President's Update

January 2003

Dear Huntington College Friends and Family,

I trust that you experienced an enjoyable time of celebration over the Christmas season.

The campus had been quiet for a few weeks, but students returned on Monday, January 6, 2003 for the usual hustle and bustle of January Term. Many of our students are taking off-campus courses while others are staying on campus for classes and enjoying the Indiana snow and a frozen Lake Sno-Tip.

During J-Term, students are able to explore many learning opportunities. Twenty students are spending two weeks at Camp Michindoh in Michigan serving as cabin leaders, teachers, and activity leaders to sixth graders from the Toledo, OH public school system. It is an ideal opportunity to work with children in a cross-cultural and residential setting.

The course, Jurassic Park Revisited, taught by Dr. Bruce Evans will take students on a five-day field trip to the Museum of Natural History in Cleveland, Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh and the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, to study dinosaurs. Another course, Devine Secrets of Yahweh Sisterhood, offers a group of female students the opportunity to explore relationships and friendships. This course will end with a Christian women’s retreat cruise to the Bahamas.

On-campus courses will examine topics ranging from cartooning to crisis management, from astronomy to the Human Genome. One class, titled Hogwarts and Huntington, will address what a Christian is to do with Harry Potter. The course will examine the controversy through reading selections from the series and major analysis of the books by Christian writers.

God is blessing the College in significant ways.  The pages that follow document the work of our gifted faculty, staff and students.  Thank you for your prayers on their behalf as they begin another year of service at Huntington College.

Sincerely,

G. Blair Dowden

President

Admissions

Fall 2003 Enrollment

Academic

Communication

The HC Communication Department showcased "Hanna's Cross," a new film produced by media communication students. The premier was shown on Monday, December 9, in the MCA main auditorium.

Computer Club

Seven members of the computer club, along with their faculty sponsor, Mr. Jeff Lehman, plan to attend the 2003 ACM SIGCSE (Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group for Computer Science Education) Technical Symposium in Reno, NV, February 19-22, 2003.  Approximately 1500 computer science educators and 200 students from around the world attend the symposium.

English

A recent conference paper presented by Dr. Jack Heller, assistant professor of English, has been published online. The paper, an examination of theological issues that Arthur Miller considers in “Death of a Salesman,” was delivered in October to the Mideast Conference on Christianity and Literature.

English

Dr. Jack Heller, Dr. Linda Urschel, and English major Lynda Barnum attended the Northeast Conference on Christianity and Literature on October 18 and 19.  Dr. Heller presented a paper on “Death of a Salesman.”  Dr. Urschel and Ms. Barnum participated in a panel discussion of spirituality in the novellas of Stephen King.

Forester Speak Off

The Huntington College Great Forester Speak Off, held at the end of each semester, showcased the persuasive skills of HC’s finest student speakers. Katie Hultman, a senior music major from Spring Arbor, MI, took first place with her persuasive speech on Christians’ attitudes toward homosexuality. Placing second was Noah Varness, a sophomore theatre-performance major from Morris, IL, as he spoke against home internet access for families with children. Susan Guilkey, a sophomore journalism major from Noblesville, IN, received third place for her speech on abortion for rape victims. Sarah Neace, a sophomore youth ministries major from Fort Wayne, IN, and Bridget Earles, a sophomore youth ministries major from Findlay, OH, tied for fourth place. Neace spoke against giving gifts for Christmas while Earles spoke for the teaching of both abstinence and contraceptives in sex education.

Graduate School of Christian Ministries

History

Dr. Paul E. Michelson was interviewed on "Romania Today" on December 12, 2002, for Voice of America's Focus Program hosted by Victor Morales.  He discussed Romania's recent invitation to join NATO as well as its economic and political prospects.

Music

Dr. Patricia Spedden, professor of music and director of piano studies and theory, has released a classical piano CD entitled, In the Shelter of Your Presence. The arrangements in the collection combine praise songs and more traditional hymns, with classical piano works. In the Shelter of Your Presence can be purchased for $12.50 at the Merillat Centre Box Office at Huntington College (260/359-4261) and at Premier Piano in the Covington Plaza, Fort Wayne, IN (260/432-9000).

Who's Who

The 2003 edition of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges will include the names of 20 students from Huntington College who have been selected as outstanding campus leaders. Students named from Huntington College this year include Erin Abbey, JulieAnn Buist, Erinn Caley, Andrea Dunbar, Timothy Furry, Joshua Garvey, Lindsey Hamer, Jennifer Herring, Lauren Hines, Jordan Hopper, Katherine Lloyd, Matthew Loshe, Jacob Miles, Jordan Phillips, Carrie Reese, Nathan Reusser, Katie Smith, Lindsey Van Gelder, Kelli Whiteman and Gretta Yoder.

Advancement

The following major gifts have recently been received by Huntington College. Several have been designated for endowed scholarships.

• $10,000   Elementary Education scholarship 
• $12,500   Theatre Arts scholarship
• $12,500   Christian Ministries scholarship
• $10,000   UB Scholarship
• $10,000   Unrestricted, need-based scholarship
• $80,000   Bequest

Business & Finance

Budget-Good News

Annual unrestricted giving is currently more than $110,000 ahead of this time last year and is on track to meet budget for this coming year.

Brenn Hall Update

Work on Brenn Hall continues to go well with the project now running slightly ahead of schedule. Classes will be held in the building beginning next fall.

Athletics

All-American Scholar Athletes

Seven Huntington College students earned the highest academic honor given to athletes. The NAIA awards the All-American Scholar Athlete honor to those junior and senior athletes who combine athletic skills with excellence in the classroom. For the fall season, Erin Abbey, Liz Ballard and Amber Hirschy earned the honor for women’s soccer and Chris Buehrer, Rick Hammer, Carrie Reese and Brooke Welch earned the honor for cross country.

Men's Basketball

The Foresters continued their hot winning streak into the month of December, posting a 12-0 record, the best start in school history, before losing their first game to NCAA Div. II University of Findlay. After a couple more bumps in the schedule, the Foresters jumped back on the winning track, winning two games over Christmas break. The Foresters have a 14-3 overall record as they enter the Mid-Central Conference season with a January 7 game at the University of Saint Francis.

Women's Basketball

The Lady Foresters finished the month of December with a 6-6 overall record.

Men & Women's Track & Field

The men and women’s track teams, under the direction of Coach Tom King, began practices this week. They will open their season on January 31 at Ohio Northern University. The women’s squad returns All-Americans Jenny (Cook) Grill and Erin Abbey while the men’s team will be led by All-American John Ngure and returning national qualifiers Rick Hammer and Billy Kurtz.

Upcoming Events

Other

Denver & The Mile High Orchestra

Denver & The Mile High Orchestra, a Christian Swing Orchestra, will perform at the Merillat Center for the Arts on Friday, January 10, at 8:00 p.m. This evening of enthusiastic entertainment in a refreshing big band style is available to Huntington College students and senior citizens at $5 in advance and to the general public and Huntington College faculty and staff for $8 in advance. Tickets on the day of the show will be $10. 

MCA Events

January - May 2003

Robert E. Wilson Gallery Events

December 2 – January 24.  Silk Paintings by Sally Van Orden. 

February 12 – March 14.  Houghton College Art Faculty: Gary Baxter, Ted Murphy, Scot Bennett, John Rhett.  Artist Reception: March 1, 6-8:00 PM.

March 31 – April 14.  13th Annual Juried Student Art Exhibit.  Awards Reception: April 4, 5-7:00 PM.

April 21 – May 2.  Graduating Art Majors Exhibit.  Artist Reception: April 26,

6-8:00 PM.

May 5 – 17.  Graduating Art Majors Exhibit.  Artist Reception: May 10, 6-8:00 PM.

Community Arts

February 18.  The Freimann Concert.  Longaker Recital Hall, 8:00 PM.  Principal musicians of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra, including the popular Freimann String Quartet, will present a mid-winter concert of the best in music for small ensembles. $8 All Seats; $6 Students & Seniors

March 28.  Banu Gibson & The New Orleans Hot Jazz.  MCA Auditorium, 8:00 PM.  A superior and swinging jazz singer, Banu Gibson, has an extensive repertoire of songs from the 1920’s through the 40’s, covering many highlights of America’s golden age of popular music. 

Music Department

February 6-7.  Dr. Paul Barnes, co-chair of piano at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Music.

     Arts in Theology Symposium Lecture.  February 6, MCA, 7:00 PM. 

     No Admission Charge.

     Arts in Theology Symposium Convocation.  February 7, MCA, 11:00 AM.  

     Piano Recital. February 7, Longaker Recital Hall, 7:00 PM. 

February 12.  All-Area Music Student Recital IV.  Longaker Recital Hall, 4:30 PM.  Featuring a variety of music majors and minors in vocal and instrumental solo or chamber music performances. No Admission Charge.

March 9.  Bandfest 2003.  MCA Auditorium, 3:00 PM.  No Admission Charge—Ticket Required.

March 13.  Spring Tour Kick-Off Concert.  MCA Auditorium, 7:00 PM.  A sampling of the ensemble and solo musical selections prepared by the HC Concert Choir, Brass, and Hand Bells for their Spring 2003 tour of the southeastern United States. 

March 26.  All-Area Music Student Recital V.  Longaker Recital Hall, 4:30 PM.  Featuring a variety of music majors and minors in vocal and instrumental solo or chamber music performances.  No Admission Charge.