01 Apr HU Nursing Camp July 13-17

Interested in nursing? Huntington University is hosting a summer nursing camp from July 13 – 17, 2015, for high school students entering their junior or senior year.

The Huntington University Nursing Career Academy is a week-long nursing camp which explores the field of nursing in a hands-on environment. Participants will have the opportunity to become CPR certified and learn basic first aid and nursing skills in HU’s Nursing Simulation Center and classrooms. Campers will also tour area hospitals and trauma centers, and interact with a variety of nursing professionals.

Campers will stay in the dorms with current and past HU nursing students, which will give them a chance to interact with actual students, as well as get the college experience of dorm living.

The cost is $350.

01 Apr HU’s Alpha Chi Chapter – Best in the Country

Huntington University’s Alpa Chi chapter was named “Outstanding Chapter of the Year” at the Alpha Chi National Convention, held March 19-21 in Chicago. There are over 300 Alpha Chi chapters. The award, called the President’s Cup, was first given in 1987…to Huntington University. Only one other college has won the award twice.

Community and campus activities factor into the award. Students also present academic papers at national conferences. HU students wrote on topics ranging from Shakespeare to F. Scott Fitzgerald to pornography addiction.

Membership in Alpa Chi requires ranking in the top 10 percent of the junior or senior class, outstanding character, and a nomination by faculty and staff. Huntington University’s Alpha Chi chapter shows HU’s serious academic competency.

17 Mar HU Team Forging Partnerships in China

Administrators from Huntington University and from Lenawee Christian School in Adrian, Mich., are currently in China. They are spending ten days exploring partnerships with Chinese institutions.

The HU delegation includes :

• Dr. Sherilyn Emberton, president.
• Dr. Mike Wanous, vice president for academic affairs.
• Dr. Luke Fetters, director of HU’s Institute for TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Institute.

Lenawee Christian School representatives are Trevor Cook, president, and Joy Carl, director of international studies.
The various stops include:

1. Visit Liaocheng University in Liaocheng, Shandong Province, to discuss opportunities for agriculture, business and English programs, as well as student and faculty exchange programs.
2. Meet with officials from Tong Sheng Hu Experimental School in Changsha, Hunan Province, about a potential partnership.
3. Visit China Hong Kong English School in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, to dialogue about a Foundation Year program that would allow Chinese students to experience HU in China before attending the university in the U.S. Also, discuss summer programs.
4. Visit Jilin University – Zhuhai College in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, to discuss growing the summer TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) program and finalizing a joint degree program agreement. Also, discuss a faculty exchange program.

This is the third trip to China that Huntington University administrators have made within a year to pursue partnerships. Huntington University has a seven-year history with China, having hosted summer English camps there since 2007. Those camps have expanded significantly with last summer’s programs involving 180 Chinese students, 80 Chinese teachers, 32 U.S. team members, and six weeks of camps in three locations.

In addition, last fall, five HU alumni established an office at China Hong Kong English School and are teaching English classes there. In fall 2014, 10 percent of the international students enrolled at HU were from China.

Learn more about HU’s Institute for TESOL Studies.

13 Mar HU’s Ag Institute Named After UB Couple

Last fall, Huntington University launched a major in agricultural studies. It promotes a Christian perspective on agriculture, recognizing a responsibility to be good stewards of God’s creation and to examine questions of sustainability and justice. The institute will admit its first students in the fall of 2015.

Now the program has a name: the Haupert Institute for Agricultural Studies.

The Institute was named in honor of Dale and Elaine Haupert, who have a long history with farming, Huntington University, and the United Brethren Church. The Hauperts attend Emmanuel Community Church in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Huntington University’s plan to start an agriculture program resonated with the Hauperts, whose involvement in farming has spanned 52 years. Their family farm in South Whitley began as a 40-acre operation and grew to 2,800 acres. Dale also grew up on a farm.

The Hauperts gave the lead gift that launched the Institute. Additionally, Dale serves as a charter member of the university’s Agriculture Task Force, and Elaine has hosted fundraising events for the institute in their home. Dale also has been a member of HU’s Board of Trustees for 26 years, so it’s a perfect blend of two long-time passions–farming, and Huntington University.

“The Hauperts are known as a farming family in this community, and they are highly respected in the agriculture community statewide,” said Dr. Sherilyn Emberton, president of Huntington University. “Dale’s persistence in making contacts and being the chief cheerleader for the agriculture initiative have been a key to the success of the program.”

Dale and Elaine decided to contribute their time and resources to Huntington University’s new program after having conversations with young people interested in pursuing careers in agriculture.

“Many of them are interested in agriculture but don’t want to go to a big university,” Elaine said. “They see the advantage of being at a smaller school, and it’s exciting to see how many are responding to being in an atmosphere like Huntington University. It’s so important that they’re in a Christian environment.”

The Hauperts were surprised when Dr. Emberton told them the institute would be named after them.

“We didn’t do this for recognition,” Elaine said. “The more the Lord gives you, the more He requires. We believe it’s not what you take with you that has significance. It’s what you leave behind.”

“It floored me,” Dale said. “I didn’t expect anything. I just wanted to do something to support the program.”

For Dale, the opportunity to become involved with the institute came at a serendipitous time. Just hours before he was approached about supporting HU’s agriculture program, he had read Jeremiah 29:11 after wondering if, at age 81, he could still make an impact. The verse says, “‘For I know the plans for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Like his wife, Dale was stunned that their step of faith resulted in an acknowledgement.

“We feel very humbled by this recognition,” Elaine said. “We’ve been involved with HU for the past 28 years because we believe in the mission. Agriculture has been an important part of our lives and is an important part of the economy. To offer this program in a Christian atmosphere is so exciting. This will give students more opportunities, especially those who have a passion for agriculture. God has blessed us more than we deserve, and anything we can do to help young people is a blessing. We have seen so many young people who have been impacted by HU and who go out and impact the world for Christ.”

Launched in the fall of 2014, HU’s Haupert Institute for Agricultural Studies promotes a Christian perspective on agriculture, which recognizes a responsibility to be good stewards of God’s creation and to examine questions of sustainability and justice. The institute will admit its first students in the fall of 2015.

To learn more, go to huntington.edu/agriculture.

26 Feb National Awards for HU Digital Media Arts Students

The Intercollegiate National Religious Broadcasters (iNRB) recognized seven Huntington University students with awards for outstanding examples of radio, TV and film production. One team captured the “Film Award of Excellence.”

The students, all from HU’s Digital Media Arts Department, received the honors at the iNRB Student Production Awards Ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday. February 25, 2015.

Juniors and film production majors Cassie Kasicki of Rockford, Ill., and Eric Luce of Salina, Kansas, won first place in the documentary film category for their entry titled “XO: What Defines You?” Their project also received the “Film Award of Excellence” within all the film categories.

Junior Eric Luce and senior Brianna Santiago, a broadcast-fusion media major from Goshen, Indiana, won first place in the TV/video: student production category for their “FDN News” entry.

Seniors and film production majors Rachel Larson of Lakeville, Minn.; Luke Myers of Franklinville, N. Y.; and Ethan Burch of Bloomington, Ind., won first place in the film: short film category for their entry titled “Infamy.”

Senior Carissa Taylor, a film production major from Angola, Ind., won second place in the TV/video: web production category for her entry titled “Thankful.”

“I am so proud of our students and how much work they put into their projects,” said Dr. Lance Clark (right), department chair and professor of digital media arts, film and communications. “Broadcast-fusion media students have stepped up their game with FDN News, and our Film Production student film ‘Infamy’ is a great, heartfelt story about forgiveness and moving on set in the post-World War II era. It shows an excellence in our digital media arts program and that our students can compete and win at the national level.”

First-place winners in each category were awarded $150 in prize money to be divided among team members, plus the opportunity to attend the 2015 NRB International Christian Media Convention in Nashville, Tenn. In addition to prize money, all first-place winners received a trophy and a certificate, along with $300, divided among team members, to cover transportation costs to the convention.

Twelve students traveled to the NRB convention this year along with Dr. Lance Clark and Dawn Ford, associate professor of digital media arts. All of the students competed in an onsite 24-hour media contest in film, TV news, and public relations.

The Huntington University website can tell you a lot more about the Digital Media Arts Department.

18 Feb HU License Plate for Indiana Residents

Indiana residents: renewing your license plate in March? Consider getting a Huntington University license plate. For each plate you purchase, HU receives $25 for the Forester Fund, a scholarship fund that benefits more than 90% of our students. Last year, it generated over $13,000. Plus, the plates help raise people’s awareness of Huntington University.

The state requires that at least 500 plates be sold each year. HU is in danger of losing its license plate because of low numbers, so your support is welcome. Anyone can order a Huntington University plate for passenger cars, trucks, recreational vehicles, and motorcycles.

Current students who buy the HU license plate get the annual $50 campus parking fee waived for the year.

You can learn more about this program on the HU website, and you can order through the BMV.

10 Feb More on Coach Dean Smith’s UB/HU Connection

Randy Neuman (right), the Huntington University Archivist, provided some additional information to a previous post about Coach Dean Smith’s connection with the UB church and Huntington University. Smith, who passed away on February 7, became one of the all-time winningest college basketball coaches during his years at the University of North Carolina.

Neuman says Dean Smith’s grandfather, Rev. Harry E. Smith, pastored at Chanute, Garnett, Haven, and other locations in the old Neosho Conference (Kansas area). Smith’s father was Alfred Dillon Smith; Neuman suggests that his middle name may have been in honor of Bishop William Dillon.

Alfred Smith and his brother, Cecil, attended Central/Huntington College and graduated from the Huntington College Academy–Alfred in 1917, Cecil in 1918. In 1918, Alfred and 12 other Central/Huntington alumni joined the US Army and were stationed at Camp Selby in Mississippi. Alfred then returned to Kansas, receiving a teaching degree and coaching at the high school level.

Randy writes, “I would not be surprised if Dean actually attended UB churches as a child, since his parents lived for a while in Chanute, Kansas.”

09 Feb Students from China Visit Huntington University

On January 14, a group of students from Tong Sheng Hu Experimental School in China arrived in Chicago for the first leg of their 28-day trip to the United States.

The group was able to spend a few days in Chicago and Washington DC and day in Indianapolis, in Shipshewana, and at Lenawee Christian School in Michigan, but what was most exciting for HU was the time that this team spent on campus!

“The purpose of this trip was to connect students from one of our partner schools in China to HU and Huntington,” says Shoshannah McKinney, associate director of the Institute for TESOL Studies/International Admissions Counselor.

“All of these students are considering HU for their future, and this was a great way to expose them to the university and what their life as a student could feel like. We want them to leave feeling connected to this place and this university, to feel like they already have a family here so that they want to come back. The tears as they said goodbye to their host families tell me that we’ve accomplished some of that.”

A farewell dinner was held February 8 at Pizza Hut in Huntington. The dinner included all of the guests and host families, a teacher and her family from Huntington North High School, four HNHS students who guided the visitors around during their stay, and a few representative students, faculty, and staff from Huntington University.

30 Jan HU Opens Portable Ice Rink

On January 26, Huntington University held a grand opening for its new ice rink.
The portable rink covers the outdoor basketball court in front of the Merillat Complex Fieldhouse and will remain in place during the winter months. The Athletics Office purchased skates, along with hockey sticks and pucks, for students to use. The Fort Wayne Komets, a pro hockey team, are the lead sponsor of the facility.

This was totally a student-led and student-executed project.

Tyson Kalischuk (right), a junior from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, presented the idea through the student sennate’s Think Tank competition in November. His ice rink proposal was voted students’ favorite idea to improve the campus, and he was awarded $700 to help fund the project. He embarked on a fundraising campaign for the remaining resources needed to purchase and maintain the ice rink. To date, Kalischuk has raised $6,850 from student organizations and campus offices, and from outside sponsors. That $675 more than the projected amount needed to cover the costs.

13 Jan HU Students in Spain

A group of Huntington University students is spending January Term in the Basque region of Spain. Donna Hollopeter, associate director of Global Ministries, is leading the trip.