Huntington announces 2006 honorary degree recipients
FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Huntington, Ind. "Huntington University will award three honorary degrees at its 2006 Commencement Exercises on May 13, 2006. The exercises will begin at 3 p.m. A Doctor of Humane Letters degree will be awarded to Dr. Robert C. Andringa, president of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, and Mrs. Charlotte Kay Binkley, executive director of the WBCL Radio Network. The Doctor of Divinity degree will be awarded to the Rev. Charles William Eakin, Campus Life coach for Youth for Christ. Dr. Robert C. Andringa
Dr. Robert C. Andringa will be honored for his distinguished record of leadership and service in both public policy and higher education. As current president of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, located in Washington, D.C., Andringa heads an association of 105 member colleges and universities, in addition to 71 affiliated institutions of higher education located in 24 countries. Andringa will retire from the CCCU presidency this summer.
Andringa holds three degrees from Michigan State University, including a Ph.D. in higher education, which he completed in 1967.
Andringa was appointed by Albert H. Quie, a Minnesota congressman, to the staff of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor. Andringa served as the republican staff director for seven years and became a recognized national leader in the area of higher education policy development.
From 1980-1985, Andringa served as the chief executive officer of the Education Commission of the States. From 1985-1994, he was a full-time consultant specializing in services to nonprofit corporation boards and chief executives. In 1992, he founded CEO Dialogues, Inc., a nonprofit organization which helps chief executives pursue biblical excellence in nonprofit service. He was appointed by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education to chair the National Advisory Council on Institutional Quality and Integrity from 2001-2005. In February 2005, Andringa was elected to the board of the American Council on Education.
Andringa's publications include The Nonprofit Board Answer Book and Presidential Transitions in Private Colleges.
Andringa and his wife Susan reside in northern Virginia and have two grown sons, two grandsons and a granddaughter.
Mrs. Charlotte Kay Binkley
Mrs. Charlotte Kay Binkley will be honored for her leadership in the community and her commitment to share the love of Christ through broadcasting.
Binkley earned a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from Fort Wayne Bible College (now Taylor University) and holds Master of Science in education from Indiana University. Prior to her current role as executive director of the WBCL Radio Network, Binkley held the positions of assistant manager and director of women's programming. Along with her radio experience, Binkley has served as a professor at Fort Wayne Bible College and an elementary school teacher for Fort Wayne Community Schools and DeKalb County Schools. Binkley is the founder of A Day Away, an annual seminar attended by more than 30,000 women, and the Children's Peanut Hunt, an annual event for more than 1,000 children. She also hosted and chaired An Evening with Dr. James Dobson and A Weekend with Joni Eareckson Tada. Both events drew audiences of more than 10,000 people.
Binkley has been a speaker to thousands at retreats, seminars, conventions and dinners. She has contributed articles to Religious Broadcasting magazine, denominational publications and Today's Christian Woman. Binkley currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Religious Broadcasters and the Board of Directors of the American Bible Society. Binkley has been recognized as an outstanding alumna of Fort Wayne Bible College and as an outstanding educator by the Fort Wayne Jaycees. She married Steve Binkley in 1962, and the couple has two grown children and six grandchildren.
The Rev.
Charles William Eakin
The Rev. Charles William Eakin will be honored for nearly 60 years of service to Youth for Christ " a term longer than any other staff member in the organization's history. Eakin is native of Akron, Ohio, and is a Campus Life coach for Youth for Christ of Indianapolis, Ind. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in religious education from the Akron Bible Institute.
His involvement with Youth for Christ began when he was 20 years old. He and his wife Jeanne established 30 Youth for Christ clubs in Akron, ministering to more than 1,000 children. Initially a field director, Eakin eventually became the international field director, managing all overseas activities for Youth for Christ, a position that took him to 40 countries. When he returned to the United States, he used his talent and experience to create new programs nationally. Eakin has spoken at numerous events for young people, addressing up to 12,000 teenagers at one time.
In 1974, Eakin and his family moved to Indianapolis where they have remained. Eakin is still active in Youth for Christ, specifically at Lawrence High School where he oversees weekly Bible studies and small group meetings. When he reached 50 years of service, he was recognized with the Outstanding Youth Minister of the Year Award from the Religious Heritage of America Foundation, an honor that has been presented only 11 times in the last 45 years. The Eakins had four sons " David, Tim, Paul and Mark " and six grandchildren. David passed away at age 35 from complications of juvenile diabetes.
For information about the 2006 commencement speakers, log on to http://www.huntington.edu/news/0506/commencement-baccalaureate-speakers.htm.
