Huntington College Friends and Family:

Warm Christmas greetings from Huntington College.

I trust that you are experiencing afresh the joy of Christmas as you enter this much anticipated holiday season.  Chris and I want to wish you the very best this Christmas.  As we move into the year 2000, may you reflect on the impact and significance of the birth, life, death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  The eternal impact of the incarnation far surpasses two millennia of human history.  We still need to hear the message of the angel choir to the shepherds on that first Christmas, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14).  It continues to be our joyful privilege to serve at Huntington College, preparing young men and women to be agents of God’s peace and good favor.         

I have included below some of the ways in which the academic leadership and spiritual vitality of Huntington College students, faculty and staff continue to be expressed and recognized.  I hope that you will join me in praising God for His wonderful blessings.        

Sincerely,

G. Blair Dowden
President

Academic

History

Dr. Paul Michelson, distinguished professor of history, recently attended the national convention of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies in St. Louis.  While at the convention, Dr. Michelson participated in the business meetings of the Society for Romanian Studies (SRS) and the South East European Studies Association (SEESA).  He is a member of the national boards of both SRS and SEESA.  A book by Alexandru Zub, translated and edited by Michelson, has been published as, Reflections on the Impact of the French Revolution: 1789, deTocqueville, and Romanian Culture, by the Center for Romanian Studies in Romania.  The book contains an introduction by Dr. Michelson entitled The Triumph of the Idea.

Mathematics

Dr. Patrick Eggleton, assistant professor of mathematics at Huntington College, was recently featured in the Huntington Herald Press for his work with a sixth grade class at Crestview Middle School, offering students ideas about how they can learn from their mistakes.  He had the students work through some of the activities mentioned in an article he recently co-authored with Carla C. Moldavan of Berry College (GA) which will appear in Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, a professional journal published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.  Dr. Eggleton argues that educators should help students develop their reasoning skills while emphasizing the importance of accuracy in computation, believing that building from mistakes is crucial in learning mathematics.

Templeton Recognition

Huntington College is one of 45 colleges and universities nationally to be honored by the John Templeton Foundation for exemplary faculty and curricular programs aimed at developing students’ character.  The organization’s new publication, The Templeton Guide: Colleges and Universities that Encourage Character Development, recognizes Huntington College in a section highlighting classroom programs that require students to examine, reflect on, and articulate a set of moral ideals and commitments.

Admissions

November Visits

During the month of November, more prospective students (120) visited Huntington College than during any other month in our history.  Applications for next fall are keeping up with last year’s record pace.  

Business & Finance

Y2K Task Force

The Y2K Task Force has completed its work in reviewing and planning for Y2K related issues.  Mr. Tom Ayers, vice president for business and finance, reports, “All mission critical electronic systems appear to be Y2K ready, and all major external service providers have told us they are Y2K ready.  While we do not anticipate any major problems, we will be issuing some common sense guidelines to students before the end of this term in regard to checking the campus’ status prior to returning for January Term.”

Advancement

A Steering Committee has been formed to develop plans for the public kick-off on Friday, April 28, 2000 of The Campaign for Huntington College.  Members include: Ms. Beth Lahr, campaign director; Mr. Ned Kiser, vice president for advancement; Ms. Lisa Knox, director of conferences and auxiliary services; Dr. Jerry Smith, professor of physics; Mr. Jerry Gressley, director of physical plant; Mr. Phil Howard, chairman of President’s Advisory Council on Excellence and principal of InterDesign, the College's architectural firm; Mr. John Paff, director of public relations and publications; and Ms. Darlene Fairchild, advancement office secretary.  This event will provide an opportunity for the College to recognize key donors and volunteers who are already participating in the campaign.  Please mark this special day on your calendar.

Student Development

Junior Rotarians

Huntington College students, Janine Senanayake and Adam Cruz-Larson, were selected as Junior Rotarians at the November 16, 1999 meeting of the Rotary Club of Huntington.  At the same luncheon, Curtis Hines, Caleb Nei and Summer Zimmer – all Huntington County grant recipients – were featured as part of the program presented by the Huntington College Foundation

Athletics

Scholar-Athletes

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) honored Huntington College athletes for outstanding academic achievement at the Cross Country National Championships in Kenosha, Wisconsin on November 20. The Huntington College women’s team had the third highest team grade point average in the nation, while the men’s team had the fourth highest team grade average.  In addition, three Foresters were named NAIA All-America Scholar-Athletes:

·         Julie Lowe, a graduate of Jay County High School (Portland, Indiana).  She is pursuing a degree in elementary education at Huntington College. 

·         Rachel Kaser, a graduate of LaPorte High School (LaPorte, Indiana).  She is pursuing a degree in elementary education at Huntington College. 

·         Jenifer Reinking, a graduate of Heritage High School (Monroeville, Indiana). She is pursuing a degree in English education at Huntington College. 

Men’s Cross Country

The men's cross country team was invited to compete in the NAIA National Cross Country Championships in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  As a team, Huntington College finished in 6^th place. This finish was the highest finish nationally for any sport in Huntington College history.  Freshman John Ngure Ngigi led the team with a sixth-place overall finish, running the event in a time of 24:22.  Huntington College was the highest finishing Mid-Central Conference team at the tournament.

Women’s Cross Country

The women's cross country team also competed in the NAIA National Championships in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  As a team, they finished 15^th in the nation.  Huntington College women were led by Rachel Kaser, who finished 56^th with a time of 19:07. 

Coaching Milestone

Coach Steve Platt reached a coaching milestone Tuesday, November 23 when his Foresters basketball team dominated a very talented Indiana Tech team to win Coach Platt’s 100^th game as coach of the Foresters.  Coach Platt is only the third men's coach to achieve 100 wins and he reached this milestone faster than any men's basketball coach in Huntington College history.  The Fort Wayne News Sentinel recently ranked Coach Platt among Northeast Indiana’s Top 50 Athletes.

Athletic Schedule
(Home Games in CAPS)

Huntington College Radio will broadcast more than 30 basketball games this season.  You can tune in online at http://www.huntington.edu/comm/HCR/default.htm.

Sears Directors’ Cup

Huntington College was listed in USA TODAY on December 2, 1999 among the top NAIA schools in the Sears Directors’ Cup for excellence in their overall athletic program.  Huntington College was ranked 17^th in the nation upon the completion of women and men’s cross country and women and men’s soccer.  The Sears Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and USA TODAY.  It is sponsored by Sears, Roebuck and Co.   

Other

Merillat Centre Events

Huntington College Theatre will present A Christmas Carol, a delightful new telling of the Charles Dickens Classic.  Performances will be presented on the mainstage of the Merillat Centre for the Arts on December 8-11, 1999.  All performances begin at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets may be purchased in advance by calling the Theatre Department Box Office at (260) 359-4275 weekdays between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

The Holiday Pops, presented by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, will be performing at the Merillat Centre of the Arts on Sunday, December 12, 1999 at 2:30 p.m.  For reservations and information, call Ms. Margi Roush, director of community fine arts programs, at (260) 359-4261, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

An exhibition of the black and white photography of John Eric Hawkins continues at the Robert E. Wilson Gallery through December 31, 1999. 

More News Online

The international audience of Huntington College Radio continues to grow.  In recent days, positive feedback has been received from Internet listeners in Puerto Rico and Belgium!  Get the latest on Huntington happenings.  Visit us online at www.huntington.edu and follow the Huntington College News link.