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Other events scheduled on Anderson University’s May 8 commencement day include the Falls School of Business hooding ceremony at 11:30 a.m. in Byrum Hall for candidates of both Master of Business Administration and Doctor of Business Administration degrees.

The hooding ceremony for the Master of Education and the Master of Music Education will be conducted at 12 noon on May 8 in Shield dining room, Olt Student Center. The certification ceremony for the Teach in Indiana Program (TIP) will be conducted in Decker Hall, room 133, at 12 noon.

Events earlier in the week associated with commencement weekend include the School of Theology Senior Recognition and Awards Chapel on Tuesday, April 20, at 11 a.m. E.D.T. in Miller Chapel. In addition, a special pinning ceremony for the Anderson University School of Nursing will be conducted on Friday, May 7, at 6 p.m. in Reardon Auditorium.

William G. Enright, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University and former Senior Pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis.

He is a graduate of Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California and McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, Illinois. His Ph.D. is from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He also holds two D.D. (honorary) degrees from Hanover College, Hanover, Indiana and Dubuque Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa.

Dr. Enright is currently a director of the Lilly Endowment, Inc, The Wishard Hospital Foundation Board and a trustee of Hanover College. His most recent appointment was as “Advisor for the National Cathedral Association” of the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. His civic involvement in Indianapolis has included serving as a member of Envisioning Indianapolis, the Police Advisory Board, the Board of Directors of the Central Indiana Council on Aging, and the St. Vincent Hospital Advisory Board. In addition, he served as co-chair of The Mayor’s Taskforce on Racism. He is co-founder of the Celebration of Hope, a program for racial reconciliation, which was recognized by President Clinton as one of ten national programs to be honored at the White House. He has also been honored by two governors with a Sagamore of the Wabash.

He has authored several books, the latest being Channel Markers, and lectured at numerous colleges, universities and theological institutions as well as business associations such as The Young Presidents and World Presidents organizations. In July, 2005, he served as “preacher and chaplain” for the Chautauqua Institution in New York.

Rev. Donald Doe serves as the senior pastor of the First Church of God in Vancouver, Wash. Born and raised in California, Pastor Doe is a graduate of Warner Pacific College (BA in religion) and earned a Master of Divinity from the Anderson University School of Theology.

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 2009, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the sixth 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.

Through national and regional conferences, the development and exchange of resources, and participation in online networking, NetVUE will help institutions deepen vocational exploration by their students. The goals of the network are to share knowledge, best practices, and reflection on experiences among campuses while facilitating the incorporation of additional independent colleges and universities into this enterprise.

In announcing the launch of NetVUE, CIC President Richard Ekman said, “Over the past several years, the Council of Independent Colleges has made a commitment to advancing vocational exploration as a guiding force in American independent higher education. The concept of vocation emerged as a significant factor from various sources and has been applied in different ways for different campus constituencies. CIC hopes that NetVUE will capitalize on what has been learned about the theological exploration of vocation and how it can be adapted and developed to strengthen colleges and universities, their leadership, and the education they provide for their students.”

Dr. Marie Morris, vice president for academic affairs and dean stated that “Anderson University has a long and rich history of changing students’ lives through its commitment to educate students for a life of faith and service, through its focus on academic and Christian discovery and opportunities for experiential learning. We thought it important to join with others who share a commitment to fostering discovery and exploration in vocation as we prepare students for this ever changing world. As a member of NetVUE we look forward to increased opportunities for collegial sharing and to the future impact we anticipate in furthering our school’s mission.”

NetVUE is generously supported by Lilly Endowment Inc., which has funded similar programs over the years. “We have discovered,” said Craig Dykstra, Lilly Endowment’s senior vice president for religion, “that structured programs that encourage and guide students in the theological exploration of vocation do indeed help them draw on the wisdom of their religious traditions as they make decisions about their futures and figure out how to lead lives that really matter. We have been approached by hundreds of colleges and universities seeking to enhance their educational programs by incorporating vocational reflection more intentionally into their curricular and co-curricular activities. We are delighted that CIC is committed to sustaining and extending this important conversation and helping colleges across the country to advance their educational missions in this way.”

For more information about NetVUE, visit www.cic.edu/NetVUE.

The Council of Independent Colleges is an association of more than 600 independent, liberal arts colleges and universities and higher education affiliates and organizations that work together to strengthen college and university leadership, sustain high-quality education, and enhance private higher education’s contributions to society. To fulfill this mission, CIC provides its members with skills, tools, and knowledge that address aspects of leadership, financial management and performance, academic quality, and institutional visibility. The Council is headquartered at One Dupont Circle in Washington, DC.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,800 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.

“We are grateful to Community Hospital Anderson for this generous support in providing a state-of-the-art piece of equipment that will greatly enhance our development of skilled nurses,” says Dr. James L. Edwards, president of Anderson University. “Community Anderson is a valued partner in our shared commitment to bring the very best of health care to this region, which must begin with the best of education of professionals in this vitally needed field of service.”

At the dedication event, Edwards added Community Hospital and the AU School of Nursing collaboration and partnership is important for the nursing program to continue to grow given the vast need of nurses.

The Pyxis® MedStation® System is the leading automated dispensing system supporting decentralized medication management. Barcode scanning to help ensure accurate medication dispensing, features to prevent loading of the wrong medication and active alerts to provide an added safety precaution for high risk medications are just a few of the ways the Pyxis® MedStation® system supports safe and efficient medication management.

“We are thrilled to partner with Anderson University to provide this system,” says Bill VanNess, M.D., president and CEO of Community Hospital Anderson. “Investing in the education of our future nurses benefits the entire health care community, and ultimately, our patients, as we send more prepared nurses into the workforce.”

The Pyxis® MedStation® System is the leading solution for decentralized medication management. Pyxis® MedStation® System technology offers the tools nurses and pharmacists rely on to help improve safety, security and efficiency. The Pyxis® MedStation® System provides profile-based medication dispensing and includes the Pyxis® BioID, a fingerprint verification function. The product also features electronic tracking and documentation.

“The medication management process is complex,” says Dr. Karen Williams, dean of the Anderson University School of Nursing. “Pyxis® technology is committed to breaking the harmful cycle of medication errors and simplifying medication management to bring safety and nursing practice together in measurable ways. Our students will now have the opportunity to utilize this important technology prior to entering the patient care environment, which is consistent with the Anderson University School of Nursing mission of, ‘educating individuals committed to competence and compassion in the nursing profession, serving God and society.’”

The addition of the Pyxis® MedStation® System fortifies an already strong nursing program at Anderson University. The School of Nursing at Anderson University is unique from other nursing programs because it integrates a Christian perspective into its programs and the relationships among students, faculty, and staff. During the dedication event, Williams commented Pyxis® MedStation® System will be an important component in preparing nursing students to improve the quality of patient care by being knowledgeable in this technology.

“We are grateful to our friends at Community Hospital and the Community Hospital Foundation for providing our School of Nursing with this important learning device,” said Karen Roller, executive director of Development at Anderson University. “Their intentions from the onset were to provide the best possible preparation opportunities for our nursing students. When we asked them to consider funding the Pyxis machine, they immediately saw the potential positives for not only our students, but for future patients. Their concern was always to promote the well-being of patients through promoting excellent preparation of nursing students. They partnered with us to find a state-of-the-art device and we’re grateful for their gift, encouragement and guidance in this process.”

The mission of Community Hospital Anderson is to serve the medical, health and human service needs of the people in Anderson, Madison County and contiguous counties with compassion, dignity, respect and excellence. Service, although focused on injury, illness and disease will also embrace prevention, education and alternative systems of health care delivery.

Growing up with two aunts and a mother in the nursing profession, VanNess knows how critical nurses are to the medical field. Given AU’s past history working with the community and the hospital, VanNess continues to see quality nurses who have the capability to succeed in the nursing field.

The Community Anderson Foundation was established to receive, hold and distribute financial support for the benefit of the hospital and throughout the years has participated in numerous campaigns to benefit the community.

“While we typically focus much of our attention on the hospital, we also support the health care needs of the community,” says Keith Trent, vice president and chief foundation officer with Community Anderson. “We are pleased to partner with the hospital in providing this state-of-the-art equipment to the AU School of Nursing.”

The addition of the Pyxis® MedStation® System is a part of Dreams. Discovery. Direction., a $110 million campaign launched by Anderson University on October 6, 2006. The campaign is the largest fundraising effort in the university’s history. To date, the campaign has raised $93 million. Major components of the campaign include $51 million for capital projects, $34 million for endowment and $25 million for operational support.

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.

[PHOTO: Anderson University soccer 20th anniversary celebration.]

“I’ve been here for better, been here for worse,” Graham said. She should know — it was her 38th straight year at AU homecoming.

“It’s just a great time to reconnect,” said Graham, a retired elementary school teacher, who traveled to campus with her husband, Jerry, from their Midland, Mich. home.

“This is my adopted school,” said Jerry Graham, a Church of God youth pastor.
Long-standing ties to AU and to the Church of God led many to come to homecoming events that began Thursday and continued Saturday and Sunday. So did family and friends.

Sue (Zollweg) Keil, who attended Anderson from 1976 to 1979, and her husband, Mark, warmed themselves inside Decker Hall on Friday evening. They were waiting to see their son, AU junior Nathan Keil, on stage in “Cheap Thrills,” a sketch performance show and popular homecoming fixture.

“He never even considered Anderson,” Sue Keil said. But he visited, “liked the campus, liked the community,” and chose to attend AU. This homecoming, their daughter Emily is also visiting, weighing the possibility of going to AU.

Another highlight performance of homecoming Friday evening was the School of Music’s Homecoming Concert, which featured the AU Chorale, Women’s Chorus, Men’s Choir, and Chamber Orchestra. Becky Archibald, an Anderson native and 1983 AU graduate who is an award-winning concert pianist, received the Outstanding Music Alumni Award.

[PHOTO: Jeff Wight, dean of the AU School of Music, presents the 2009 Outstanding Music Alumni Award to Becky Archibald.]

At the School of Nursing, alums checked out an entirely remodeled second floor that also includes technology that puts the school at the forefront of education.

Visitors grouped around the hospital bed of SimMan 3G. He’s a remarkably lifelike mannequin with simulated vital signs and body functions. Instructors can program SimMan to have symptoms of particular ailments, giving students a feel for real-world situations without treating someone.

“This is the only one in the state of Indiana,” said Karen Williams, dean of the AU School of Nursing. “I think it says we have a great nursing program. We’re trying to really use technology to the students’ advantage.”

That was the impression made on 2006 alum Odessa Gray, now an obstetrical nurse in Connersville. “It’s so much more convenient to have all that assessment tool in one model,” she said, noting that she believed some nursing students would choose AU because of the available technology.

The nursing school is more spacious and organized than she remembered. “It’s just amazing to me,” Gray said. “It’s an awesome addition to this university.

[PHOTO (from left): Cindy Penhorwood, Pat Griffin, Holly Renz, and Karen Roller.]

Also Friday evening, the nursing school presented the following alumni awards:

• Distinguished alumna: Cindy Penhorwood of Heart to Honduras.
• Service to the community: Holly Renz of Community Hospital Anderson.
• Friend of nursing: Karen Roller, AU executive director of development.
• Lifetime achievement: Pat Griffin, former interim dean of the School of Nursing.

– Dave Stafford is a reporter for The Herald Bulletin. Story posted with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,800 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.

“Our partnership with Saint John’s Health System through the years has been extremely important to our work in nursing education,” said Dr. James L. Edwards, president of Anderson University. “We are especially grateful that they are partnering with us to bring state-of-the-art technology to this vital educational program in which we have such a significant mutual interest.”

SimMan® 3G is a portable, patient simulator for advanced training in teaching facilities. SimMan® 3G has realistic anatomy and clinical functionality, providing highly realistic patient simulation training experiences for the practice of medical teamwork, leadership, and communication skills.

“Our mutually-beneficial partnership and support of the Anderson University School of Nursing has been vitally important for Saint John’s Health System, our associates and our patients for many years,” said Saint John’s President Tom VanOsdol. “We are extraordinarily pleased at this time to join with St.Vincent Health in bringing this state-of-the-art technology to Anderson University and our entire healthcare community. Our fundamental belief and commitment is simply that better training for our nurses results in better care for our patients, and that’s why Saint John’s is here.”

SimMan® 3G provides simulation-based education to challenge and test students’ clinical and decision-making skills during realistic patient care scenarios. When using SimMan® 3G in the clinical classroom, faculty may use one of the mannequin’s many preprogrammed case studies or they can create their own scenario.

“Students entering the field of nursing today must be increasingly equipped to deal with the demands of a highly sophisticated and complex healthcare delivery system,” said Dr. Karen Williams, dean of the School of Nursing at Anderson University. “Through the use of high-fidelity simulators like SimMan® 3G, faculty of Anderson University will be able to accurately duplicate the patient care environment seen in acute and chronic care. SimMan® 3G will be utilized across the nursing curriculum at Anderson University in order to promote synthesis and application of nursing knowledge.”

The addition of the SimMan® 3G to the Saint John’s Center for Clinical Excellence fortifies an already strong nursing program at Anderson University. The School of Nursing at Anderson University is unique from other nursing programs because it integrates a Christian perspective into its programs and the relationships among students, faculty, and staff.

“It has been a pleasure to work with Saint John’s, Saint Vincent’s and PHI Air Medical these past months as we partnered together in crafting a gift which will serve our nursing students and the community for years to come,” said Karen Durica Roller, executive director of Development. “We’re grateful to these friends whose generosity helped to make the dream of having such a valuable learning tool a reality. This simulator is currently being used by our armed forces in preparing first responders to emergency and life-threatening situations. We’re pleased to be among the very first higher education institutions in the state to acquire SimMan 3G. The addition of SimMan 3G puts cutting edge laboratory experiences in the hands of Anderson University’s students.”

In addition to the Saint John’s Center for Clinical Excellence, Saint John’s and its partner PHI Air Medical will also bring value-added training experiences to the students. PHI will provide a pediatric simulator for training of students, and will also provide mass casualty training, and on-site visits to its helicopter on the roof of Saint John’s Emergency Department.

Saint John’s will provide nurse mentors for Anderson University nursing students, and has also created a student award to recognize academic excellence.

The Saint John’s Center for Clinical Excellence will also be used by Saint John’s, Community Hospital Anderson and Saint Vincent Mercy Hospital in Elwood for their nursing education, training and testing of competencies.

Saint John’s Health System is a ministry of Saint Vincent Health, the state’s largest healthcare employer, with 18 health ministries serving 45 counties in central Indiana. Saint John’s is a sophisticated, comprehensive, fully-diversified healthcare organization, providing a full range of quality healthcare services to the greater Madison County area. It is particularly well known for cancer care, behavioral health, rehabilitation services, and surgical/medical services.

Click here to view photos from the open house.

The Saint John’s Center for Clinical Excellence and SimMan® 3G is a part of the Dreams. Discovery. Direction. campaign for Anderson University. On October 6, 2006, the university launched a $110 million campaign entitled; Dreams. Discovery. Direction. The campaign is the largest fundraising effort in the university’s history. To date the campaign has raised $92 million. Major components of the campaign include $51 million for capital projects, $34 million for endowment and $25 million for operational support.

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.

“We are pleased to be listed among the top schools in our category,” said Dr. James L. Edwards, president of Anderson University. “Universities that are achieving their mission especially in these very challenging times deserve this recognition and we are proud to be among them. When a student finds the right college of quality that is an excellent fit in terms of culture, programs and degrees, and overall mission, the future opens in such powerful ways, and for that student, the selected school is the best in the nation. We intend to be such a school for so many.”

The 2010 America’s Best Colleges package provides the most thorough examination of how more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools compare on a set of 15 widely accepted indicators of excellence. Among the many factors weighed in determining the rankings, the key measures of quality are: peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, and graduation rate performance (National Universities and Liberal Art Colleges).

Over the past 26 years, the U.S. News college rankings, which groups schools based on categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, has grown to be the most comprehensive research tool for students and parents considering higher education opportunities. The America’s Best Colleges ranking package, which includes extensive editorial content and multimedia resources, has helped families navigate the difficult decisions involved throughout the college process, from college admission and selection to financing options.

The exclusive rankings, which include more than 1,400 schools nationwide, are available today at www.usnews.com/colleges, will also be published in the September issue of the U.S.News & World Report magazine, on newsstands starting August 20.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,800 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.

“We chose Anderson University and the other terrific schools we recommend as our ‘regional best’ colleges primarily for their excellent academic programs,” said Robert Franek, Princeton Review’s Vice President of Publishing. “We also work to have our roster of ‘regional best’ colleges feature a range of institutions by size, selectivity, character and locale. We choose the schools based on institutional data we collect from several hundred schools in each region, our visits to schools over the years, and the opinions of independent and high school-based college advisors whose recommendations we invite. We also take into account what each school’s customers – their students – report to us about their campus experiences at them on our 80-question student survey.”

The 158 colleges The Princeton Review chose for this year’s “Best in the Midwest” designations are located in twelve states: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The Princeton Review also designated 218 colleges in the Northeast, 123 in the West, and 141 in the Southeast as best in their locales on the company’s 2010 Best Colleges: Region by Region section on its Web site. The 640 colleges named “regional best(s)” represent only about 25% (one out of four) of the nation’s 2,500 four-year colleges.

The Princeton Review does not rank the colleges in its 2010 Best Colleges Region by Region Web site section. The Princeton Review survey for this project asks students to rate their own schools on several issues — from the accessibility of their professors to quality of the campus food — and answer questions about themselves, their fellow students, and their campus life.

The Princeton Review is known for its tutoring and classroom test preparation courses, books, and college and graduate school admission services. Its corporate headquarters is in Framingham, MA, and editorial offices are in New York City. It is not affiliated with Princeton University and it is not a magazine.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,800 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.

Before moving to Pendleton, Griffin knew little about the School of Nursing program at AU. “I always had it in the back of my mind to teach and never wanted to underestimate my dreams,” said Griffin.

Looking to advance her career, Griffin commented that in the early 1980s it seemed the administrative side of nursing and teaching were the only options available. Griffin felt she always had a “natural ability to teach others” considering in the past 12 years as a clinical nurse, she had helped teach new graduates, patients, and their families in the nursing field.

Griffin came to work as an adjunct under former nursing director Pat Bennett. Being challenged by her students and fellow faculty, Griffin decided to start her masters at Indiana University.

Griffin filled the position of interim dean of the School of Nursing this past year after serving as the director of the university assessment from 2002-2009. Personally, Griffin said she has grown as a person in her studies and learned so much through working with other faculty, students and Tri-S nursing trips.

Past trips have included Griffin leading senior intercultural trips (a requirement within the School of Nursing curriculum for graduation) to India, Honduras, Uganda, and Florida.

“To give students an eye opening experience was something I did not appreciate the impact on until later because each trip is in a compressed amount of time,” said Griffin. “For me and for the students, it changes you both personally and professionally.”

Future plans include spending the upcoming winter in Florida with her husband Gerry and spending time with her three sons, Adam, a 1997 graduate, Alex, a 2009 graduate, and Aaron. Griffin hopes to assist at Pendleton Elementary where Alex’s wife, Christiane, teaches and to spend time with her grandchildren, Cloey and Tucker.

“The hardest piece to give up with retirement is going to be how to keep up relationships with the colleagues I see daily and how to stay engaged intellectually as I have for the past 20 plus years,” said Griffin.

—Stefanie Leiter is Web Content Manager at Anderson University in University Communications.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,800 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’m looking, but …,” said 37-year-old Dawn Vetor, of Madison County, her voice trailing off. “I have some prospects, but nothing fluid.”

Angela Shelton, 30, Anderson, a former paraeducator at East Side Middle School, was a little more upbeat.

“I’m optimistic,” said Shelton, her silver braces shined as she flashed a bright grin. “I’m looking for a job.”

Both women, graduating with bachelor’s degrees in organizational leadership, were among the 700 students going through Anderson University’s 91st commencement.

Like Shelton, many graduates were hopeful of their future job prospects, despite not yet having offers.

“I’m trying to be optimistic,” said Jon Weber, 22, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. “It’s rough.”

Weber, who received a degree in marketing, said he’s had five interviews and applied at 15 to 20 companies. But he’s received no offers.

Emily Wasonga seemed nonplused at her job prospects. The 21-year-old native of Kenya earned degrees in international education and communications on Saturday. She said she had no concrete career plans, but emphasized the university’s aim of instilling a sense of Christian service in its students. She said she wants to work in a humanitarian field.

“If it’s a matter of making money,” Wasonga said, “there are a lot of ways to make money.”

Commencement speaker Carl H. Caldwell touched on the unsettling nature of the times.

“To say you graduate in an uncertain time is an understatement,” he said. “If you’re not worried about this, I guarantee your parents are.”

But Caldwell said there’s a lack of certainty at all times — including when he graduated from Anderson University in 1966 during the Cold War.

“Every graduating class has had to face problems,” he said.

Caldwell, the school’s vice president of academic affairs, retired at the end of the school year. He had been with Anderson University since 1996. He earned his master’s degree in history from Ohio University and his doctorate in history from Indiana University.

Next year, Caldwell and his wife, Carolyn, an accounting professor at AU, will move to the Middle East, where they will teach at American University of Iraq in Sulaimani.

But Caldwell’s speech offered a reassuring tone.

“Seeing you before me, I feel very proud of our future,” he said.

For a full gallery of photos, visit The Herald Bulletin site.

—Shawn McGrath is a reporter for The Herald Bulletin. Photo credits: Don Knight. Story republished with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,800 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.

Students visited a local hospital to get a tour of a Dove Flight helicopter. Students interacted with a flight nurse, who explained the process of caring for a patient in flight. All medical equipment needed to care for a critically ill or injured patient is located within the helicopter, making it an effective evacuation tool for disaster situations. In addition to learning about the capabilities of the helicopter, students were also able to learn more about the career option of being a flight nurse.

During the disaster simulation, students responded to and performed triage on a large number of “patients” (other students and mannequins). Students had to deal with interferences like power-outages, news reporters and concerned family members while providing care to stabilize patients.

These simulations make AU’s nursing program unique.  Sarah Neal, Assistant Professor of Nursing, explained, “The School of Nursing has been doing the Disaster lab every year since the early 90’s–way ahead of other schools of nursing, which began emphasizing disaster care following 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.”

The lab is a part of a unit in which students learn to care for individuals, families and communities in crisis. As another component of learning, students complete service learning hours at food pantries, community clinics, homeless shelters, and the Red Cross to familiarize themselves with the services these agencies can provide.

These high-fidelity or lifelike simulations “are an effective way of educating students because they learn concepts by applying them, not just memorizing them,” said Neal.

—David Hynds is the Web Content Specialist for Anderson University.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,800 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.