Dr. Kevin Radaker, chair of Anderson University’s English department, will present his dramatic portrayal of Henry David Thoreau during a special appearance as part of a four day convocation in Concord, Mass. on October 11.

“It is a great thrill for me to bring my Thoreau to Concord for the first time, because this town remains one of the most visited places in the nation for literary pilgrimages,” said Radaker.

The John A. Morrison faculty award recipient, Dr. Dale Bales, was announced at the annual May luncheon before Bales retirement started while Jan Schmidt was presented the Morrison staff award at the opening session in August. The John A. Morrison award recognizes service to Anderson University as exemplified by Dr. Morrison, the University’s first president. Dr. Morrison had a vision for Christian higher education and gave his time and energy to creating the foundation of what is now Anderson University.

A crew of volunteers swarmed around the residence halls on Anderson University’s campus Thursday waiting for a car, any car, to be unloaded.

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.

US News and World Report has again ranked Anderson University among the best universities in the Midwest offering master’s level degree programs. Institutions in this category offer a full range of both undergraduate and master’s level degree programs.  The magazine’s 2008 guide to “America’s Best Colleges” marks the fifth consecutive year that Anderson University has been listed among the best in its class.

Associate professor of English, Zola Noble received a grant from National Endowment for the Humanities to study at Ferrum College’s summer institute’s “Regional Study and the Liberal Arts: Appalachia Up-Close,” June 8-July 4.

The institute seeks scholars who are interested in how regional perspectives comment on wider national and global issues, and how regional material can enhance the undergraduate curriculum.

Dr. Kevin Radaker, chair of Anderson University’s English department, will present his dramatic portrayal of Henry David Thoreau during a special appearance at the Carmel Clay Public Library on Tuesday, May 20 at 7:00-8:30 in Carmel, Ind.

“Radaker’s Thoreau is an intellectual treat of the first order,” said Dr. George Frein, Director of the National Chautauqua Tour. “Weaving together Thoreau’s best known lines with sentences from his journals and more obscure works, Kevin’s monologue is compelling, and his in-character answers to audience questions afterward are so authentic and aptly chosen that people are persuaded they are visiting and thinking along with Thoreau himself.”

Anderson University is looking ahead to a full slate of classes offered this summer for interested students. AU will offer four, 4-week sessions that provide flexibility and variety. Sessions provide both introductory and advanced courses on campus for specific majors and enrichment purposes. Classes began May 12.

“Service and selflessness” was the message of the 90th commencement ceremony at Anderson University.

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.

Six students were in honored in Reardon Auditorium on April 22 for achieving a 4.0 cumulative GPA during their years at Anderson University. Eric Davis, Michelle Deal, Alex Erwin, Aaron Kaczmarek, Mark Price and Melissa Miller all received awards for their outstanding academic achievement.

AU announced the addition of several new majors with the release of the 2008-2010 Academic Catalog, including the addition of a Global Business major, an Entrepreneurship major and a Youth Ministry major. Other changes include the restructuring of the Department of Communication Arts and the option for dual licensing through the English as a New Language (ENL) program.