. There are three options:
Drop off canned food in the barrels located in the lower level of the Habecker Dining Commons or the first floor of the Loew-Brenn building.
Donate. Each $1 = 3 pounds of food!
Text HUcrush to 74574. You’ll receive a response text that will direct you to an online form where you can text to give. Again: $1 = 3 pounds of food!
The official numbers have been released for fall 2015 enrollment at Huntington University. The total enrollment of 1,273 students is the largest enrollment over the past five years, with a 5 percent increase from 2014. Over 120 students identify as members of a United Brethren in Christ congregation.
The numbers are as follows:
Residential Campus Undergrads – 934.
Professional Programs – 78.
Graduate Students – 261 (+126 from 2014).
Total Enrollment – 1273 (+64 from 2014).
Some notes about the current student body.
There are 47 international students, which is an increase from 38 students in 2014. International student enrollment is at its highest point since the 1980s.
Overall student diversity is at 10% of overall student enrollment.
The largest area of growth comes from graduate programs in Counseling with the launch of the Townsend Institute, and the development of the Master’s in Organizational Leadership.
The growth in graduate programs was further fueled by the addition of 32 new students in the Doctorate of Occupational Therapy program, for a total of 64 students. The program accepts a maximum of 32 new students per year.
Strong numbers in programs like Digital Media Arts, Business, Nursing, Ministry, and Education continue to provide the foundation for undergraduate offerings.
The University successfully launched the Haupert Institute for Agricultural Studies this fall. It now has 16 students, of whom 12 are first-time freshmen.
On Friday, October 23, another Townsend Institute Symposium will be held at Huntington University. Registration starts at 8 am and the day concludes at 4:30 pm.
Two counseling trainings will be held in the morning, both led by Institute Fellows.
8:45 am. Dr. Les Parrot–psychologist, professor, and author of several books–will address the subject, “Treatment and Resolution of Depression.”
10:30 am. Nancy Houston a certified sex therapist and an associate pastor, will address, “Utilizing and Developing the Drives to Build Character Structure.”
In the afternoon, two Leadership trainings by Institute Fellows will address, in two parts, the topic “Building a High-Performance Culture.”
1:15. Dave Brown, board chairman of Athletes in Action and former CEO LensCrafters, will speak on Part 1 of “Building a High-Performance Culture.”
3:00. Fred Smith, founder and CEO of The Gathering, a community of Christian givers, will lead Part 2.
In addition, there will be Q&A times with Dr. Townsend throughout the day.
CEU’s will be available ($40 for 1.5 hours and $75 for 3 hours).
The Symposium is free, but registration is required. Please register by 2 pm on October 22.
The last Symposium for 2015 will be held December 11th.
