iAB Financial Bank has supported Huntington University’s new Haupert Institute for Agricultural Studies with a $2,500 gift.
“We are excited about the new Haupert Institute for Agricultural Studies and the opportunities it will bring to the economic well-being of our local communities,” said Michael C. Marhenke, president and chief executive officer of iAB Financial Bank. “iAB has brought agribusiness expertise to our local markets for nearly 70 years, and through this new focus, students will be able to gain the professional knowledge necessary for this critical concentration of study. iAB has partnered with Huntington University for many years in a variety of ways, and we are delighted to again assist with this unique endeavor.”
iAB Financial Bank employs approximately 270 people and is an independent, community-owned bank serving four counties in Indiana from 17 locations.
“We are grateful for our many partners who continue to step forward and support the new agribusiness program at Huntington University,” said Dr. Sherilyn Emberton, president of Huntington University. “For years, iAB has been a tremendous collaborator in moving our institution forward. We are so grateful and appreciative of this gift to further the study of agriculture for students in our region.”
Established 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.
HU’s agribusiness program, set to enroll students in fall of 2015, is intended to meet the growing need for agribusiness professionals and includes concentrations in agrimanagement, agrimarketing, agrieconomics and finance, agrientrepreneurial small business management, crop production, communication and public policy, and ministry and missions.