February 2003

It has been an exciting month for the arts at Huntington College.  In mid-January, Denver and the Mile-High Orchestra brought big-band swing with a Christian message to the mainstage of the Merillat Centre for the Arts.

Also in January, alumna Kimberly Dreisbach (2000) presented a preview of her final Master's Recital. Kimberly was an outstanding music student at Huntington and continues to excel in piano performance and pedagogy at the University of Nebraska. She plans to begin doctoral studies at the University of Oklahoma next fall.

Huntington College Theatre presented a moving performance of “A Shayna Maidel” from January 30 to February 1. The play by Barbara Lebow offered a dramatic portrayal of one Jewish family’s life after the Holocaust.

Last week, Dr. Paul Barnes, co-chair of piano at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Music, presented an Arts in Theology Symposium at Huntington College, featuring a chapel presentation, public lecture, and concert recital. Dr. Barnes’ eclectic musical interests have taken him from monasteries in the Judean desert to the Liszt Academy in Budapest. Exploring both minimalism and religious symbolism in music, Barnes has been featured three times on National Public Radio’s Performance Today and has recently performed in Jerusalem, Moscow, Greece, Seoul, Vienna, Budapest, and throughout the U.S. We were honored to host him at Huntington.

Sincerely,

G. Blair Dowden
President

Admissions

Fall 2003 Enrollment

Mr. Eric Strom, a 2002 graduate of Huntington College, joined the Admissions team on January 20. Strom completed his degree in Youth Ministries and is now helping to recruit students from the Ohio and Pennsylvania areas and the eastern U.S. region.

Academic

Business

Students in Dr. Ann McPherren's Not for Profit Management class recently reported the findings of their semester long research project to the Board of Directors of the Huntington YMCA.  The students surveyed members and former members of the local YMCA, reviewed financial data, and analyzed the local competition and current programs of the YMCA at the request of the YMCA Board.

Communication

Fourteen students recently traveled with Dr. Lance Clark, assistant professor of communications, to attend the National Radio and Broadcasting convention in Nashville, Tennessee. A number of Huntington College communication students earned high honors in various competitions. Kendra Coppler placed second in the national Al Sanders Essay Contest. She presented her paper on the topic of internet hoaxes and the Christian response at the Intercollegiate Religious Broadcasters annual session on February 8. Kat Nix, Andre Laird and Jon Bordeaux received an award for HCTV News which placed third in the Field Category of the NRB Student Awards Contest. Jim Hogg placed second in the Web Design Category of the same contest. Over 300 colleges and universities entered student work for the competition.

Dean's List

The Dean’s List, which is published every February and June, was recently released for the fall 2002 semester. Honorees must be classified as regular students, be enrolled full-time with a load of 12 hours or more in graded courses and must achieve a semester grade point average of at least 3.5 on a four-point scale. The recent Dean’s List included over 270 students. "Making the Dean's List is a significant achievement at Huntington College,” said Dr. Norris Friesen, interim vice president and dean of Huntington College. "Most of the students at Huntington College are involved in many activities such as athletics, theatre, music ensembles, volunteer programs, and more. To maintain the focus on class work necessary to make the Dean's List is a major accomplishment and quite an honor."

Educational Ministries

Dr. Karen Jones, assistant professor of educational ministries, was elected to a four-year term on the board of the North American Professors of Christian Education (NAPCE) and recently attended a board meeting in Boston. She was also elected to the executive board of the International Association for the Study of Youth Ministry at their bi-annual meeting this January at Mansfield College in Oxford, England. In addition, Dr. Jones was invited to attend a Youth Ministry Summit for Southern Baptist Youth Ministry denominational leaders and professors in Nashville. At the end of January, she attended a training conference in Atlanta for World Changers project coordinators.

Dr. Dave Rahn, professor of educational ministries and director of the Link Institute, was recently interviewed by Mike Potter of Parenting Teenagers regarding his social science research and how that research can influence parenting teens. Potter interviewed Rahn after hearing his presentation at a Youth Specialties conference in Pittsburgh. The interview highlights will air on WBCL February 24-27 at 3:15 p.m. A transcript of the entire interview is available online at www.parentministry.org. Rahn also spoke at the Central Indiana Christian Educators' Fellowship in Indianapolis on February 1. His workshop titles included, “Avoiding No Man’s Land: The Only Two Choices for a Macro-Vision of Youth Ministry”; “One Life at a Time: A Micro-Vision of Spiritual Formation for Young People;” and “Ministry Assessment as a Spiritual Discipline.”

English

Rachel Tinon has been selected to compete in the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship Program. In order to be considered for an award, students must be nominated by their institution. Tinon, author of the recently published Circle of Shadows, was profiled in the Columbus Dispatch on Sunday, February 2. Writer Eileen Dempsey interviewed Tinon about her book and her experiences as a Huntington College student.

Forester Lecture

Dr. Richard Carhart, professor emeritus of physics at the University of Illinois-Chicago, opened the spring semester’s Forester Lecture Series on February 3. Carhart spoke on “Global Warming, Alternate Energy, and the Christian Worldview.”

Music

Dr. Paul Barnes, co-chair of piano at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Music, offered an Arts in Theology Symposium lecture and piano recital on February 6-7.

Registration is now being accepted for the 24^th annual Band Clinic. The unique educational and cultural event draws students from throughout the Midwest for instruction by professional military and civilian musicians. This Band Clinic will be a tribute to two great bandmasters in American history – Edwin and Richard Franko Goldman.

Physical Education

The American Woman in Sport, a J-Term course taught by Dr. Pat Zezula, professor of physical education, welcomed Olympic Gold Medalist Lucinda Williams Adams to its class on January 16. Adams spoke on her experiences in the 1956 and 1960 Olympic games as a female African-American track sprinter. She shared about the importance of education and how to pursue and accomplish a successful career.

Physics

The Amateur Astronomy J-Term class hosted a public Star Party at Thornhill Nature Preserve on January 17. The class, taught by Paul and Ruth Nalliah, gave presentations on topics of backyard astronomy and provided numerous telescopes for viewing.

Theatre

The J-Term theatre effects class, taught by Professor Mike Burnett, gave a public demonstration of theatre special effects on January 22. The class also attended a performer flying effects workshop, given by Dr. Delbert Hall of Hall Associates.

Student Development

Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Service

Rev. Ternae Jordan, pastor of the Greater Progressive Baptist Church in Fort Wayne, spoke at the Martin Luther King, Jr. commemoration service at Huntington College on January 20. Rev. Jordan founded the anti-violence organization, “Stop the Madness.”

Service Emphasis Week

The Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service was pleased to bring Dr. Rick Dunn to campus from February 4-6, for Service Emphasis Week. Dr. Dunn has a Ph.D in educational ministries and 20-plus years of ministry leadership development that includes schools, camps, churches, and mission organizations. Dunn is currently the senior pastor at Fellowship Evangelical Free Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. 

Academic Honors Dinner

On Tuesday, February 11, Residence Life provided an Academic Honors Dinner for Baker Hall third floor (women) and Miller Hall second floor (men). These floors had the highest average GPA for the fall 2002 semester.

Advancement

Lilly Initiative

Trustees raised $287,933 for the Lilly matching grant initiative. One hundred percent (36) of all eligible trustees (from 3-1-02 to 12-31-02) participated in the initiative. The Lilly Endowment's Initiative to Strengthen Board Commitment came on the heels of the recently completed Campaign for Huntington College. Through this five-year campaign, the College raised over $45 million, including more than $2 million from trustees.

The end-of-year report on Lilly's Special Initiative to Strengthen Philanthropy for Indiana's Higher Education Institutions is as follows:

Reporting period:  6-1-02 to 12-31-02

    Category                    #Donors                  Total Qualifying                                                               Matching Funds Received

    Alumni                                 603                                    $ 279,404

    Parents/Family                     146                                       120,785

    Students                                  6                                               900

    Faculty/Staff                        141                                          59,291
    Total                                                                              $460,380

Athletics

Athletic Secretary

Mrs. Cynthia Buff has accepted the position of Athletic Department Secretary. She comes to Huntington College from River View Surgery Center in Marion, Indiana, where she was employed as the patients’ accounts and accounts receivable representative.

Men's Basketball

The Foresters are currently 21-6 and hold a No. 10 national ranking in NAIA Div. II.

Women's Basketball

The Lady Foresters are currently 11-13 on the season.

Men & Women's Track & Field

The Forester track teams opened their indoor season at Ohio Northern University on January 31. The men’s and women’s squads both finished second in team scoring. First-place finishers for the men’s team included John Ngure in the 1500 meter run, David St. Louis in the 800 meter run, Chris Buehrer in the 5000 meter run and Dan Smith in the long jump. For the women, top honors went to Erin Abbey in the long jump, Lindsey Van Gelder in the triple jump, Ashley Gonterman in the pole vault, Natalie Guenin in the 5000 meter run and Courtney Gullickson in the 800 meter run.

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