Approximately 40 colleges in each of the six geographical regions in the U.S. were selected as meeting four key criteria that make a college truly exceptional: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communities, and successful outcomes. These are the “hidden gems” of higher education institutions - as determined by a review board of academicians, guidance counselors, and parents.

“We are truly honored to have received the designation of ‘College of Distinction’ by Students Horizons,” said Dr. Michael Collette, vice president for Enrollment Management and Information Systems. “We believe that this distinction will provide a level of pride for our students and their families for this recognition, and confidence that we have been acknowledged by our peers for having high quality faculty, uncommonly good teaching, nationally recognized programs, and very engaged students.”

Anderson University was required to go through an application process to be considered, be nationally recognized by education professionals, employ outstanding teachers that provide innovative learning experiences, have an active campus and community that allows for personal development, and be highly valued by employers for its outstanding preparation. Colleges of Distinction also recognized an impressive nine other colleges in the state including: Goshen College, Butler University, Manchester College, St. Joseph’s College, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Saint Mary’s College, Taylor University, University of Evansville, and University of Southern Indiana.

College seekers can also visit the Colleges of Distinction website to learn more about featured schools, including Anderson University. Furthermore, visitors can read tips from high school guidance counselors and essays from college students, presidents, and other members of different campus communities.

Student Horizons, Inc. is a digital services company devoted to higher education. Founded in 2002 by concerned parents and admissions professionals, their mission is to enable students to find colleges and universities that appeal to and complement their unique personalities and aspirations. Student Horizons, Inc. is located in Bethesda, MD.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,750 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2008, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the fourth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing and theology.

“Calliope” is designed to provide a very festive yet intimate atmosphere where the viewer is encouraged to sit on Menchinger’s furniture, and have a close experience with Bayliss’ small works on paper.

Bayliss’ pictures are composed for the viewer’s entertainment and designed for the viewer’s reconsideration. Bayliss wants the pictures to never settle to one concrete experience. This means the pictures are continuously transforming and changing content before the viewer’s eye. He hopes that as soon as the viewer reads the painting one way, another way of reading the painting presents itself to the viewer. His paintings are playful, and he hopes that the viewer has an enjoyable experience.

Menchinger designs furniture that is functional and beautiful with a focus on craftsmanship and concern for how the furniture will contribute to its environment. He is inspired by wood in its natural form and tries to bring out the natural beauty of the wood. He also designs furniture intended to be cheaply mass produced, hoping to make high quality furniture that is affordable. With a focus on functional furniture, he welcomes viewers to experience the craft of his objects through using them.

For more information contact the Anderson University Department of Art+Design at 765-641-4302.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,750 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2008, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the fourth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing and theology.

“I am so grateful for this opportunity to create a piece for the new Indianapolis Airport. It’s certainly an honor. I can’t wait to show it to my students. I also loved collaborating with Mary Jo. It improved the work. I can’t wait for the next project we’ll do together,” said Bayliss.

“I am delighted that Prof. Bayliss’ glass sculpture will be permanently featured in such an important facility as the new airport terminal in Indianapolis.  This work will be seen by countless numbers of people from around the world who make their way through the airport, and it is sure to have a significant impact on their travel experience and their impressions of Indianapolis.  This accomplishment speaks to the high level of artistry embodied in our art and design faculty, and to the wonderful education they provide for our students here at Anderson University.  We are all celebrating this amazing accomplishment,” said Dr. Jeffrey Wright, dean of the College of the Arts.

The glass wall separates screened from unscreened passengers and incorporates simplified chevron shapes made from dichroic glass to resemble a flock of sparkling birds. These elements create delicately colored light as both natural and artificial light plays across them, and the colors shift and change as viewers pass the wall. The imagery calls to mind the joy and freedom inherent in experiencing flight.

Bayliss received his B.A. in Ceramics (1st class with honors) from Bristol Polytechnic in England in 1978 and his M.A. in Glass from the Royal College of Art in 1981. As an independent artist in England, he designed glass for Rosenthal Glas und Porzellan in Germany, for E.O.S. Toscany in Italy, for Stephens and Williams Royal Brierly Crystal and Wedgwood Glass in England, and at the Snogebaek Glashytte in Denmark. Since 1990 Bayliss has been a professor of art and the director of the glass program at Anderson University.

Mary Jo Kramb Bayliss was born in Ventura, California in 1962; however, she grew up on the East Coast. She received her BFA in sculpture from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1995, and her MFA in sculpture from University of Colorado, Boulder in 1999. She has shown her work in South America and across the United States. Her three sons are Matthew (23), Daniel (22) and Sam (15).

Bayliss’ public projects include sculptures for Anderson University, the City of Anderson and the Indianapolis Marion County Public Library in Indianapolis. In 1993 he designed the annual Governor’s Arts Award for the state of Indiana. Bayliss is an elected Diploma Member of the Society of Industrial Artists and Designers.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,750 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2008, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the fourth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing and theology.

Dr. Dale Bales of the department of chemistry and physics was the eighth person at Anderson University to receive the John A. Morrison faculty award this past year. Bales first joined the faculty of AU in 1976, left for a brief time in the early 1980’s, but returned in 1987 to stay. He has served the institution for 28 years.

Chad Wallace, now chair of the department of chemistry and physics taking over the title from Bales, indicates the following: “I had the great opportunity to know Dale Bales at two different times in my life. The first was when I was a chemistry undergraduate student attending here. ‘Dr. Bales’, as I knew him then, was my teacher, adviser, and mentor. I saw a man of great knowledge, insight, wisdom, and humility. He epitomized to me the perfect blend of scientist and committed Christian.

In fact, for all of these years I have known him, he has almost always been a pastor of some local congregation while excelling in his duties at AU. He so inspired me, that I knew I wanted to attend graduate school so I might one day come back to my alma mater and hope to influence students’ lives a fraction of what he did.”

The recipient of the John A. Morrison staff award has served in various capacities in her lengthy tenure of 34 years with the university. She has been a student, taught classes, and is currently a staff member serving as Manager of Student Technology Services and Group Coordinator for Information Technology Services.

In her most recent assignment, Jan Schmidt, along with her colleagues in the ITS department, has been an integral part of equipping our campus with up-to-date technologies and training us in their use. Schmidt has also committed significant time to leading a number of Tri-S service trips around the world (including Calcutta, India, Grand Cayman and London) where she has developed powerful and meaningful relationships with students and those they served.

The Morrison award is designed to recognize faculty and staff who go beyond excellence in performance and have demonstrated a commitment to something larger than self. Each year, one staff and one faculty member will be selected from those nominated by the faculty and staff and announced at the annual Recognition Luncheon. Nominees for the Morrison Award should demonstrate a commitment to the university’s mission and core values.

—Stefanie Leiter is Web Content Manager at Anderson University.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2008, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the fourth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing and theology.

As Dean Branson, director of student programming, pointed tightly-packed vehicles toward temporary parking spaces, returning students and some experienced parents waited for any chance they had to help another freshman into the dorms.

“They’re responsible for unpacking, but we get their stuff up to the room as quickly as we can,” Branson said.

Cars came loaded with all the comforts of home — lamps, rugs, television — downsized to fit into each of the single rooms that most students must share with an unfamiliar roommate.

“We have to know that the people coming here have never done this before,” Branson said. “So we have to make them feel at home.”

Hominess is what attracted Nathan Breneman to AU. The freshman from Dublin, Ohio, said the size of the campus made the school seem like a good fit. He was settling into Dunn Hall on Thursday, but said he wasn’t nervous about starting classes, although he was worried that living without his own car would take a lot of getting used to.

His parents were also wondering about how their lives would be different with their oldest son out of the house.

“I just know the home will be a lot quieter,” said Jenny, Nathan’s mother. “He’s the talker. He’s the one who always has something going on.”

Nathan is one of an estimated 600 new undergraduates enrolling at AU this fall, the school reported. The university expects the size of its full-time freshman class to increase between 12 and 15 percent this year, but exact figures will not be known until late September.

Approximately 80 percent of new undergraduate students are coming from Indiana or neighboring states, but 47 states and 30 countries are represented in the total undergraduate population of about 1,850 students, the university reported.

Callie Zelber and Kelly Thomas moved into Rice Hall on Thursday. Strangers less than a year ago, the two girls met though Anderson University’s new social networking site for accepted students, a Web site that lets people seriously considering AU to talk.

Admission’s counselor Christy Kihm said lots of students had found roommates using the site. “It was a big hit.”

Zelber, of Indianapolis, and Thomas, of Miamisburg, Ohio, said they connected over their shared love of the Disney princesses, and now their dorm room is festooned with images of Belle from “Beauty and the Beast.”

The girls said it was a challenge to decide which clothes to bring, and they both made a point to pack photographs and their beloved teddy bears.

With five days left before classes start, Kelly said she’d be using the time to relax, meet some new people, and if there’s time, find out where her classes are. dresser to herself, she joked that it was a good excuse to go buy more clothes.

VIEW FLICKR PHOTO ALBUM OF 2008 MOVE-IN DAY

—Barrett Newkirk is a reporter for the Herald Bulletin. Story republished with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2008, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the fourth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing and theology.

Although precise numbers are not available until the third full week of classes (week of September 22), the university is projecting an increase of 12-15 percent for first-time freshman over last year.  Within this year’s enrollment are approximately 600 new undergraduate students and a total undergraduate population of roughly 1,850 students.  The AU undergraduate student population includes persons from more than 30 international countries and 47 states.

“New students bring such promise and energy to the campus each year,” said Dr. James L. Edwards, president of Anderson University.  “We are breaking trends in our region to show a strong growth in new student enrollment.  We are prepared for all they will bring to this good place.”

“Several contributing factors can be cited for the current enrollment level,” said Dr. Michael Collette, vice-president for Enrollment Management and Information Systems. “Anderson University has a number of distinctive programs in business, education, communication, art, music and ministry.  The school also supports several efforts to provide internships and experiential opportunities for students leading to employment; as well as a longstanding effort to remain affordable despite a national economic downturn.”

Approximately 80 percent of new undergraduate students at Anderson University come from Indiana and contiguous states and represent nearly 60 religious denominations.  The average high school grade point average of new undergraduate AU students is 3.4 with 30 percent falling in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class.  The top five individual majors among new AU undergraduate students are Education, Business, Music, Communication and Nursing.

Students matriculating to Anderson University have indicated that the top five most important factors influencing their college choice were career preparation, job placement services, spiritual atmosphere, quality of faculty and the availability of scholarship and grants.

Graduate divisions of the university are also projecting strong enrollments for the academic year.  In addition, the School of Adult Learning at Anderson University will unveil a new online degree program this academic year and will be developing plans to expand their programming for all adult students during the next two years.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2008, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the fourth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing and theology.

To rank schools, US News first organizes colleges and universities by category, and then ranks them within each group. Rankings are based on a wide range of criteria, including academic reputation, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, and financial resources to name a few.

“While the best college for a given student will always be measured by personal fit, we are truly honored to be listed among the best in our region,” said Dr. James L. Edwards, president of Anderson University.  “These surveys give our students and their parents the confidence that we are highly regarded and worth considering as they make their important choices for the investment of their college years.  We consider this highly regarded listing a tribute to our faculty and staff who are deeply committed to excellence and to student success.”

“We are pleased to be recognized as one of the best colleges in the Midwest by U.S. News and our peer institutions,” said Dr. Michael Collette, vice-president for Enrollment Management and Information Systems. “We are blessed with a strong faculty and we are encouraged by the financial resources provided by donors as well as the continued acknowledgment of our academic strength at an affordable value.”

The US News rankings will appear on the magazine’s web site on Friday, August 22. College-bound students can use the site to search for colleges according to their own interests, fill out interactive worksheets and search for scholarship and financial aid information. Excerpts of the college rankings will be published in the September 1 edition (on newsstands August 25) of the weekly news magazine. The full rankings will be published in the annual America’s Best Colleges guidebook, also available in libraries and bookstores on August 26.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2008, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the fourth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing and theology.

Her 11-year-old twins, who were diagnosed with autism eight years ago, had been suspended from school a few days earlier.

Hannah, annoyed that vocabulary study was going to interrupt her reading, threw a dry erase board, which accidentally struck another child. Ed threw a chair when two kids he’d been working with wanted to put a label at the top of a map instead of the bottom.

Now, Dugan’s pair of fifth-graders lurched up and down the hallway at the Indianapolis Art Center. Hannah, wearing pink Crocs, brown cords, and a lilac T-shirt and cardigan, was blinking excessively. Ed, in a blue polo shirt, jeans and Nikes, was putting his hands up to his face. Both bit their bottom lips and stared at the floor as often as they looked up at their own portraits on the wall.

Dugan, a 47-year-old associate professor of art at Anderson University, stood still, finally, after rushing to arrive for the reception for her exhibition, “Facing Autism.”

To Dugan, it feels as if she’s always running late, always struggling to keep it together.

A DVD of an earlier interview played in the background, where the artist described her work, attesting to her children’s battle against the fastest-growing disability in the country, the words “problem” and “so hard” echoing through the gallery.

“You have these stretches where they’re functioning pretty well. You think maybe we can do this,” Dugan said. “But then you hit a bad stretch, and it rears itself up, and they tantrum—you’ve never heard such screaming—and you think, ‘How am I going to cope with this?’ ”

Twenty years ago—when Dustin Hoffman gave his Oscar-winning performance in “Rain Man”—autism was diagnosed nationally at a rate of roughly 1 in 2,000.

Today, the rate is 1 in 150.

Better recognition, shifting diagnostic rules and expansion of the autism spectrum itself are part of the growth, but there is also an alarming increase in incidence, and the medical system is struggling to keep up.

When Hannah and Ed were diagnosed in 2000, all doctors and educators could tell Dugan was to go to Riley Hospital for Children, even though the wait for a first appointment could last 12 months. Now, the wait is roughly four months, at what is now known as the Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Center, an outpatient center that started as a much smaller facility in 1997.

“It was two people,” said Dr. David Posey, chief of the clinic. “Now, we have a staff of 21. But we could use more providers.”

Dugan soon found she would not only have to educate herself about autism, but educate people in the education field, as well.

“The challenge with children with autism is that there’s never one way of doing things,” said Dr. Cathy Pratt, director of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism. “What works with one child may not be what the next child needs.”

And the public still has a poor sense of what autism means.

Art is Dugan’s way of combating this ignorance. Using blunt brush strokes in bold colors, she portrays the world according to children with autism—a world that is frightening and nonsensical—showing the difficulties they face and the dignity they possess.

“If you’re a parent of a child on the spectrum, you become an activist by default,” said Dugan’s husband, Mark Tourney. “Most of what has been done has been done by parents.”

Dugan said that what she’s done is to paint the beauty of suffering.

But the pain isn’t on the canvas. The kids there are happy. Perhaps uncomfortable, or bewildered, but not in pain.

The suffering is in the artist.

Things used to be easier.

In the late ’70s and early ’80s, Dugan was a young Hoosier in Bloomington, caught up in the modern art scene, graduating from Indiana University with a BA and BFA, then heading to New York for a summer art program at Queens College. Before long, she was on her way to Yale for an intense MFA program.

She eventually returned with her husband to Indiana, where she received grants and awards throughout the region. She worked at Marian College and Franklin College and took a role in the art department at Anderson University in 1992.

But an art career is hard enough to pursue, said Tourney, let alone with twins who have autism.

Dugan poured her frustration into her art, and that was possible only after a Lilly Scholars Grant she received through the university. The grant allowed her to spend the past three years painting and putting together a symposium, featuring Posey, Pratt and Susan Pieples, president of the Autism Society of Indiana. It was held at the arts center in April, Autism Awareness Month, before an audience of about 80, including parents and professionals. Dugan donated her honorarium to cover the food.

“My art provides me with the respite I need when I have no control,” said Dugan, “and my faith helps me to understand that the control I seek is not mine to orchestrate.”

Dugan accepts that Ed can figure out the surface area of a cylinder but can’t make regular eye contact; that Hannah can speed-read and comprehend books at a 12th-grade level but can barely keep up with a conversation among her peers.

“I started to come to the realization that it’s a journey,” said Dugan, as Ed lay down on a bench and Hannah snuggled into her mother’s side. “It’s not going to be fixed. It’s long-term.”

It’s bittersweet, too.

Dugan recently had to separate Ed and Hannah. They were bickering in the yard. Ed was pretending to drill for oil. Hannah was chastising him for contributing to global warming. Such scenes are difficult to deal with even as they are a joy.

Even the suspensions from school wrought some tenderness.

Ed, as they were driving from school, sensed his mother’s unhappiness and said, “Mom, I’m really sorry. I know I’m messing up your day.” Hannah made her own gesture, giving Dugan her Mother’s Day present—a scented candle made in an after-school program—early.

“They do have empathy,” said Dugan, “for those they love.”

And that can be seen in the paintings.

Dugan requires you to deal directly with the subjects, and the subject at hand.

Ed averts his gaze, yes. Hannah, too, looks down and away.

But they do that when they’re happy.

—Konrad Marshall is a reporter for the Indianapolis Star. Story republished with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2008, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the fourth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing and theology.

Summer school students also have the opportunity to select offerings such as reading courses of assigned textbooks, journals and research documents; flexible online study; tutorial courses which regularly meet with an arranged instructor; or special Tri-S courses that provide academic credit through study abroad.

“Summer school is an opportunity for students to get ahead or catch up on graduation requirements. The rate per credit hour is approximately two-thirds less than traditional tuition during the regular school year,” said Aleza Beverly, Dean of the School of Adult Learning. “For students who are able to stay in the area during the summer, there are three- and four- week face-to-face classes in the day and evening with tutorial options. For those going home or studying abroad, an online course or reading independent study course is a good option. These options make summer school attractive and affordable.”

Registration continues until the first day of each scheduled class. View the Schedule of Undergraduate Classes [PDF] for the summer of 2008. Tuition for summer school at AU in 2008 is $310 per semester hour. All current AU students enrolled in the spring semester are automatically admitted for Summer School. New and former students wishing to enroll should contact the AU Admissions Department at 1-800-428-6414.

For further information and details about Summer School 2008, please contact Aleza Beverly, Dean of the School of Adult Learning and director of Summer School, at 765-641-4251.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2008, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the fourth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing and theology.

Thousands of people still hustled to find their seats in Ward Fieldhouse as the color guard presented the flags to begin the ceremony.

VIEW PHOTOS OF GRADUATION ON FLICKR

Friends and family members of all ages, dressed in all kinds of attire, sat among each other for the joyous day—to celebrate the graduation of the university’s class of 2008.

The ceremony hasn’t changed much over the years, said sisters Nicole Fischer, 26, and Kate Lintondo, 31.

The two women sat with their grandparents in the audience as their mother, Katrinna Fischer, 49, received her master’s degree in teaching.

Katrinna Fischer teaches at Eastside Elementary School in Anderson. Her family has sat through several commencement ceremonies at Anderson University as other family members have graduated: Nicole; Kate; Kate’s husband; and Katrinna.

“We just like education,” said Nicole, who is now in law school.

Katrinna Fischer earned her bachelor’s degree from Anderson University not too long before she started the graduate program. Next year, she’ll start at Ball State University to earn her doctorate.

“She’s excited,” Kate Lintondo said. “She’s looking forward to it.”

All of the graduates, and their teachers, seemed excited for the future.

Commencement speaker James T. Morris, who was given an honorary doctor of law degree, said he was told this group of students was the most prepared class for public service from the university.

“The world is eager for you to make your mark, to do what you can,” he said.

Morris, executive director for the United Nations World Food Programme, talked about Myanmar and the world’s efforts to help the country, which was recently hit with a disastrous cyclone. He also spoke about efforts to eradicate world hunger and help the children of the world.

“Spending time on a team of people, seeking a common cause for a common good, that is the most rewarding experience that a human being can have,” Morris said. “This is a Christian university. This is a university with global outreach. … The practical application of our faith, whether you’re Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist, brings us together in a common ground.”

Coming together is how the world will rid itself of hunger, Morris said.

“You never feel so good about yourself with someone else working for someone else,” he said. “Leadership and being an effective person is about seeing your calling in its biggest context.”

The joyous occasion ended as most do—some were laughing and some were crying, but all were ready to go on to another adventure.

—Jessica Kerman is a reporter for the Herald Bulletin in Anderson. Story republished with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2008, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the fourth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 60 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing and theology.