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  President's Update

Summer 2003

Summertime greetings from Huntington College.

The past few weeks have been busy at the College with summer conferences, Brenn Hall renovation, and maintenance projects. In addition, this summer has been especially exciting for 11 talented students as they travel across the country to present the play, Cotton Patch Gospel, at churches and camps. This outstanding production is a retelling of the Gospel story in a unique and fresh way. To find a performance near you, visit the Cotton Patch web site at www.huntington.edu/cottonpatch.

Freshmen registration weekend was held on June 20-21. The weekend was a great success as we welcomed approximately 170 students, along with their parents, to campus. This number is almost equivalent to last year’s record attendance. We are very pleased by the strong turnout and look forward to welcoming a large class in the fall.

During the weekend, Chris and I spoke with many new students and their parents. It is always encouraging to hear their enthusiasm for Huntington College and its educational programs. Many parents shared how they first learned of the College and how much they look forward to the next four years. These conversations reinforce the fact that God is at work at the College and has blessed us with outstanding programs and people.

The summer has been especially busy for Chris and me personally. Our son, Beau, graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine on May 11. This was followed by his marriage to Karen Grinder in Port Huron, Michigan on May 31. Karen is a wonderful Christian woman and we are very glad that God led her into Beau’s life. A post-wedding reception for them was held on June 15 at the Merillat Centre for the Arts. It was a special time and allowed an opportunity for Huntington area friends to greet and congratulate them.

I trust the items in this summer issue of the President’s Update will keep you informed of the many events and people that make Huntington College an exciting and growing environment for our students.

Sincerely,

G. Blair Dowden

President

 

Admissions

 

Fall 2003 Enrollment

 

The chart above summarizes the number of prospective students who have applied and been accepted to Huntington College for the fall 2003 semester. The bars represent year-to-date comparisons over the past five years.


 

 

 

Academic

 

Bible & Religion

 

Dr. Mark Fairchild, professor of Bible and religion, was recently contacted by the US Tennis Association office with news that he had been selected to officiate at the US Open Tennis Championships, August 17 – September 2. “As you may know, the US Open is one of the world's four Grand Slam Professional Tournaments,” says Fairchild. “Many of the officials at the Grand Slam Tournaments are the top officials in the world and many of them do this as a full time occupation. I am surprised, flattered and humbled.”

 

Education

The Omega Psi chapter of Kappa Delta Pi at Huntington College was recently awarded the Achieving Chapter Excellence (ACE) award. This award is the highest recognition the International Headquarters currently bestows upon the institutional chapters. The HC chapter has successfully met the criteria for excellence in programs, leadership, training and service. Thirty-two ACE awards will be presented at the international convocation in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 13.

 

Physics

Dr. Gerald D. Smith, professor of physics and chemistry, attended the Indiana Physics Teachers Annual Conference in Bloomington in April. In addition, Dr. Smith serves on a NCA Higher Learning Commission Accreditation Team and the HLC Accreditation Review Council and has participated in one site visit and two institutional reviews this year.

 

Student Development

 

Boender Award

 

 

The annual Association for Christians in Student Development (ACSD) Conference was held at Wheaton College, June 2-5. Representing Huntington College at the conference were Jesse Brown, Dusty Abshire, Jenni Shaffer, Martha Smith, Norris Friesen and Kate Magro. Martha Smith co-led the New Professionals Retreat which was held prior to the conference. Dr. Norris Friesen, vice president and dean of the College, was honored with the Don L. Boender Award at the conference. The award is presented to an ACSD member with 15 years or more of service in the field of student development. It was reported that Dr. Friesen was surprised and honored when announced as the award recipient.

 

Nicholson Memorial Tournament

The fourth annual Nicholson Memorial Tournament was held in Kitchener, Ontario, June 21-22. This marked the third year that Huntington College participated in the tournament. HC was the Co-ed Recreation Softball Champion in 2001. In 2002, HC finished runner-up in the Competitive Softball Tournament. This year, ten teams participated in the Round-Robin Volleyball Tournament while 30 teams competed in a Softball Tournament. Members of the HC volleyball team included Justin Brown, Jeremy Burkett, Lisa Landes, Jenny Pettit, Dru Shumaker and Mike Matura. The team advanced to the championship game, but was defeated by four points. Mike Matura, a native of Kitchener and recipient of the Nicholson Scholarship, accepted prize money from the winning teams to be applied to the Nicholson Memorial Scholarship.

 

Advancement

 

Lilly Initiative

 

 

As of May 31, 2003, more than $2 million have been raised toward the $3.5 million goal of the Lilly matching gift initiative. Approximately $1.4 million still needs to be raised from the alumni segment and $100,000 from the faculty/staff segment by December 31, 2003.

 

Capital Campaign

Capital campaign giving through the end of May is $46,992,376. The $37 million goal has been exceeded by almost $10 million!

 


 

Phonathon

As of June 30, 2003, phonathon pledges have exceeded the original pledge amount of $96,181. Mr. Gary Town, director of special programs, reports that to date--$97,000 has been received and it is anticipated that $100,000 will be received by August 1. Phonathon dollars, which are matched through the Lilly Initiative, are designated for student scholarships.

 

HC Night at the Wizards

Huntington College Alumni and Friends Night at the Fort Wayne Wizards will be held Saturday, August 16, at 6 p.m. The cost is $8 per person with $5 in magic bucks. To reserve tickets, contact Mrs. Linda Taylor, secretary for advancement, in the Alumni Office at (260)356-4047.

 

Athletics

 

All-America Scholar Athletes

 

A number of spring sport Forester athletes earned All-America Scholar Athlete honors. Those athletes include Erin Abbey (track), Brooke Welch (track), Benjamin Eggleston (tennis), Jacob Miles (tennis), Kathleen Turner (tennis), Lindsey Weber (tennis), Rebecca Harness (tennis), and Dana Starks (tennis).

 

Track and Field

John Ngure completed his outstanding running career at Huntington College at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships in Olathe, Kansas, with two national-winning performances in the 10,000 meters and the marathon. In recognition of his two national titles, Ngure was awarded the National Outstanding Male Performer honor. Others competing at the national meet were Erin Abbey (long jump, 400 hurdles), Melissa Bortner (100 hurdles), Natalie Guenin (10,000 meters), Brooke Welch (3000 meter steeplechase) and Jonathan Doyle (400 hurdles).

 

Golf

Mr. Pete Schownir, development officer in the advancement office and head golf coach, attended the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Golf Camp in Indianapolis on June 22-26. Schownir was an instructor on the short game. Twenty-eight campers throughout the Midwest attended clinics on full swing, course management, short game and putting, with competitions held every afternoon. Daily chapels were held in the mornings and evenings along with “huddle meetings.”

 

Other

 

New Employees

 

Four individuals have accepted appointment at Huntington College. Mr. Rick Miller became the Network Engineer/Administrator in Technology Services on June 16. Ms. Shannon Wilson will become an Admissions Counselor in the Office of Admissions on July 14. On August 1, Ms. Kathryn Magro will become the Resident Director for Roush and Baker Residence Halls, and on August 11, Ms. Nicole Fain will begin her duties as the Assistant Director of Campus Ministries.

 

Media Guide Awards

The 2002-03 Huntington College men’s and women’s basketball media guides recently received top-ten awards from the NAIA-SIDA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics-Sports Information Directors of America). The NAIA-SIDA voted the Forester men’s guide as fourth best in the country in the men’s basketball brochure division and the Forester women’s guide as eighth best in the country in the women’s basketball brochure division. The guides were produced by the Public Relations and Sports Information offices. Mrs. Bethany Doyle, public relations coordinator at the College, created and structured the layout, design and content for the guides with assistance from Ms. Lori Culler, sports information director and head women’s basketball coach. Art students Amanda Hamblin designed the men’s cover while Josh Walker designed the women’s cover.

 

Thornhill Nature Preserve

This summer, Thornhill Nature Preserve and MindScape are providing numerous educational programs. The climbing wall has been opened one Monday evening during July and August. Families are encouraged to come and have fun climbing the challenging course. Thornhill also hosted a Family Movie Night which featured the movie, “A Bug’s Life,” and offered various summer week-long, nature-oriented day camps for children eight years and older.

 

 

 

 

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