Anderson University has received a grant in the amount of $2,000.00 from the Indiana Humanities Council, in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Humanities. The grant provides matching funds in support of a project, “Every Woman Has a Story: The Journeys of Immigrant Women in Indiana.” Initial funds for this project were provided by a Faculty Development Committee grant.

The project will be administered by Anderson University in collaboration with Indiana Diversity Women’s Network (IDWN). The project director is Dr. Maria Scott, a professor in the Department of Sociology, Social Work, Criminal Justice and Family Science. Through this project, Scott, with the assistance of students and IDWN members, will collect stories of immigrant women’s journeys to America and their experience of adaptation and integration into Indiana communities.

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

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

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

VIEW PHOTOS OF GRADUATION ON FLICKR

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

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

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

Anderson University recently announced that James T. Morris, Special Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer and President for Pacers Sports and Entertainment and former Executive Director for the United Nations World Food Programme, will address the graduating class of 2008 during commencement exercises, May 10. The 3 p.m. EDT program will be conducted in the Ward Fieldhouse of the Kardatzke Wellness Center. Speaking during Anderson University’s baccalaureate service will be Rev. Kimberly Majeski, campus pastor at Anderson University. Baccalaureate will take place earlier that day in Reardon Auditorium at 10 a.m. All events are free and open to the public.

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

When Jason Hays was growing up, he wanted to be a pizza man. “Then I wanted to be an astronaut,” said the 21-year-old Anderson University junior from Avon. “In high school, I got interested in graphic design but that really never went anywhere. Then, my senior year of high school, I really got interested in law enforcement.” Recently awarded a coveted summer internship with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Hays is well on his way to landing his dream job.

Last November, after an extensive application process, Hays was chosen as one of two students in Indiana for the FBI Honors Internship.

With only 56 students chosen from across the nation, this is not an easy internship to land. Hays beat out between 70 to 80 other applicants including graduate and law students in Indiana.

“I was very excited,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to work at the federal level in law enforcement. I just never thought it would be so soon.”

According to Wendy Osborne, FBI special agent and media coordinator for the Indianapolis office, Hays’ application was “unbelievable.”

“I have not met him but you can tell he is well-rounded from his application,” she said. “He is a very impressive young man and the FBI looks forward to working with him.”

The paid internship will begin in June and run through August and Hays will actually be living in Washington, D.C.

“I haven’t really gone outside of Indiana except for a couple weeks,” said Hays. “So, I’m really looking forward to living in Washington, D.C.”

Although Hays does not know his assignment yet, Osborne said the FBI places the Honors Internship students according to their discipline. “Hays has three majors, (accounting, criminal justice and computer science) so he could really be placed in several areas. I don’t believe it’s been determined yet,” said Osborne.

The FBI Honors Internship is designed to place students in positions within their discipline and allow them to get an inside look at the career opportunities of the bureau. It also allows students the opportunity to work side-by-side with Special Agents and Professional Staff personnel on important cases and management issues, said Osborne.

Hays said he is very grateful for this opportunity and said he hopes to gain future employment opportunities from it.

“It’s a good opportunity for me to make sure I’m on the right career path,” he said. “It’s easy to say what you want to do but it’s better to really get a feel for it.”

Bruce MacMurray, professor of criminal justice and sociology who gave Hays a reference for the internship, said Hays is a hard-working and determined student.

“He’s intelligent,” said MacMurray. “He’s always shown he is goal-directed. This is a wonderful opportunity as far as experience for a career goes. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to network and get good references. Federal internships have become more rare since 9-11 which is not surprising to anybody. I think this is a significant accomplishment.”

–Lynelle Miller is a reporter for The Herald Bulletin in Anderson, Ind. Story re-published with permission.

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

College applications, scholarship information, financial aid forms, campus visits, and many other steps to entering college can be an overwhelming process to any parent or college-bound student. But for 18 incoming freshmen to Anderson University one extra step was made possible to them for the first time to outstanding academic students and leaders in their communities. New to AU this year is a program that will integrate students into campus life in a different way.