But after 24 years at what is now known as Pay Less grocery, Cross said he knew it was time for a change. He turned in his two weeks’ notice and registered to go back to school, initially to study computer science.

His boss, family and friends thought he was crazy for quitting a well-established career, but Cross thought there was something better out there for him. And he wanted to set a good example for his children — now 17 and 24 — by going to college.

Two years into school and after working a “desk job” during that time, Cross knew computer science wasn’t for him.

“I always wanted to be a doctor so I thought, ‘I should be a nurse,’” he said. “I always have liked helping people and making people feel better. Nursing was the right fit.”

Cross graduated from Anderson University with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and has been working as a registered nurse. He began at Community Hospital Anderson while still in school as a nursing student and continues to work for the hospital. After several years as a medical/surgical nurse, Cross began working on the cardiac interventions unit about six months ago.

“It is definitely rewarding,” he said. “I love what I do. And the great thing about nursing is that you could be doing one thing today and then tomorrow do 10 different things with the same license.”

In addition to his work at Community, Cross is an adjunct instructor, teaching nursing at Ivy Tech. A number of his students are “non-traditional” like he was and are turning to nursing as a second career.

“There are so many opportunities,” he said. “And the money and benefits are good. And I have more time with my family.”

Beth Tharp, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at Community, has been a nurse for 30 years. She’s noticed an increase in people turning to nursing as a second career.

“There are so many opportunities in nursing beyond just working in the hospital,” Tharp said. “Nurses play a really important role not only in patient care, but they are also becoming more and more involved in public policy making and helping shape what health care is going to look like in the future.”

Opportunities include work at a hospital, a doctor’s office, insurance companies or teaching, among others. And the levels of nursing are just as diverse, such as licensed practical nurses, registered nurses or nurse anesthetists.

Nancy Pitcock, chief nursing officer at Saint John’s Medical Center, said she, too, has noticed more “non-traditional” nursing students applying for the hospital’s summer nursing technician internship program.

There are a number of factors that are leading to an increase of people turning to nursing as a career, even after they have established themselves in another job. Nursing, Pitcock pointed out, is a stable career as there will always be a need for nurses. Also, the flexible schedule and good wages are enticing.

Pitcock said universities are also making the transition to nursing easier with flexible scheduling and online classes to work around a student’s current work schedule.

“It’s a wonderful career,” she said. “The ability to care for others is vital to me. There is constant growth — both personal and professional growth. You never get bored.”

—Abbey Doyle is a reporter for The Herald Bulletin. Photo credit: John P. Cleary. Story republished with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. 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.

“The School of Nursing strives to provide excellence in all areas of student instruction and preparation,” said Dr. Karen Williams, dean of the School of Nursing. “From entrance into the School of Nursing to graduation, every professor is invested in providing each student with a positive learning environment in the classroom through interactive learning, in clinical practice, and simulation.”

To prepare students for this crucial exam the AU nursing program utilizes Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI)^® for review and comprehensive assessment that is designed to prepare students for the NCLEX throughout their nursing education. This program is divided into three phases: “Self-Assessment Inventory,” “Critical Thinking Entrance Assessment and Content Mastery Series,” and “NCLEX Preparation/Exit.” Collectively, this program prepares students gradually as their education progresses, instead of cramming information at the end of their college experience.

“The ATI system uses books, DVDs, and a website in order to prep us for content using questions that are NCLEX-styled,” said senior nursing major Katie Rattin. “This is also how the whole program tests. All of our tests are on the computer, with questions that are set up how NCLEX questions will appear.”

According to Williams, the School of Nursing has undergone a complete revitalization of its curriculum. Changes have been made to include the most up-to-date technologies and practice guidelines. “We have an emphasis on helping students move from memorization to experiential learning, which improves the ability of students to critically think,” said Williams. “We utilize fantastic clinical experiences designed to reinforce what is learned in the classroom. Our students also benefit by utilizing simulation and virtual learning scenarios.”

“SimMan^® is a very beneficial tool that is used to provide students with a more realistic experience of caring for a patient,” said senior nursing major Sydni Terrill. “With the SimMan^® as a tool, nursing students can participate in simulations that prescribe critical thinking skills, the use of proper technique, and teamwork to be demonstrated in order to efficiently serve the ‘patient’ in need.”

According to Williams, the School of Nursing strives to prepare students by teaching nursing content, assisting with test anxiety, and building test-taking skills. The success of this graduating class can be shared by both the students and staff of the AU School of Nursing.

“The NCLEX has many impacts on the life of a nursing student. It is the end goal in a nursing program. It depicts the ways in which a nursing student develops studying habits, skills, and techniques,” said Terrill. “The success of the class before me has given me confidence that the nursing program at AU prepared me for State Boards following graduation.”

— Kelly Gualdoni is a junior from Fort Wayne, Ind., majoring in communication arts. Gualdoni is an associate with Fifth Street Communications, writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. 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 make this strategic appointment at this time in the life of the university,” said Dr. James L. Edwards, president of Anderson University. “This title is appropriate to her comprehensive role and her leadership. Dr. Morris is highly regarded on campus and in the wider academic community.”

In her role as provost, Morris will provide leadership and vision for internal functions of the university developing collaborative relationships between university programs, departments, and divisions. Along with the president, the provost assists in representing the university to various constituent groups: church, community, and education. The provost serves in place of the president in the president’s absence.

In March of 2009, Morris was named vice president for academic affairs and dean at Anderson University. She is only the sixth person to serve in the role. She previously served as vice president and undergraduate academic dean at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va.

While at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), Morris served as a faculty member in the Nursing Department, chair of the Nursing Department, Honors Program director, self-study director for EMU’s reaccreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools, associate academic dean, and vice president and undergraduate academic dean.

Morris earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Eastern Mennonite University, a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in nursing administration from George Mason University. Her dissertation was entitled, Voices of Women: A Qualitative Study of Effective Female Nurse Faculty.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. 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. Frank Campbell, Friend of Nursing Award
The Friend of Nursing Award recognizes a person in the community who has demonstrated leadership ability, professional achievement, and active support of the nursing profession and the School of Nursing.

This year’s recipient is Frank Campbell, a graduate of Butler University where he received his bachelor’s degree in education and a commission of 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Air Force. He served as 1st Lt. in the U.S. Air Force for two years before continuing his education at IU Medical School.

Campbell worked in a private medical practice with two other partners for 30 years. During that time, he served as chief of staff at Community Hospital in Anderson. In 1996, he took time away from his practice to care for his aging father. He served on the board of directors of the Madison County Health Center from 2002-2007. He returned to practice medicine in 2007 at the Madison County Community Health Center, where he continues to serve as medical director. He also serves on the Saint John’s Health System’s Foundation Board.

Heather Sheets, Service to the Community Award
The Service to the Community Award is given to alumni who have demonstrated a clear commitment to serving the community through notable volunteerism, an outstanding act of selflessness, or a pattern of service to humanitarian efforts or causes.

This year, Heather Sheets BSN ’02 will receive the Service to the Community Award. She holds an MSN degree as a family nurse practitioner from Indiana Wesleyan University. She currently works at Med One Urgent Care full time and Madison County Emergency Services (Saint John’s ER) PRN.

During her career, Sheets worked as an assistant professor of nursing at AU for four years, was director of nursing at a nursing home, and worked at Saint John’s in OR, neurology, home care, and wound care. She was instrumental in starting the Christian Center Clinic.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the eighth 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.

“While we are grateful to be included among the best of Midwest universities, we want most of all to be measured by our quality and our student success,” said Anderson University President Dr. James L. Edwards. “Our mission to transform lives through education will be met by nothing less.”

The 2012 Best Colleges guidebook provides the most thorough examination of how more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools compare on a set of up to 16 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, for National Universities and National Liberal Art Colleges, “graduation rate performance” and high school counselor ratings of colleges.

For more information on the rankings, visit www.usnews.com/colleges/.

Over the past two decades, the U.S. News & World Report college rankings, which group 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.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the eighth 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.

“Anderson University is a distinct place often described in the past by our alumni and others as ‘very special.’ We want to bring greater distinction and clarity to that idea that will gain wide affirmation from those who are a part of the AU family and those who will come to know us,” said Anderson University President Dr. James L. Edwards.

The process began more than two years ago. The new logo and font were designed and developed by Kerry Shaw, director of Publications at Anderson University. The logo features the university’s name with an overarching base and orange flame. Students and alumni will associate this graphic with the Eternal Flame landmark located in front of Decker Hall. Edwards added that the goal of this long and very widely involved process is “clarity and distinction.”

Dr. Marie Morris, vice president of academic affairs, said, “I don’t really view this as a ‘brand direction’ but rather clarifying the AU story – its rich heritage and its bright future. I’m thrilled to be at AU at this time for this very important clarifying moment. Our world is changing and how we educate and prepare students must also keep pace with the times. It’s a new day for us at AU.”

Established in 1992 to mark the university’s 75th anniversary, the Eternal Flame echoes the university’s mission to educate and prepare individuals for lives of faith and service in their families, churches, and society. The new logo is a visual stepping stone to help define the bigger story among the countless experiences yet to be told about AU.

“Many on campus know that we provide students with something spectacular at Anderson University,” said Chris Williams, director of university communications. “We need to learn to share the story of Anderson University with others. The new logo is just one of the many ways we will be sharing this story with a variety of audiences in the future.”

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2010, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the seventh 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.

Forbes.com included only the top 20 percent of all undergraduate institutions in the 2011 rankings. The rankings were prepared by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP).

“We have one more indication just how special Anderson University is, based on achievement of our students and graduates,” said Anderson University President Dr. James. L. Edwards. “The story of quality is another vote of confidence for a truly remarkable faculty. We are grateful for this recognition.”

Forbes executive editor Michael Noer explained the ranking process in an article on Forbes.com.

“Our annual ranking of the 650 best undergraduate institutions focuses on the things that matter the most to students: quality of teaching, great career prospects, graduation rates, and low levels of debt. … We try and evaluate the college purchase as a consumer would,” said Noer.

The rankings are based on five general categories: post graduate success (30%), student satisfaction (27.5%), debt (17.5%), four-year graduation rate (17.5%), and competitive awards (7.5). A complete ranking methodology may be viewed at http://blogs.forbes.com/michaelnoer/2011/08/03/americas-top-colleges/.

Data collected by Forbes is corroborated by data from the Student Satisfaction Inventory and the National Survey of Student Engagement. Data from the SSI, for example, shows that students rank Anderson University above the mean on a large battery of questions ranging from classroom instruction to campus safety.

Anderson University has been recognized for its quality programs in recent years. AU has been recognized by US News & World Report as one of America’s best colleges and universities for seven consecutive years. The Princeton Review also has recognized Anderson University as one of the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for 2011.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2011, US News & World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the eighth 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.

This award, presented by the School of Nursing and Saint John’s Health Systems in Anderson, Ind., is given to one junior nursing major each spring. The two organizations established the award in 2009. The winning student is recognized with a plaque at the School of Nursing’s senior pinning ceremony in May. They are also given the chance to ride in Saint John’s emergency care helicopter. The helicopter ride gives the recipient a chance to experience a flight nurse’s environment, since that is one aspect of the profession. [Photo on left: School of Nursing instructor Rachelle Cary with junior Kim Lundstrom.]

“To juniors, this is a very prestigious award,” said Dr. Karen Williams, dean of the school of nursing. To be eligible for this honor, a student must be a second-semester junior in the nursing program, and they must possess a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher. Qualifying students must also submit an essay explaining how they demonstrate servant leadership in class and during clinical training. They must incorporate the values of wholeness, integrity, servanthood, excellence and respect into their responses. The applications are then reviewed by nursing faculty members, who consult Saint John’s to determine a winner.

AU began collaborating with Saint John’s on this award after a generous gift from the health center allowed the university to purchase SimMan 3G, a portable patient simulator that allows students to practice their nursing skills without needing a human present. SimMan 3G is housed in the Saint John’s Health Center for Clinical Excellence, an educational facility located in the School of Nursing.

“When I took my nurse’s training and began my career, I valued those who supported, taught and encouraged me,” said Saint John’s Chief Nursing Officer Nancy Pitcock. Pitcock works with the School of Nursing to select an annual recipient. “It is my pleasure to see these young people reach their goals, begin the life-long service of nursing and to be able to recognize them for their achievements.”

Lundstrom, the 2011 recipient, is a nursing major from Chagrin Falls, Ohio. During her time at AU, she worked as a resident assistant in Rice Hall, a female freshman dormitory, and in Fair Commons, on-campus upperclassmen apartments. She has also been involved in the campus ministry Generation to Generation, where she visited local nursing home residents with the other members. Lundstrom is currently a member of the Alpha Chi honors society. Membership for Alpha Chi is extended to students within the top 10 percent of their class.

A high GPA is not the only quality the faculty and staff of Saint John’s look for. “Even more important are the characteristics we seek,” said Pitcock. “We especially look for a commitment to Anderson University and Saint John’s missions, goals and a desire for service toward others.”

“Being named the recipient of this award is something that I will definitely cherish. I am honored and privileged to be acknowledged in this way,” said Lundstrom. “Given that there are so many gifted and hard working students in the nursing department, it was really anyone’s award to win. I am extremely proud to represent the junior class of the nursing department.”

— Eva Christine McKnight is a junior from Batesville, Ind., majoring in communication arts and minoring in dance performance and English. McKnight is an associate with Fifth Street Communications™, writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2010, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the seventh 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.

Lawson currently works as the employment coordinator at Riverview Hospital in Noblesville, Ind. He has served the hospital for the past 28 years in various positions, including a nurse, nursing recruiter, and employment coordinator. [Photo on left: Rob Lawson (center) poses with his daughters Clara (left) and Alice (right) on his graduation day.]

Lawson earned his associate’s degree in nursing from AU in the early 1980s. After graduation in 1983, he started working at Riverview Hospital, planning to eventually return to school. He occasionally took courses at other colleges, but he did not return as a full-time student. “Life interfered,” said Lawson. “I just never buckled down.”

A few years ago, however, everything changed when he was approached with the reality that to be competitive in his career, he needed to complete his degree.

“Eventually, I saw the writing on the wall,” said Lawson. “To progress in my career, a bachelor’s degree is a must.” Lawson began his search for a university and landed on the School of Adult Learning at AU. He considered pursuing a degree in organizational leadership, a program that would allow him to learn more about business and society.

The School of Adult Learning at AU serves people over the age of 25 who want to go back to school. In addition to offering more than 60 traditional AU majors, it also offers three degrees through its ADVANCE program, a program that allows adult students to earn a bachelor’s degree through accelerated courses. One of the ADVANCE programs is organizational leadership. “Once I saw the program at AU, it was a no brainer,” said Lawson, explaining his interest in a program that was applicable to the business components of healthcare while still exploring relevant interdisciplinary subjects.

As an organizational leadership major, Lawson studied a variety of topics, including finance, management, and marketing. His schedule allowed him to earn a bachelor’s degree in roughly 18 months, taking a four-hour class once a week in the evenings. The class schedule was flexible to allow him to support and focus on his family, while still working toward his degree.

Though his family was supportive, returning to school still required a significant investment of time.

One of Lawson’s triumphs at AU was his mastery of Microsoft technology, which is used regularly in many careers today. “This was an investment of time, and I consider it a good investment,” said Lawson. “I did not have experience with Microsoft and now I consider myself a PowerPoint and Excel expert. To walk in and do those things is empowering.”

Lawson said that Professor David Neidert, director of seminary advancement at the School of Theology, was a faculty member who greatly influenced him during his time at AU. Neidert taught a leadership seminar class Lawson took at AU.

“Rob was a really good student in the leadership class,” said Neidert. “He was intensely engaged with the material and with those in his cohort around the subject. Rob not only expressed his desire to lead well, but he wanted to live fully as an example of what it means to be a servant leader at work and home.”

Dr. Aleza Beverly, dean of the School of Adult Learning, was another influential faculty member in Lawson’s life. He noted that Beverly consistently took a personal interest in each student’s welfare, which contributed to their success.

“Every student comes with a story,” said Beverly. “We understand that our students come with goals of completing their degree, but are often challenged by life. We care about them and cheer them on to success.”

Although Lawson graduated in 2008 with his bachelor’s degree, he is considering returning to AU’s Falls School of Business for the Master of Business Administration program as the next step in his journey.

— Kelly Frye is a senior from Elkhart, Ind., majoring in biology and communication arts. Frye is an associate with Fifth Street Communications™, writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2010, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the seventh 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. Beverley Pitts, president of the University of Indianapolis and a 1968 graduate of Anderson University, received an honorary Doctor of Letters during the chapel. Honorary degrees will also be awarded to AU alumni Steven Curtis Chapman and Charles Myricks, Jr., during the May 7 commencement ceremony at Anderson University.

[Photo: Dr. Beverley Pitts and AU President Dr. James L. Edwards.]

During her address, Pitts reflected on her experience at Anderson University and on those who made her education possible. She encouraged students to consider with gratitude those who made their own journeys possible.

“We are all part of a shared culture at AU,” Pitts said. “Faculty, administrators, and graduates long before us built an institution based on the Christian values of personal responsibility and concern for others, high quality learning, and a commitment to service. You don’t even know who they are, but much of what you are now experiencing, the privilege of an excellent education in a faith-based institution, is based on their humble beginnings. … Stand high on the shoulders of those who brought you to this point. Be grateful for the privilege that they have given you. I hope you will take great advantage of this privilege and do good with what you know.”

Students recognized during chapel:

Renee Bader, a psychology major, is a member and officer in Phi Eta Sigma, Alpha Chi, and Psi Chi. She is also a Center for Public Service Fellow. Bader anticipates getting married and starting graduate school this summer. She plans to attend the University of Cincinnati to earn a master’s degree in school counseling.

Elizabeth Barrow, a biology major and chemistry minor, served as president of Sigma Zeta, president of Alpha Chi, president of the Pre-Professional Health Society, and was co-founder of Operation Foundation: Project Anderson. She served as a TA in a number of science classes and as a tutor in Organic Chemistry. She is also a Center for Public Service Fellow and an officer in Phi Eta Sigma. Barrow is active in a number of campus groups and participated in Tri-S trips to Australia, London, and Honduras. She plans to attend IU Medical School to obtain her M.D.

[Photo, from left: Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean Dr. Marie Morris, Ambrosia Davidson, Joanna Tilley, Keith Sayer, Samantha Toeller, Beth Barrow, Renee Bader, and AU President Dr. James L. Edwards.]

Ambrosia Davidson, a marketing major and Spanish minor, is a member of the AU Honors Program, Delta Mu Delta, Alpha Mu Gamma, Alpha Chi, Phi Eta Sigma, and the Center for Public Service. During her time at AU, she participated in Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), worked with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, and served an internship at Minnetrista Cultural Center in Muncie. After graduation, Davidson plans to finalize details for her wedding and pursue employment in marketing communications or public relations.

Keith Sayer, a Bible/religion and English double-major, is a member of Alpha Chi, Sigma Tau Delta, and the AU Honors Program. He plans to attend either Vanderbilt Divinity School or Duke Divinity School this fall to pursue graduate studies in religion. Sayer hopes to teach religion at the undergraduate level and participate in teaching ministries of the church through research, writing, and possibly serving as a teaching minister.

Joanna Tilley, a pre-med biology major with minors in chemistry and Christian ministries, is a member of Alpha Chi, Sigma Zeta, Pre-Professional Health Society, Alacritas, and the Center for Public Service. She plans to pursue medical school this fall at Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, Va.

Samantha Toeller, an elementary education/special education major and applied music minor, has served in Kappa Delta Pi and Alpha Chi. She is completing her full-year student teaching experience, with classroom experience in 2nd and 6th grades as well as in intermediate special education resource. Toeller hopes to receive a teaching position at a school in Indianapolis or Chicago, and to teach within a multicultural setting in the intermediate grades.

Gabe Miller, an exercise science major, is this year’s Outstanding Senior Male Athlete. As a four-year starter for the men’s basketball team, he received 1st Team All-HCAC honors following both his junior and senior seasons. Miller led the Ravens in assist over the past four seasons and led in steals the past two years. He played a key role on the 2009-10 team that won the HCAC season championship and made it to the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament. He was the team captain during his junior and senior years.

[Photo, from left: Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean Dr. Marie Morris, Athletic Director Marcie Taylor, Gabe Miller, Ellen Thompson, and AU President Dr. James L. Edwards.]

Ellen Thompson, a biology major, is this year’s Outstanding Senior Female Athlete. She was a member of the women’s basketball team the past four seasons, a member of the women’s golf team during her freshman and sophomore years, and a member of the softball team the past two seasons. In basketball, Thompson earned HCAC All-Conference and team MVP honors during the 2010-11 season. She is the ninth leading scorer in school history with 965 points, second in free throws made (281) and free throws attempted (381), and fourth in free throw percentage at 73.8 percent. She was team captain during her senior season.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2010, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the seventh 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.

Hearts to Honduras, an organization based out of Xenia, Ohio, partners with local churches to meet the needs of the people of Honduras. In recent years, Hearts to Honduras has partnered with the AU School of Nursing to bring healthcare equipment and supplies to various communities throughout Honduras. For two weeks, nursing students help doctors take care of ill patients in some of the most destitute areas of the country.

“Our students get the chance to staff clinics and help out in other capacities deemed necessary,” said Sarah Neal, RN and associate professor of nursing at AU. “A nurse practitioner accompanies them throughout the trip and the students meet the requirements a certain area may have.” [Photo on left: Senior nursing student Alison Bachtel worked with kids outside the clinic.]

“We’ve worked closely with Hearts to Honduras for five years now,” said Susan Pleninger, another associate professor of nursing and coordinator for two previous Honduras trips. “Honduras is the second poorest nation in the world, next to Haiti, so there’s always a lot of work to be done helping the sick and maintaining good health,” she added. The goal of the partnership between Hearts for Honduras and the AU School of Nursing is to give nursing students hands-on experience helping those who don’t have the means to help themselves. Additionally, it allows students to teach others how to help themselves and suggest ideas on sustainability for the overall health of poor communities.

Before leaving for the trip, senior Allison Bachtel explained how the group was preparing. “Every student on the trip has developed a research proposal and will be conducting their own research on the trip, concerning both health and culture,” she explained. The specific duties students did in addition to preparing for the trip included gathering over-the-counter supplements like vitamins and antacids to distribute among the clinics they worked with. [Photo on right: Some senior nursing students worked at a clinic in Honduras giving medicines and care.]

The students spent the first week visiting hospitals and learning about the health difficulties of the people of Honduras and the healthcare system. “There were public and private hospitals, but the public hospitals were much less comfortable than the private ones. Both provided the necessary care, but it was crazy to see the differences,” explained senior nursing student Mary Sowers.

After visiting the hospitals, the students traveled to five different clinics to help give medical care to the local people. “My favorite part of the trip was helping at the clinics. A lot of the people there don’t have regular healthcare because they don’t have the money or the transportation, so it was good to know we were really helping them.” The group helped nearly 400 patients at the clinics.

In addition to Honduras, server al nursing students had a different opportunity with assisting the elderly Jewish community of Indianapolis. The students’ journeyed to the Hooverwood Indianapolis Jewish Home where they used their skills to assist with conditions that commonly affect elderly patients as well as to learn about caring for people of another culture. [Photo on left: Senior nursing students Kelley O’Hair, Alison Bachtel and Amanda Butts played with children outside a clinic in Honduras.]

“The Jewish community experience really opened my eyes to the role religion plays in healthcare and that we need to respect other’s rights and believes when it comes caring for them,” Neal explained.
Hooverwood, founded as the Jewish Shelter House in 1907, has existed primarily as a long term healthcare facility for the elderly while also serving as an educational center for students in the medical field.

— Cameron Ward is a senior from Kalamazoo, Mich., majoring in communication arts. Ward is an associate with Fifth Street Communications™, writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2010, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the seventh 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.

Chapman will address the graduating class of 2011 during the 3 p.m. (EDT) program and will receive an honorary doctorate along with the Rev. Charles Myricks, chief operating development officer for the National Association of the Church of God, and Dr. Beverley Pitts, president of the University of Indianapolis. Anderson University’s commencement will be conducted in the Ward Fieldhouse of the Kardatzke Wellness Center. Myricks will speak earlier in the day during Anderson University’s baccalaureate service at 10 a.m in Reardon Auditorium. All events are free and open to the public. AU will offer a live webcast during Commencement starting at 2:45 p.m. EDT.

Other events scheduled during Anderson University’s commencement day on May 7 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 noon in Schield Dining Room, Olt Student Center. The certification ceremony for the Teach for Indiana Program (TIP) will be conducted at 10 a.m. in Decker Hall, Room 133.

Events earlier in the week include the School of Theology Senior Recognition and Awards Chapel on Tuesday, April 26, at 11 a.m. in Miller Chapel. The hooding ceremony for the Doctor of Ministry graduates will take place on Friday, May 6, at 6 p.m. in Miller Chapel. In addition, a special pinning ceremony for the Anderson University School of Nursing will be conducted on Friday, May 6, at 6 p.m. in Byrum Hall.

Individuals receiving honorary degrees during the May 7 commencement ceremony at Anderson University include the following:

STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN — DOCTOR OF MUSIC

Steven Curtis Chapman is a Christian singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and author. He attended Anderson University in the early 1980s while starting his career as a songwriter. Chapman has developed into one of the most prolific singers in the genre, releasing more than 20 albums to date. Chapman has also won five Grammy awards and 56 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, more than any other artist in history. His seven “Artist of the Year” Dove Awards — his latest in 2009 — are also an industry record. In addition to his music career, Chapman, along with his wife Mary Beth (also an AU alum), established a nonprofit foundation called Show Hope (formerly called Shaohannah’s Hope) to mobilize individuals and communities to care for orphans through its international orphan care work as well as adoption aid grants. Chapman plans a summer 2011 album release for his new project titled re:creation.

CHARLES MYRICKS — DOCTOR OF DIVINITY

Charles Myricks, Jr., is a gifted musician and playwright with a deep love of music. He graduated from Anderson University in 1982 and went on to receive his Master of Arts degree from Ashland Theological Seminary. He has served as vice president and general manager of Word Gospel Records. Under his leadership, Word Gospel artists received 3 Grammy Awards, 8 Dove Awards, and 12 Stellar Awards. He has served as a trustee at Anderson University and in ministry with the Arlington Church of God in Akron, Ohio. He currently works as chief operating development officer for the National Association of the Church of God.

DR. BEVERLEY PITTS — DOCTOR OF LETTERS

Dr. Beverley Pitts serves as president of the University of Indianapolis. In that capacity, she oversees an institution with 4,500 students, including a branch campus in Athens, Greece, and doctoral programs in occupational therapy, physical therapy, and clinical psychology. She earned a BA from Anderson University in 1968 and an MA in journalism and doctorate in higher education from Ball State University. Prior to becoming provost at Ball State University, she held positions of associate provost, assistant provost, director of academic assessment, and director of general studies at Ball State. She was also founding chair of the Department of Communication at Anderson University.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2010, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the seventh 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.

Information at the open house will be available on the new RN-BSN Completion Program that was launched in the fall of 2010 as well as the three graduate-level tracks.

The RN-BSN Completion Program is offered to registered nurses who have a diploma or associate degree in nursing and can use this accelerated program to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The program is designed as a hybrid program, providing courses in a classroom setting as well as online. The nursing courses may be completed in 16 months. Programs are offered for working professionals and are offered in the Indianapolis area one evening per week.

The MSN-MBA Dual-Degree is a program for nursing professionals to earn two masters degrees — an MSN and an MBA, making them not only better nurses but also leaders in medical facilities. The MSN Administration Track provides the skills and abilities to lead and manage healthcare departments and programs. The MSN Education Track focuses on the skills and abilities needed to teach in a school of nursing or to coordinate educational programs in a healthcare organization.

The location for the open house and information session is on the main campus at Anderson University in Hartung Hall on the 2nd floor located at 1100 East 5th Street, Anderson, Ind., 46011. Click here for directions and a campus  map.

For more information, call (765) 641-4390.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2010, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the seventh 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.

Larry Seibert joins the Falls School of Business as an assistant professor of marketing. He comes to AU with 15 years of teaching experience at universities such as Purdue University North Central, Indiana University Northwest and University of Central Oklahoma. “My goal is to enable my students to be the best corporate leaders they can be, and my focus is on the marketing portion of their preparation,” said Siebert.

In addition to his teaching experience, Seibert has 20 years of experience in business and held many different positions including president and CEO of his own research and consulting firm. “With my years of hiring and supervising young business professionals, I have a pretty good idea of the skills necessary to succeed,” he said. “Those are the skills I develop in my students through the assignments and my lectures.” He has also done research for various membership associations including the American Dental Association and the Public Library Association, making recommendations on how to improve as organizations and draw in new members. He currently conducts his own research concerning the generational differences between members of these groups.

Christopher Holmes is the newest addition to the School of Music after being an adjunct professor here for the past three years. “I’ve had many good students who are enthusiastic about the topics and material,” said Holmes. “I enjoy teaching music in a liberal arts college, particularly given the way I understand music.”

Holmes is currently pursuing his doctorate in musicology through Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. His research focuses primarily on English music composers and European music after World War II. He uses literature and philosophy as different ways of interpreting and understanding the music. “I see music as part of a larger intellectual and cultural climate and as a liberal art that is part of the humanities. I have a sort of humanistic way of looking at it,” Holmes said.

Lynn Schmidt is the new graduate programs coordinator for the School of Nursing. She works with potential and current graduate nursing students and teaches classes at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Schmidt recently earned her master’s in Nursing Education from Ball State University. She completed the practicum for her master’s degree at AU’s School of Nursing, which is what brought her back here.

“Working with the students, staff and faculty was a very positive and rewarding experience,” Schmidt said. She is currently working on her dissertation, which spotlights the impact of trans-cultural educational experiences on the nursing practice.

Cheryl Vincent is another new member in the School of Nursing. Vincent has a master’s degree in Nursing Education and her field of expertise is pediatrics and obstetrics. She worked as a staff development coordinator for hospital systems for several years and served students as a school nurse while teaching health classes for kindergarten through eighth graders.

“Nursing is a wonderful calling and I want my students to be excited about it, so I work diligently at creating a learning environment that is active and interesting,” said Vincent. “I come with a great deal of ‘real world’ nursing experience, and I believe I can pass my love of children and my clinical talent onto our students here at AU.” Vincent also serves as a training center faculty member for the American Heart Association where she instructs CPR classes and Pediatric Advanced Life Support classes.

Jason Pierce is the third new faculty member in the School of Nursing. He earned both his Master of Science in Nursing and Master of Business Administration at Anderson University. He was excited to come back because he loved the people and the size of the campus. “AU is a friendlier organization than others and a better fit for me all around,” said Pierce. In the classroom, Pierce likes to incorporate hands-on experience with regular academia. “Having students connect those two gets them involved early on and helps them to apply their knowledge quicker,” he stated. “It allows them to be able to take care of patients on their own.”

Pierce is also currently an editor for the American Nurse’s Association’s online course. He puts together material for the review course on the Pediatric Emergency Nurse Certification exam and edits the content.

- Alyssa Applegate is a junior from Dayton, Ohio, majoring in Communication Arts and minoring in Spanish. Applegate is an associate with Fifth Street Communications™, writing on behalf of Anderson University Office of University Communications.

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 2010, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the seventh 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.

“It was a really exciting experience,” the 21-year-old student said. “It was a great way to learn about some of the different aspects of nursing.”

Warmke, now a senior in the School of Nursing, was chosen as the outstanding junior in her class in May. That honor allowed Warmke to tag along with the PHI crew last month.

The Saint John’s Outstanding Junior Student Award was established by Saint John’s Health System to recognize excellence and the qualities the hospital values in the nursing profession.

This was the first year the award was given, said Karen Williams, director of AU’s school of nursing. The honor will be awarded every May at the senior nursing students’ pinning ceremony. The award will go to a student with a grade point average of 3.5 or better who best exemplifies the criteria of wholeness, integrity, servant-hood, excellence and respect.

“Partnership with Saint John’s is extremely important to us,” Williams said. “And Kara is a great, local example of how a student can live out the missions and goals of both Anderson University and Saint John’s Health Center in nursing.”

Warmke grew up in Indianapolis but moved with her family to Pendleton after her father, Thomas Warmke, was named the superintendent of South Madison Community Schools.

During her flight experience, Kara Warmke said she was able to go up in the helicopter with the medical flight crew a couple different times and was able to accompany the flight nurses while they were transporting a patient from Saint John’s to a Carmel facility.

“It is really neat to know you can care for a patient hundreds of feet in the air like they do,” she said. “They have almost everything that you could possibly need in that helicopter. It is so tiny but they were able to pack so many supplies. The personnel on the helicopter are so highly skilled so the patient can be comfortable and know they are well cared for.”

Warmke said she hopes to take the experiences from the medical flights and put them into practice after graduation. Her goal is to perform nursing overseas as a mission although she says she knows she first needs more experience stateside after graduation. She’s considering a job at a Naval hospital in Hawaii to get that experience.

In March, she and a classmate will spend nearly a month in Kenya, Africa, where they will work with a nurse practitioner who deals with orphans infected with HIV or AIDS.

“One of the greatest things about AU’s nursing program is that they have a mandatory cultural nursing program as part of the senior year,” she said, pointing out that she’s also taken missions to India, Mexico and Jamaica.

“Being chosen was a very humbling experience but I am grateful for it,” Warmke said. “I feel proud to be a part of AU’s nursing program and to represent the school.”

—Abbey Doyle is a reporter for The Herald Bulletin. Photo credit: Don Knight. 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 2010, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the seventh 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.

Award recipients will include Matilda Barber, Lifetime Achievement Award; Lori Keith, Distinguished Alumni Award; Jan Bingle, Friend of Nursing Award; and Jeff Glover, Service to the Community Award.

The dinner will begin at 7 p.m. in Kane Dining Room on the Anderson University campus. A social/networking hour will begin at 6 p.m. in Hartung Hall 274/275. Cost for the event is $25. Register online or call (765) 641-4100. [Get Directions to Campus]

“Matilda, Lori, Janet, and Jeff represent the type of role models that every nursing program dreams of. We are proud of their achievements to the field of nursing and that they chose to make their contributions here in central Indiana,” said Karen Williams, dean of AU’s School of Nursing. “We want to honor their work, and we’re asking nursing alums who are returning for Homecoming to join us in this celebration. We hope alumni will see this as a chance to express their support for their colleagues and compare notes on professional experiences, too.”

Matilda Barber began her nursing career as a staff nurse at John H. Andres Hospital. She was promoted through the ranks at Saint Johns Hospital in Anderson to positions such as vice president of patient care service and vice president of community relations. She served on several boards and committees, including the Madison County United Way Board. In 2004, she received an Honorary Humanitarian Ph.D. from Anderson University.

Lori Keith is a diabetes educator at Community Hospital in Anderson. Throughout her 46 years in the nursing profession, she has mentored nursing students, oriented new staff to the hospital, and taught classes on resuscitation and tuberculosis. Her primary focus now is teaching diabetics and their families how to manage the illness. She remains committed to providing quality care to her patients.

Jan Bingle is the chief nursing officer for Community Health Network and network vice president for clinical standards, education, and research. She is a distinguished lecturer for Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society and very active in nursing workforce development issues for Indianapolis and Indiana. She is a member of the executive boards for Nursing 2000 and Spotlight on Nursing, and one of the founders and a current board member of the Indiana Nursing Workforce Development Center.

Jeff Glover is a full-time FNP at CVS Pharmacy MinuteClinic in Westfield, Ind. He previously worked for nearly eight years as a family nurse practitioner and 11 years as a clinical charge nurse. He received his Associate of Science in Nursing from Anderson University in 1981 and his Bachelor of Arts in Religion, also from AU, in 1986. He then went on to receive his Master of Arts in Christian Counseling and a Master of Science degree.

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 2010, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the seventh 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.

The DAISY Foundation was established in 1999 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes. It was established to keep Barnes spirit alive. He died at age 33 of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). During Barnes eight-week hospitalization, his family was mesmerized by the care and compassion his nurses provided not only to Barnes but to everyone in his family. This Foundation has two goals: to recognize extraordinary nurses everywhere who make enormous difference in the lives of patients’ daily and to fund research. [Rebecca Overman and family at her 2004 AU graduation.]

As of November 2009, 442 hospitals committed to honoring nurses with The DAISY Award. About 5,000 nurses have received it to date. This award varies from major urban teaching hospitals to small rural community hospitals and offers a recognition program that provides hospitals to help retain their excellent nursing staff.

Two families nominated Overman for the excellent care she provided. One family’s 5-year-old daughter Jennifer landed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Riley after a motor vehicle accident. She ended up with a spinal injury that left her without movement below her neck. Overman cared for Jennifer and her family for three months.

“I got to know the family really well,” said Overman. “What I love about my job the most is the relational aspect, being able to gain a family’s trust and then help educate them.”

Overman initially became a nurse because she wanted to care for others. She soon realized she wouldn’t just be caring for the patients. A lot of the time her patients are sedated and sometimes paralyzed and on a ventilator. “I’m providing physical care for the patients and emotional care to their families,” said Overman. She was recognized because of the great care she gave to families that needed her most.

During her time at AU, Overman loved the international involvement. Caring for patients in Honduras with the School of Nursing was a great opportunity her senior year. She loved being able to travel to a developing country and provide care for people who needed it the most. Throughout her time at AU Overman also traveled to Guatemala and Jamaica.

— Lydia Smith is a senior from Indianapolis, Ind., majoring in communication arts and minoring in peace and conflict transformation. Smith is an associate with Fifth Street Communications™, writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.

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 2010, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the seventh 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 honored to continue to be ranked as a top tier institution by U.S. News and World Report,” said Dr. Michael Collette, vice president for Marketing and Strategic Planning.  “It is even more fulfilling to know this ranking is based greatly on the strength of AU’s academic reputation, respect for our quality faculty and wide recognition the many programs of academic distinction.”

The 2011 Best Colleges package provides the most thorough examination of how more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools compare on a set of up to 16 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, for National Universities and National Liberal Art Colleges, “graduation rate performance” and high school counselor ratings of colleges. U.S. News has made some significant changes to the 2011 Best Colleges’ ranking methodology and presentation. For more details on these changes, go to www.usnews.com/collegemeth.

Over the past two decades, the U.S. News college rankings, which group 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.

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 2010, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the seventh 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.

Break the Grey exists to show the love and hope of Jesus Christ by serving and supporting families facing childhood cancer or other life altering illnesses.

Boesing wants to use nursing as a way to be more informed about the diseases that give cause for her ministry and as a way to meet families who are in desperate need of hope.

Break the Grey was birthed from Boesing’s own experience with terminal kidney disease. At age 11, doctors told her that without dialysis or a kidney transplant she had only six months to live. It was five months later that a woman from Boesing’s church, who was a kidney match, saved her life. “I wanted to do something to give back,” Boesing said.

One of the new staples of the ministry is “No More Chemo” parties. These parties are where Boesing connects with families and serves them throughout their stay at the hospital. “We met one little boy who was diagnosed with cancer in December. We threw a ‘No More Chemo’ party for him that following September,” she said. For Boesing, it’s about more than just throwing kids parties – it’s about supporting them no matter the outcome.

Boesing, her family and other members make regular visits, bring gift baskets and simply spend time with the families. “God just started blessing us with opportunities to meet these families where they were. It’s one thing to go in once a year and hand them a present and hear their story and say ‘Oh, that’s so sad. Jesus loves you, here eat some more food,’ but it’s another thing entirely to walk with them through that battle,” she said.

Not every child Boesing ministers to survives. “I’ve been to a couple of funerals,” she said, “We want families to know we’re going to be there even if their child doesn’t make it.”

She draws the strength to balance school and her ministry from God. “I have a personal understanding that helps – I deal with a life-altering illness,” said Boesing. About six years after her kidney transplant, Boesing was diagnosed with an immune deficiency. She was on treatment for two and a half years and wears a face mask during this flu season. When people stare, she takes it as an opportunity to reflect Christ. “I’ve had a lot of lessons in trust — balancing everything with school, my immune deficiency and ministry,” she said, “I can feel sorry for myself or I can do something about it. Christ has called me to a purpose, even when it’s not fun.”

The excitement of others also helps keep her going. Boesing’s family is heavily involved in Break the Grey, and it has been a good outlet for her four younger siblings. “My little brother gets excited when we collect toys for the parties. He likes to pretend that we’re Santa Clause,” she said.

For Boesing, it’s all about passion. “Seeing other people get passionate really lights my fire. Starting out at 15, I had no idea what I was doing. I just knew it was what I wanted to do,” she said. Her favorite high school Bible teacher called her “ridiculously passionate” and it stuck. By the time she graduated, she had reached over 100 families. Even when situations seem hopeless, her passion to serve never fades. She recalls a special moment with one mother who just found out her son was going to live.

“She started crying because she couldn’t understand why her son was going make it when they just met another family in the unit whose child was dying. Why would God let her son live, why had he done so well with his cancer and why not this other child? That was really a profound moment. I think that’s really where ministry happened, because we just stayed with her while she cried and tried to encourage her, reassure her. That’s one of the hardest things that we run into with Break the Grey. People want to know how a good God would let their kid get cancer or, why everyone can’t make it,” Said Boesing.

Boesing realizes Break the Grey ministry isn’t for everyone. For some people it’s eye-opening. “Once we had a kid who had to leave a party because he just had chemo and he needed to go get sick. [Volunteers] weren’t used to seeing that. When they see kids without hair or hooked up to an IV poll, some realize it’s not really their place of ministry. That’s a challenge sometimes. I realize not everyone is going to be passionate about what I’m passionate about, but that’s just not what God’s called them to do and that’s OK,” she said.

Boesing wants Break the Grey to expand. Their next goal is to become a not-for profit. They are in the process of raising that money. “The Indianapolis Children’s Museum gave us a $2,000 grant in 2006, so we’ve made it stretch until now. We only have a few hundred dollars left, so we’re hoping that people will step up and donate more than that,” she said. God has always provided for the ministry and given her ideas to raise money. Recently, she came up with the idea to collect $1,000 in spare change. “That’s something anybody can do,” she said.

She has a dream of building a campus where families dealing with illness can live. There would be a wellness center similar to AU’s, a library, support groups, music and art therapy, tutors for children in school and counselors to help families deal with loss. “I would rather families be together…in a community, but the catch is, I want it to be free,” she said. Boesing’s not sure how she will accomplish this, or when, but is confident that it will happen. “Figuring out the logistics and going into non-profit is going to be an adventure,” she said.

For any student with a desire to start a ministry, Boesing has this advice:

“Even if people say you can’t do it, don’t listen. Go with what you’re passionate about. God puts desires in you for a reason. A lot of people think that they can’t do anything because they’re just one person – which isn’t true. I understand that I’m not changing the world, but I believe that I can change lives, that Christ can through me.”

— Rebekah Shirar is a senior from Darlington, Ind., majoring in communication arts. Shirar is an associate with Fifth Street Communications, writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.

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.

Nick Pease, Teresa Collins, and Aaron Farnsworth each felt called to serve in the military. Although their stories are different, they have a common theme: the desire to earn a college degree.

Seven Years, Two Tours, and a Degree

The typical college student takes four years to complete an undergraduate degree. Sometimes indecisiveness, lazy attitudes, or other extenuating circumstances may require additional semesters. Nick Pease, however, is not lazy, and he isn’t the typical college student. Pease finally graduated in December 2009 after seven years of college and two tours of duty in Afghanistan.

While he was still in high school, Pease joined the Army Reserves. Upon graduation, he was sent to basic training, and then started at Anderson University in January 2003. “I planned on being in the Reserves and going to college. I never thought about the possibility of getting deployed, let alone twice in four or five years,” he said. “It was never really a concern of mine.”

Pease remembers the morning he received a call saying he was being deployed to Afghanistan. “The phone call didn’t really sink in. There was definitely some disbelief on my part,” he said.

Including five months in training, his first tour lasted from February 2004 to May 2005. In Afghanistan, Pease worked as an ammunition specialist and guarded the ammunition point in Kandahar. “We were labeled as ‘combat support,’” he said.

After returning from his first tour in the fall of 2005, at the start of his sophomore year, Pease was discouraged at how much had changed since he’d been gone. “It was incredibly difficult because friends I had made freshmen year had now moved on, graduated, and started their adult lives. I essentially had to start over,” he said.

The second deployment came in 2008. With his sophomore and junior years behind him, Pease was just finishing up his fall semester of his senior year. “I had signed up for classes for the spring, but found out in late 2007 that I was going to Afghanistan again,” he said. This time, Pease had been promoted to the rank of sergeant and was now in charge of the entire ammunition point. “At one time, the value of the ammo point was around $80 million,” he said. “It was a lot of pressure to keep everything straight.” Pease said that everything had a place, and a lot of paperwork to go with it.

The level of danger was also higher during this second deployment. The team was now closer to the most dangerous places and was regularly targeted with gunfire. Sometimes the rockets would land close enough to shake the barracks.

Throughout his ordeal, there was one incredibly bright spot: he met his wife, Caroline. Both attended Anderson University. Pease proposed at a Colts football game, on leave from his second tour of duty, and the two were married on August 1, 2009.

Now, Pease has finally graduated from AU with a degree in communication arts. “Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing,” he said. “I have those life experiences. I made some great friends and have been to some places I never would have been had it not been for the army.”

Pease has now closed two chapters of his life: college and the army, as he completed his duty to the military in March of this year.

22 years of service

December 1987: Just seven months after graduating from high school, Teresa Collins was shipped overseas to the Philippines to serve her country in the United States Air Force. While in the Philippines, Collins had a job as a flight operator. “I kept track of the pilots’ schedules and training records,” she said. “I logged their training to make sure they stayed current with all the new methods and could continue to fly.”

After spending three years overseas in active duty, Collins decided it was time for her life to take a new path, so she joined the Reserves and remained there for 10 years. No longer working as a flight operator, Collins now worked in information management and medical files in records management. Eventually, she felt it was again time for a change.

She moved to the National Guard, where she has served for nine years, bringing her total years of military service to 22 years. While many women and men in the military stop serving after they complete their required four to six years, Collins has other plans. “I’m re-enlisting in May,” she said. “I’ll stay in as long as they allow me to stay in.”

Collins said when she first joined, she was never deployed like the men and women who are serving today; it was mostly her choice to go. However, she has some of the same fears they do. “Overseas was my first duty station,” she said. “When they asked me to go, I had a little anxiety and fear, not knowing what was going to happen or how everything was going to work out.”

Looking back over her military career, Collins said she wishes she had stayed longer in active duty. “The travel opportunities are so much greater,” she said. Collins could choose to be activated again; however, circumstances in her life are different now, as she has two children to support. “If my officers were to call me and say they need me to go, I would go. It’s what I signed up for,” she said. “However, I think of it differently now because I’m a single parent with kids.”

Collins has created a lot of memories in her 22 years of service, but one memory sticks out in her mind more than others. “One of the most memorable things about my years in the service was in 1991. I was stationed in the Philippines, and Mount Pinatubo erupted,” she said. “Even though it was a very scary time, it was something I will never forget. I lived through an earthquake, which caused the volcano to become active again, and then I lived through the eruption. I thank God everyday that I am here.”

Collins began studying at Anderson University in 2009, and will enter the School of Nursing this fall. “One of my major goals right now is to become a nurse and work in ICU or OB area,” she said.

High School, the Army, and Biochemistry

Aaron Farnsworth is not a typical biochemistry major. A 2002 graduate of Highland High School in Anderson, he has been to Iraq and Afghanistan to serve his country. “I went straight into the Army after graduating from high school,” he said. “For about half of my senior year I thought about it, then I just did it.”

Farnsworth was motivated by the challenge that military service would bring. “I wanted the adventure. I wanted to jump out of airplanes and travel,” he said. “I liked the idea of a challenge, no matter what it was.”

Farnsworth served in the army for four years, including nine weeks in Iraq and eight weeks in Afghanistan.

When he first got the call about for his first tour of duty, Farnsworth said he was anxious. “I was so nervous, I didn’t know if I was really ready to go,” he said. It got especially hard when he was in the range of gunfire. “It’s hard to describe the emotion and feelings when you’re in a place like that. There were times I was scared.”

For Farnsworth, the transition home was not a difficult one, simply because both of his tours of duty were short. “The longer you spend over there the more difficult it is to adjust to coming back,” he said. “It didn’t stick to me like I imagine it would for others.”

In transitioning back, Farnsworth decided it was time to go to college and get his degree. Currently, he is a sophomore majoring in biochemistry. His future aspirations are to attend graduate school or do some kind of research.

Out of all the memories Farnsworth made over the course of his tour of duty, one sticks out in his mind: the friends he made. “I remember those guys, the men I spent time with there,” he said. “It’s hard because I’ve been out for four years. With school and work, it already seems like so long ago, but I will never forget them.”

— Missi Martin is a junior from Goshen, Ind., majoring in communication arts. Martin is an associate with Fifth Street Communications, writing on behalf of Anderson University Office of University Communications.

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.

The two trips that were offered this year were to Belize and China. Both trips lasted two and half weeks. The School of Nursing believes this opportunity allows students to step outside their comfort zones and experience how health care is delivered in other countries.

[Photo: AU nursing student Jenna Yeager with a young patient in Belize.]

Assistant Professor of Nursing Judy Shockey Carter led 13 nursing students around the northwest part of Belize to work alongside physicians in a hospital. “We stayed at a Seventh Day Adventist hospital in San Ignacio and woke up early in the mornings to take care of patients,” said Carter.

Alfonso Ayala, a graduate of the Anderson University School of Theology, is a physician at the hospital and assisted the Belize group during their stay. They participated in festivals, church services, and built relationships with the people of the community.

The students took blood pressures, temperatures, and went on mobile clinics to help coach mothers on how to prepare and take care of their babies after birth. They also studied pharmacological pay management during their stay and worked as nurse techs and aids. They performed injections, dress changes, started IVs, and did assessments in the different communities.

“This was my first time to lead a trip through AU, but I have been on several mission trips in the Caribbean and to Mexico,” said Carter. “I really enjoyed deepening my relationships with the students and interacting with the different communities during our stay.”

Before going on the trip, the students were expected to know general knowledge of the country they would be visiting. They composed a research paper covering the history, different aspects of cultural religions, family structures, the language, political systems and specific health issues the country was experiencing. After the students stayed in the different cultures, they compared and contrasted what they learned on the trip and how it differs from health care in the U.S.

[Photo: AU nursing students Megan Stout, Jenn Lunsford, Jill Heffernan, and Bonnie Lanning in Hangzhou, China.]

Jenn Lunsford was one of seven students who attended the China trip, led by Professor of Nursing and Graduate Coordinator Dr. Paula Boley.

“Not only did we experience China, but we got to interact within the different communities, evaluate the prevalence there, and learn about traditional Chinese medicines,” said Lunsford. “We stayed in Beijing, Hangzhou, and Shang Hi and studied childhood obesity in the elementary and middle schools of their communities. We were paired up with nursing students of their culture and were given the opportunity to visit their homes and meet their families. I learned what it was like to be a minority in a different culture and how to deal with a language barrier while trying to do assessments on the patients.”

Jenna Yeager traveled with Carter and 12 other students to the warm, sunny weather in Belize. Before Yeager left for Belize, she said the hardest part would be adapting to the culture and trying to communicate with different language barriers. But after returning to the U.S., she was ready to turn around and go back.

“The hardest part was coming home. I have never seen a more beautiful place than Belize, and I got to practice my Spanish with the people of the community,” said Yeager. “Here in American hospitals, we waste a lot. And in Belize, they don’t have a lot of resources. They conserve everything and learn to improvise with everything they’re given. If I think in that concept, it would help me here and teach me to be more resourceful.”

Carter is grateful for the overseas trips offered through AU and the opportunity for students to be exposed to different cultures. “I love the well rounded education that AU offers, and this trip is definitely beneficial to the learning experience for the students,” said Carter. “AU is a small campus with a big heart. I have a heart for teaching students. It’s not just about education; it’s about the whole person. I wouldn’t want to teach anywhere else.”

A third group of students, led by Associate Professor of Nursing Marlene Poe-Greskamp remained in the United States, and worked with the homeless in Indianapolis while studying the policies and reform of health care.

—Laura Overman is a junior from Peru, Ind., majoring in communication arts. Overman is an associate with Fifth Street Communications, writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.

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.

Seven hours and 150 injections later, O’Hair feels more than confident in administering the intra-muscular injection required for non-living H1N1 flu vaccine.

O’Hair, along with other nursing majors, volunteered seven hours in the parking lot of Hoosier Park giving free H1N1 flu shots as part of their clinical experience. The Madison County Health Department sponsored the free clinic and in the end vaccinated over 2,000 community members thanks to the help of local nurses and AU nursing students. [Photo on left: Anderson University nursing student Allison Bachtel gives an infant in a car seat an H1N1 flu vaccination in her leg while fellow nursing student Kelley O'Hair comforts the child. Anderson University nursing students participated in a community-wide vaccination clinic.]

Patients stayed in their cars while the AU nursing students looked over their paperwork to see what type of injection was needed. Then they administered the shots to patients inside their vehicles, with up to eight people per car. “I have never done anything like this before, it was not conventional nursing,” said junior nursing major Alison Bachtel. This was the first time the health department in Madison County directed this type of clinic to the public.

“Even though people had been waiting for up to four hours for the shot, they were appreciative of what we were doing for them,” said Bachtel. “It was a great feeling to see the community helping each other. We were saving lives.” People with immune deficiency disorders cannot fight off this virus and could become deathly ill if not for this opportunity.

With nursing being a very interactive profession, AU nursing professors provide their students with practical experience in the field when possible. “We talk a lot in our classes about how to interact and communicate with patients and these clinicals are a great way to put what we learned to work,” said O’Hair.

Even armed with candy and calming voices, both Bachtel and O’Hair concurred the hardest part was being responsible for crying children. “They just see you as someone with a needle,” said Bachtel. “They don’t understand you are there to help them.” Four hours sitting in a car and anticipating a shot can make some young ones squeamish. One girl even had to be pinned down by her mother, after climbing back and forth over seats to elude the shot. After receiving the shot, the girl stopped crying, realizing the pain was not what she had anticipated. She walked away happy, with a sucker.

Anderson University offers a comprehensive four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and graduate degrees in three different tracts. AU provides a stimulating intellectual environment grounded in the sciences, liberal arts and Christian faith.

AU’s goal is to prepare nursing students to practice professional nursing compassionately and competently. The School of Nursing will help students think critically, creatively and independently in preparation for a life of service.

The paths that lead O’Hair and Bachtel to the School of Nursing at AU are different, but one thing remains the same—their passion for serving others. “When I do start working in a hospital,” said Bachtel, “I look forward to treating the person and not the disease.”

— P. Aaron Vogel is a senior from Fairmount, Indiana, majoring in communication arts with a minor in marketing. Vogel is an associate with Fifth Street Communications writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.

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.

“The pinning ceremony allows us to provide an intimate atmosphere for the graduating nursing students and recognize them individually in front of their family and peers,” said Dean of School of Nursing Karen Williams. “We let a family member of the student have the honor of placing the pin on them because they’ve been their support throughout their years at AU. We like to put a great amount of emphasis on each graduates’ research project they have been working on throughout the past year. The ceremony allows us to go at a slower pace and provide the deserved individual attention to each graduate.”

Each institution has a different interpretation of the pin and what it stands for. Anderson University nursing professors take great pride in the symbolic meanings chosen for the pin. The basic composition of the pin is gold which represents worthiness and the Golden Rule. The blue represents truth, loyalty and consistency; all of which are virtues that the graduate will give to their patients and employers. The central theme is the flame over the open Bible, which represents the outpouring of light upon the Word of God. The light alludes to the knowledge gained in the educational process, which is continuous throughout life. The faculty of the School of Nursing challenges the graduates to wear their pin with pride and remember its symbolism; to grow and practice their profession with love, integrity, knowledge and charity.

Senior Jenna Yeager is graduating from the nursing program this year and is looking forward to what her future holds after graduation.

“Our nursing class has gotten really close over the years and by having our own separate ceremony, we’re able to come together and be unified as a class and see each other get recognized for different accomplishments,” said Yeager. After graduation, Yeager intends to find work in the Indianapolis or Chicago area and work in the emergency department.

Throughout the ceremony, graduates will be given awards for those who have shown exceptional work throughout their years in the nursing program and will be recognized by honored guest speakers. The awards given throughout the ceremony include lifelong learner, nursing scholar, excellence in clinical practice, nursing servanthood and the masters award. The ceremony is not only for senior nursing graduates, but it also recognizes students graduating from the Anderson University nursing masters program. There is a separate pin designed and given to students completing the masters program and they are recognized individually as well.

One special element of the program will be the awarding of the Outstanding Junior Student Award. This award, established in 2009, is named for St. John’s Health System and St. Vincent Health in grateful recognition of the gift of the St. John’s Health Center for Clinical Excellence and SimMan 3G, a gift received by the university in the fall of 2009. The award will be presented at the annual Pinning Ceremony in May of each school year at Anderson University.

The ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. in Reardon Auditorium on May 7. There will be a candle lighting service at the end of the event, followed by a reception at 6 p.m. The pinning ceremony is open to everyone in the community.

- Laura Overman is a junior from Anderson University, majoring in communication arts. Laura is an associate with Fifth Street Communications, writing in behalf of Anderson University Office of University Communications.

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 AU’s Tri-S program, Stout traveled to India where she worked at the Mother Teresa Home for the Dying and Destitute. The Mother Teresa Home was created to carry out Mother Teresa’s vision of caring for the underprivileged citizens in India who do not have means for proper health care. The institution provides comfort for the homeless who are dying, giving them peace in their last days.

“It was a whirlwind of emotions when I landed in India,” said Stout. The group of AU students waited hours for the driver because of a communication barrier that the group didn’t expect to be so crippling. That barrier would last throughout their trip. “I remember this poor woman [at the Home] just wanting a glass of water but the communication barrier was so difficult that it took us forever to assist her needs. None of these people knew any English or common hand gestures and vice versa.”

The emotional roller coaster continued when Stout was confronted by poor living conditions in India. “We basically took the sick off the streets, but we had no means or tools to cure them,” Stout said. “Every one of the patients was dying, and there was nothing we could do but try as best as we could to comfort them.”

Stout’s eyes were opened through first-hand experiences in the developing country in ways that she didn’t foresee prior to her arrival. While gaining pivotal nursing experience, she recalled life-long lessons that she brought back to the U.S.

“Although Americans are concerned with improving the current health-care system, it’s nothing compared to these poorer countries,” said Stout. “We have so many tools and medicines available in the U.S. to cure Americans from simple diseases, the same diseases that people in India are dying from right now. We also have access to ventilators, which is essentially prolonging the inevitable. These people knew they were going to pass. It was a privilege to help them in their last days.” [PHOTO: A crucifix sits atop the Kalighat building, where Mother Teresa established her Home for the Destitute and Dying in 1952.]

Stout’s calling into the medical field began as a child. Like many imaginative kids, Stout used toys to practice playing doctor. Her curiosity turned into motivation in high school. “I’ve always been fascinated with the human body and all of its complexities, especially after I studied it in anatomy,” Stout recalled. Her calling into nursing was only confirmed after diving into the subject at AU. “I enjoy how broad it is. Some people just think of a nurse in a hospital, but a nurse can work in one or all areas of medicine like mental health, government health care, or in the trauma unit,” Stout said.

“My goal and passion is to work in the trauma unit, mainly out of the Emergency Room. I think that is the biggest adrenaline rush. Every single day will be new and exciting because you will never know what is going to come into the trauma unit,” Stout said.

Stout has always had a passion for helping those in traumatic situations, but her passion turned into a career goal with help from Professor Sarah Neil. “Professor Neil shares my passion for the fast-paced life in the ER. She has provided great advice and expertise in that area, fueling my desire to work in the ER after graduation,” said Stout.

Stout is in the process of making her dream for the daily “adrenaline rush” a reality. She is applying for a trauma and critical care internship at a hospital in Dallas, Texas. “It is a one-month program, and I would be experiencing first-hand all of the units in the ER,” Stout said. However, her goals don’t end in Dallas.

“In five years I picture myself traveling from state to state, taking advantage of all the nursing opportunities available, before I settle down into family life,” said Stout. “I don’t want to stay in one area too long.”

Stout also plans to broaden her multicultural experiences by traveling to other underprivileged countries. “I don’t want to look back on my life with regrets. I want to take advantage of each and every opportunity while I am young enough to experience it all,” she said.

— Joseph Matas is a junior from Anderson, Ind., majoring in communication arts and minoring in marketing. Matas is an associate with Fifth Street Communications, writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.

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.

CLICK HERE FOR A CAMPUS MAP AND DIRECTIONS TO AU.

During commencement, Anderson University will award two honorary degrees. Anderson University will award Dr. William G. Enright (the 2010 Anderson University commencement speaker) with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree and Dr. Mark W. Fulton (an Anderson-area dentist and the co-founder and President of Mission Haiti, Inc.) with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

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.

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,” said 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,” said 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.”

[Watch video highlights from the dedication event.]

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,” said 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,” said 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.”

[Watch video highlights from the SimMan dedication event.]

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.

Thomas, a Center for Public Service fellow, first gained cross-cultural experience by traveling with Tri-S to London in 2005. Since London, she has participated in five additional Tri-S trips and in May will travel to Australia. [Pictured left with students in Russia.]

“Carrie exemplifies the scholar/leader who is committed to academic excellence, international travel and education, public service, as well as campus and community leadership,” said Joel Shrock, Director of Center for Public Service. “Carrie’s record of accomplishments is beyond impressive, it is dazzling.”

Through each international experience, Thomas learned it was possible to pursue her career outside the traditional American public school system. Along with a strong interest in European culture, Thomas started her international teaching journey at Anderson University by serving on the licensing feasibility committee for adding the English as a New Language Program. She will be receiving a certification in English as a New Language.

“Dr. Nelson encouraged me to think about applying for the Fulbright Scholarship during an international politics class I took in the fall of my junior year,” said Thomas. Thomas started the application process after accepting a position at Dubravushka Boarding School in Obninsk, Russian Federation, as an English Language teacher for students ages 5-17.

Most recently, Thomas was a student teacher in Vienna, Austria, this past semester at the Danube International School. She student taught English A and English as a Second Language, in the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme for grades 6-10.

“Both Russia and Austria were different opportunities and experiences,” said Thomas. “In Russia, teaching was more difficult because I had few resources and little structure with which to work. In Vienna, I had more support and was paired with a great collaborating teacher as opposed to teaching on my own. I think teaching on my own first was a more backwards approach but one that served as a great opportunity.” [Pictured right in Vienna.]

Thomas’ award is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Her responsibilities will include teaching English as a foreign language at Gymnasium Jura Hronca (Grammar and Secondary High School) in Bratislava, Slovakia. She will also work on conducting some independent research on language teaching and the education system of Slovakia.

Thomas is graduating May 9 with a 4.0 GPA and is a Presidential Scholar, Sigma Tau Delta (English Honors Society) 2007-08 president, Kappa Delti Pi (Education Honors Society) 2007-08 secretary, AU International Education Committee member, AU English as a New Language Committee member and Athletic Committee member. Thomas also started her own Carrie Thomas Youth in Philanthropy Endowed Fund through the Hendricks Community Foundation which provides grants to youth organizations and is a member of AU’s Women’s Golf Team.

She is the only AU English major to have received the Recognition of Excellence for her PRAXIS II English Language, Literature, and Composition exam. This honor is earned by scoring in the top 15 percent of candidates nationwide who took the test in the past five years.

“Carrie is best described as an ambitious academician, intellectually courageous, highly admired by faculty and students, always considerate of the needs of others, and one who works well with people of all ages and backgrounds,” said Dean of the School of Education Diana Ross. “She has been an outstanding student leader at Anderson University.” [Pictured left in Slovakia.]

Thomas’ grant starts in the fall of 2009 and will last 10 months. She plans to start graduate work in the future on comparative and international education along with second language acquisition.

“It is amazing how God places people in your life at the right time and right place,” said Thomas. “ God has blessed me with opportunities like Tri-S, ENL and people like Dr. Nelson, Dr. Shrock, and Dr. Ross who have helped shape and guide my future plans.”

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” With this goal as a starting point, the Fulbright Program has provided almost 300,000 participants—chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential — with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

- Stefanie Leiter is the Web Content Manager at 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.

Director of the Career Development Center Maryann Coty shared that over 700 current undergraduate students have utilized the center’s resources and services.

“Using our office resources, meeting with our staff, or simply viewing the Career Development Center web site can help direct students with their internship and employment search,” said Coty.

Alumni contacting the Career Development Center for career advice, resume help, or connecting them to other alumni has increased due to layoffs and the current economy since the fall of 2008. Through a new intuitive headed by the Alumni office, the Alumni Mentoring Program creates a connection with students and alumni, and even alumni with other alumni to network professionally in their given industry and region.

“Connecting with our office is important either as a student, an alumni, or serving as an Alumni Mentor,” said Coty. “Industry networking connects students to the organizations they wish to pursue in an effort to research the job market, how the economy affects the industry, and the different sectors to their career choice.”

One example was the recent April 3 Media Career Day the Career Development Center, INvision AU and the Dept. of Communications Arts hosted in Reardon Auditorium. The Career Development Center brought in alumni from a television station, radio station, reporters, a publishing company, and newspapers to allow students to see all the job opportunities and majors encompassed in the media industry. This not only helps with networking efforts but helps undeclared students to see the vast opportunities in the media field. [Media Day pictured left.]

INvision AU is another tool the Career Development Center offers in finding paid internships for students. The Lilly Endowment grant allows AU to place interns in an organization with an agreement that the company matches the grant for future interns.

“This is a great opportunity to help students find internships, to gain experience, build required soft skills, connect students with an organization, and build a foundation for their career plan,” said Coty.

Coty breaks down each class year below to prepare students for internships and employment:

Senior Year

• Make sure your resume clearly identifies the education and skills you’ve obtained. When apply for a job, target your resume toward the organization and the job description.
• Actively get in touch with your network list. Contact everyone you know, relationships built over your time at AU, alumni connections, internships, part time jobs, volunteering in the community, etc.
• Let your network know what field you are interested in and that you are graduating.
• Attend job fairs to learn about organizations and job opportunities, and to make connections.
• At the start of your senior year have a good understanding as to when organizations within your field of interest recruit for employment. Some organizations may recruit in the fall for the following summer. This requires a great deal of researching of organizations. With today’s economy be open to taking internships.
• Follow up with the organizations in which you’ve applied for employment.

Junior Year

• Actively search for a summer internship. Talk to your faculty advisor, an alumni mentor, your network, and the career center.
• Contact the career center to prepare for interviews.
• Research the different skills you will need to develop and/or improve upon within your field of interest. Internships are a great way to develop communication, organizational, team building, leadership, and other skills organizations seek in entry level employees.
• Determine your strengths versus your weaknesses.
• Prepare to be competitive in the job market.

Sophomore Year

• Connect with alumni. Learn about the job opportunities available within your field of interest. Alumni can help educate you on what is current in the industry.
• Begin to create your network list. Include family, friends, faculty, alumni, and other professionals.
• Start networking early with alumni and everyone you know. Connections are the key to building lasting professional relationships.

Freshman Year

• Develop a short- and long-term career plan that meets your career goals with the assistance of a career counselor.
• Your resume allows you to see the knowledge and skills you currently possess.
• Sign up for LART 1200, Career and Life Planning, if undeclared. The class encourages those students who are undecided to determine interests relative to the current job market.

To view further information on a student timeline, click here.

“I wish employers knew how much we desire to have jobs and how eager we are to enter the work force – that’s a charisma not a lot of employees can say they still have,” said senior art major Dane Benton on today’s economy and job market search.

The CDC assists students and alumni with applying their academic and life experiences to attain career goals; provides them with the services and resources necessary to make better informed career decisions; and develops the skills necessary to implement their career plans.

—Stefanie Leiter is the Web Content Manager at Anderson University.

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.

While at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), Morris has served as a faculty member in the Nursing Department, Chair of the Nursing Department, Honors Program Director, Self-Study Director for EMU’s reaccreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools, Associate Academic Dean, and Vice President & Undergraduate Academic Dean.

Dr. Morris earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Eastern Mennonite University, a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in Nursing Administration from George Mason University. Her dissertation was entitled, Voices of Women: A Qualitative Study of Effective Female Nurse Faculty.

Dr. Morris has been listed in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers and she is an Executive Leadership Development Fellow within the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). She has received the Bennett, Kellogg, & Mellon Scholarship, the Edgar A. Thurman Foundation Grant and the Lilly Fellows Faculty Mentoring Program Grant.

She presently serves as a Board Member with Lilly Fellows National Network; Chair of the Mennonite Education Agency Deans & Marpeck Deans; Member of Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society (Epsilon Zeta and Pi Mu), and Institutional Representative for Virginia Network for Women and a Reaccreditation Evaluator for Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools.

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.

CLICK HERE FOR A CAMPUS MAP AND DIRECTIONS TO AU.

During commencement, Anderson University will award four honorary degrees. Anderson University will award Rev. Emory Williams (distinguished Church of God minister) with an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree, Billy Jo Hall (longtime member of the Anderson University Board of Trustees and investment advisor at LPL Financial Services in Mount Sterling, Ky.) with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree, Thomas J. Snyder (president of Ivy Tech Community College) with the honorary Doctor of Laws degree and Bobbette Snyder (executive director of the Madison County Leadership Academy) with the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

Other events scheduled on Anderson University’s May 9 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 9 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 11:30 a.m.

Events earlier in the week associated with commencement weekend include the School of Theology Senior Recognition and Awards Chapel on Tuesday, April 28, at 11 a.m. E.D.T. in Miller Chapel. On Friday, May 8, at 6 p.m. E.D.T. the hooding ceremony for the Doctor of Ministry graduates will take place at Miller Chapel / Tallen Hall in the SOT. In addition, a special pinning ceremony for the Anderson University School of Nursing will be conducted on Friday, May 8 at 6 p.m. in Byrum Hall.

Dr. Carl Caldwell is a 1966 graduate of Anderson University and is the fifth chief academic officer in Anderson University’s 91-year history. Caldwell’s responsibilities have focused on the development of Anderson University programs, faculty and strategic planning. Before coming to Anderson University, Caldwell served as vice president for administration, vice president for academic affairs, and dean of the college at Franklin College in Franklin, Ind.

Caldwell received a master of arts in history from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and a doctorate in history from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. He has completed individual research and study seminars at Oxford University in England, as well as in Israel, Syria, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen Arab Republic.

In addition to having held several teaching assignments, Caldwell has also lectured on Middle East history, political structures and policies. His administrative positions have included associate dean for academic affairs at Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind., and dean for academic affairs at Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Va.

In November of 2002, Caldwell received the national Chief Academic Officers Award from the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). The award, delivered at the Institute for Chief Academic Officers, is annually presented to an individual who advances academic excellence at private colleges and universities. It is one of the Council’s highest honors for exemplary academic leadership. He has been a member of the Chief Academic Officers (CAO) Task Force, a frequent speaker at CIC’s Institute for Chief Academic Officers, and a mentor to new CAOs.

In October of 2008, Dr. Caldwell announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2008-09 academic year from a distinguished career of 38 years in academic and administrative leadership. He has served at Anderson University since the spring of 1996.

Caldwell and his wife, Carolyn, a 1964 graduate of Anderson University, have two sons and four grandchildren. Following retirement, the Caldwells will continue to serve in full time positions at the American University of Iraq – Sulaimani.

Dr. Kerry Robinson is the senior pastor of East Side Church of God, in Anderson, Ind., a congregation he has served since December 1996. East Side Church is located near the campus of Anderson University and Church of God Ministries, Inc. and is widely recognized for its mission to “Lift up Jesus Christ so that people may Discover Hope for Life.” As the primary speaker for East Side Church of God, Dr. Robinson shares passionately to groups of various sizes in diverse settings in an effort to help individuals discover the hope of Jesus Christ.

Prior to his current assignment, Dr. Robinson was the Senior Pastor of White Chapel Church of God and President of Warner Christian Academy in Daytona Beach (1992-1996) and Senior Pastor of Scott Memorial Church of God, Chattanooga, TN (1983-1992).

Dr. Robinson is a graduate of Anderson University, Anderson School of Theology, and has done postgraduate work at Emory University in Atlanta. He is a graduate of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham, AL., with a Doctor of Ministry Degree. Dr. Robinson has served in leadership for the Church of God at the state, regional, and national levels.

Dr. Robinson is married to the former Becky Meyer and they have two adult sons.

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.

But several college students are changing the way some kids see their future, and themselves.

College Mentor for Kids, a program founded in 1994 by two Indiana University students, works to change all that and help kids to dream big.

Twice a week in Hartung Hall on the campus of Anderson University, 40 college students and 40 elementary kids in the first through fourth grades merge together to experience college life and all it has to offer.

Both Robinson Elementary and Anderson Elementary students know that on Tuesdays and Wednesdays of every week during the school year, they get to ride a bus to campus and partner up with their “big buddy.”

After snacks and reading time, participants break into groups and do different activities on campus.

“We get to see people, like famous basketball players and nurses,” said Jalen Cooley, a second-grader at Robinson Elementary. “I want to be a lawyer.”

Another Robinson second-grader, Amy White, said, “I like meeting people and we got to go to the library … I think I want to be a veterinarian someday.”

Derek Thurber, sophomore at Anderson University, said he likes working with the kids and finds it a good experience. “I work with Juan, a first-grader at Robinson Elementary. He seems to be improving in his behavior and enjoys the activities.”

Students on campus who are interested in mentoring children in this program must go through a three-step process. The president and vice president of the program will interview each candidate to find out what experience they have with kids, what their goals are and why they want to participate in the program.

Then the candidates give a short impromptu speech, answering questions such as how they would explain or answer the children’s questions. The students must also demonstrate how well they work with and communicate with children by being observed in a group.

“I got involved in College Mentor for Kids because I am an education major,” said Michelle Milius, sophomore at AU. “Michael, my first-grade buddy, has improved so much, and I’ve learned a lot of patience.”

Alexis Gentry, a freshman at AU, has two little buddies, a boy and a girl. “One of my buddies wants to come here when he grows up and asked if I will be here when he comes.”

She said they found it interesting that the college students have roommates in a dorm and do not live with their parents.

Michael Watts, a junior at AU and president of College Mentor for Kids Anderson Chapter, explained what makes this program unique:

“We have them do various things around the AU campus … activities such as going over to the wellness center and meeting with athletic trainers to see what you would do to become an athletic training major, or going to the library and seeing what librarians do, how to research and how to use the computers, and then we’ve been over to security to see what a police officer would do — basically to get them familiar with the college campus and what is a college education.”

Watts said when the children are new to the program, he asks them what they think college is and what people do there. Responses are pretty limited, but by the time the program ends each one has a better understanding and idea of how college could play an important role in their future.

“I would tell anyone wishing to aspire to great things or goals, to always believe in yourself. No matter the situations or circumstances for the present time, the future may hold something different. If you keep your head up and your eyes set on your goal, you can achieve anything,” said Watts.

He’s enjoyed watching his own little buddy grow and become a better student in school. “He even takes an interest in me and asks me about my own family. I like that I can impact and help even one student.”

—Kim Ousley is a reporter for the Herald Bulletin. 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.

“We are delighted that Professor Williams has accepted this challenging position at an important time in the life of the School of Nursing,” said Dr. Carl Caldwell, vice president for Academic Affairs and Dean. “Her enthusiasm for working with all of the constituents who are important to an effective program –faculty, students, collaborating hospitals and nurses — will put her in good stead in the coming years. She will be a great colleague in the academic leadership of Anderson University.”

Williams earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) as well as a Master of Science in Nursing from the Indiana University School of Nursing. She received an additional Master of Science in Nursing from Purdue University as an Adult Nurse Practitioner and is nationally certified through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (ANP-C). She is currently a doctoral candidate in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program through the Purdue University School of Nursing.

Prior to being named dean, Williams served the Anderson University School of Nursing as associate professor. In addition, she has served as director of Health Services and the School of Practical Nursing for the Washington Township School Corporation in Indianapolis, Instructor for the School of Nursing at Ball State University, and director of Education for Community Hospital in Anderson.

Her specialties include Adult Nurse Practitioner, Medical-Surgical Nursing, Critical Care Nursing, and Nursing Education (both acute care and university-based). Her research interests focus on the barriers to care for the underinsured and the uninsured.

Anderson University School of Nursing one of the top nursing programs in Indiana. Students are awarded a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) upon successful completion of the program and are eligible to take the RN licensure exam (NCLEX-RN). At the graduate level, the Anderson University School of Nursing offers a dual degree program combining nursing and business, leading to a MSN/MBA degree. The school is accredited by the Indiana State Board of Nursing and the Commission on the Collegiate Nursing Education.

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.