HUNTINGTON, Ind. — Huntington University students brought home 25 awards from the American Advertising Federation (Ad Fed) Fort Wayne 2024 Annual Advertising Honors on February 24, including the Best in Show and Judge’s Choice student awards. Collectively, HU students earned more awards than any other educational institution in this year’s Fort Wayne competition.
Additionally, Visiting Instructor of Graphic Design Yue Wang received two professional awards, bringing the total number of awards for Huntington University to 27, an increase from 2023.
This year’s award-winning students represent six academic programs from two departments in Huntington University’s School of the Arts. The Department of Art & Design, which includes undergraduates majoring in graphic design, studio art, and visual art education, earned a total of 12 student awards and two professional awards. The Department of Digital Media Arts, encompassing undergraduates majoring in animation, film production, and television production, received a total of 13 student awards.
Awards Summary:
Altogether, Huntington University students and faculty returned from the awards show with a Best in Show, a Judge’s Choice, 10 Gold, 7 Silver and 8 Bronze awards to their credit.
Submitting her entries under the name Yue’s Studio, HU professor Yue Wang received the following professional awards:
Silver Professional Elements of Advertising: Infographic “Silkworm to Silk Infographic Design”
Bronze Professional Cross Platform: Integrated Campaign “Dunhuang City Brand Identity Design”
Students from the Department of Art & Design received the following awards:
Gold Student Sales Promotion: Packaging Wendy Beatriz Mejia “Espresso Americano Package Redesign”
Sales Promotion: Packaging Allese DeYoung “Celsius Packaging Redesign”
Out of Home & Ambient Media: Poster Leah R. Docea “Fantasy World Building Infographic”
Integrated Brand Identity Campaign Morgan Watts “Brand Design – All Around Bakery”
Elements of Advertising: Illustration Solomon Rangel “Space Debris Infographic”
Silver Student Integrated Brand Identity Campaign Mallory Carver “Chick-Fil-A Brand Campaign”
Integrated Brand Identity Campaign Leah R. Docea “Adaptive by Design Rebrand”
Elements of Advertising: Logo Design Wendy Beatriz Mejia “Espresso Americano Logo Design”
Bronze Student Collateral Material: Event Materials Elizabeth Kruse “These Shining Lives Poster”
Online/Interactive: Social Media Campaign Josey Reineman “Huntington University T&F Meet Day”
Integrated Brand Identity Campaign Solomon Rangel “Dry Gentlemen Brand Design”
Elements of Advertising: Logo Design Wendy Beatriz Mejia “Duli Logo Design”
Students from the Department of Digital Media Arts received the following awards:
Best in Show Student Elements of Advertising: Animation Rheanna Jones, Joy Heisey, Rachel Scobey “Headless Horseman at Conner Prairie”
Judge’s Choice Student Online/Interactive: Social Media Elliot Martin “Cinematography Reel”
Gold Student Online/Interactive: Social Media Elliot Martin “Cinematography Reel”
Television Advertising Ericka Whitman “‘In the Beginning’ Promo”
Elements of Advertising: Animation Rheanna Jones, Joy Heisey, Rachel Scobey “Headless Horseman at Conner Prairie”
Elements of Advertising: Animation Cameron Wray, Seth Lecheler, Taylor Stickan “Subliminal”
Elements of Advertising: Animation Joy Purcell, Carrie Runyan, Anna Houser, Alyssa Smith “Jupiter Flights at Conner Prairie”
Silver Student Online/Interactive: Social Media Rebekah Steffen “I Remain”
Television Advertising Jaron Sustar, Hadlee Mertz, Smey Him “Ott’s Coffee”
Elements of Advertising: Art Direction Mason Hyslop, Tyler Bradley, Sam Mann “Scene Recreation Last of Us”
Bronze Student Television Advertising Megan Hostetler “Gold: Live at Huntington University”
Integrated Advertising Campaign Ericka Whitman “‘In the Beginning’ Event Campaign”
Elements of Advertising: Animation Ericka Whitman “#UCanCrushHunger FDN Graphics PKG”
About Huntington University:
Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering award-winning graduate, undergraduate and online programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. Founded in Huntington, Indiana, in 1897 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Huntington University has over a century of experience educating graduates who are ready to impact the world for Christ through scholarship and service. The nonprofit university’s locations include the original home campus and the UB Launch in Huntington, a doctoral program in occupational therapy and an accelerated baccalaureate nursing program in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and an undergraduate and doctoral program location in Peoria, Arizona. Huntington University’s home campus offers 18 official men’s and women’s athletic programs, and the university is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).
HUNTINGTON, Ind. — On February 17, Huntington University hosted 68 top high school seniors in the fourth Spirit of a Forester Scholarship Competition.
The invitation-only semi-annual competition includes students with a 3.7 grade point average or higher. Through an onsite extemporaneous essay and an interview with faculty and staff, students compete for scholarships ranging from $16,000 per year to full tuition for four years.
In addition to gathering together students who excel academically, the competition is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their understanding of the Spirit of a Forester, the set of traits that characterize Huntington University students: chasing truth, defying complacency, remaining curious, caring completely, embracing interconnectedness, having grit and exploring creativity.
The recipient of the full tuition scholarship from the February 17 competition is Heavyn Craft of Southfield, Michigan.
Additional scholarship recipients include the following:
For more information about upcoming Spirit of a Forester Scholarship Competition events, visit huntington.edu/Admissions or email admissions@huntington.edu.
About Huntington University: Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering award-winning graduate, undergraduate and online programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. Founded in Huntington, Indiana, in 1897 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Huntington University has over a century of experience educating graduates who are ready to impact the world for Christ through scholarship and service. The nonprofit university’s locations include the original home campus and the UB Launch in Huntington, a doctoral program in occupational therapy and an accelerated baccalaureate nursing program in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and an undergraduate and doctoral program location in Peoria, Arizona. Huntington University’s home campus offers 18 official men’s and women’s athletic programs, and the university is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).
HUNTINGTON, Ind. — Business students at Huntington University will benefit from a gift from the estate of longtime Huntington businessman J.T. Brennan.
Brennan, known for his interest in the stock market, designated funds to support the Department of Business at HU. The funds are being used to establish the Forester Acorn Fund.
“We are thankful for J.T. Brennan remembering the HU Department of Business in his estate,” said Dr. Ann McPherren, Department of Business chair. “The Forester Acorn Fund will provide business students with the real-world opportunity to actively invest and manage funds in the market.”
"I am excited about the experiential learning opportunity this fund will provide for our students,” said Dr. Brock Zehr, associate professor of business, who teaches courses in investing and personal finance. “They will gain experience in investment research, portfolio management, and investment decision-making. I am hopeful it will further career exploration in the financial services industry."
Pictured: Dr. Brock Zehr, associate professor of business, Mr. Jim Brennan, brother of J.T. Brennan and representative of the estate, Dr. Ann McPherren, professor of business, and Mr. Jim O’Donnell, emeriti professor of business.
Sixty-eight high school seniors from around the country attended the Huntington University Spirit of a Forester Scholarship Competition on Saturday, February 17. The competition is an invitation-only event for which HU-admitted high school seniors qualify with a 3.7 grade point average or higher and compete for four-year scholarships ranging from $16,000 to full tuition.
During the Saturday competition, finalists participated in interviews with HU faculty and staff and an extemporaneous writing session. Bonus points that counted toward the overall score were available for additional projects based on the seven traits collectively called the Spirit of a Forester: chasing truth, defying complacency, remaining curious, caring completely, embracing interconnectedness, having grit and exploring creativity.
“I submitted extra credit for [defying] complacency,” said student Katie Bolinger. “In the last year, I’ve tried to grow and make changes to make sure I'm growing in my faith and to not be stagnant.”
Her father, Brian Bolinger, offered a parent’s perspective on the scholarship competition and what it means for families of future Foresters.
“Knowing that there's other people who are specifically donating to grow the next Forester, I think it makes you feel the need to use it more than other scholarships,” he said. “It makes it more meaningful knowing that it's coming from somebody who wants to invest in the future generation.”
Parents were invited to attend a panel discussion consisting of HU’s president and senior leaders. The discussion focused on HU’s commitment to its mission and how that mission shapes strategic initiatives, how those initiatives benefit HU students and how HU offers a value that is worth the costs.
Scholarships offered through the Spirit of a Forester Scholarship Competition are a part of that value, making the HU experience possible for new generations of students.
“I'm a pastor,” said Steve Boyd, whose son Brian took part in the competition, as he reflected on how a scholarship would impact his family. “We’ve already made sacrifices to not be in the corporate world and choose to follow God's calling. We will have two kids in college in the next two years. So it obviously would mean a lot; it would be just great!”
Volunteer faculty, staff and HU students made the scholarship competition possible by setting up spaces around campus, greeting students and parents, planning and support, completing interviews and reviewing essays and extra credit packages.
Student Heavyn Craft, when asked how she felt about the competition and how it went for her, said, “I feel like it went well. It was very smooth. Everyone's super nice. Honestly, they took extra care of us. They made sure that we weren't nervous, and they just wanted to help.”
For Craft and her peers, the scholarship competition is a significant step toward a bright future that is only just beginning.
“For me to win even the smallest of scholarships would mean everything,” she said, adding that “being able to just go to school and not have to worry about the financial aspect of it, being able to just get my education and then focus on everything else that comes after that” would be a blessing.
As Craft and others noted, this is the true goal of the Spirit of a Forester Scholarship Competition: To help students pursue their calling at Huntington University and impact the world for Christ through scholarship and service.
The Office of Academic Affairs at Huntington University has named 435 students to the Dean’s List for fall semester 2023, including 410 students on our Huntington, Indiana, campus and 25 students at Huntington University Arizona in Peoria, Arizona.
To achieve designation on the Dean’s List, students must be classified as regular students, have been enrolled full-time with a load of 12 hours or more in graded courses, and earned at least 42 grade points with a semester GPA of at least 3.50.
“Students named to the Dean's List at Huntington University have demonstrated much more than intelligence,” said Dr. Luke Fetters, vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty. “They have shown that they manage their time, analyze complex material, communicate at a high level, and desire to make the most of the talents and abilities that God has given them. While many of these students are involved in student organizations, athletics, outside employment, and various other time-consuming activities, they are also performing at a high level in the classroom. We are proud of their accomplishments and look forward to celebrating their future contributions at Huntington University, in graduate school, in meaningful careers, and in community leadership wherever God leads them.”
The Department of History and Political Science at Huntington University is pleased to announce that Jace Gilman, Rebecca Luckey and Karson Miller have received the fall semester 2023 Jack P. Barlow, Sr., History Book Prizes. The Barlow Prizes are given to outstanding students in the department’s upper-level research- and writing-intensive courses.
Miller is from Edgerton, Indiana, and graduated from Woodlan High School. He is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in history, political science and international and development studies. After graduation, he plans to pursue a Master of Arts degree in history. Miller was recognized by Dr. Jeffrey Webb, professor of American history at Huntington University, for his performance in the course American Environmental History.
“Karson made substantial contributions to our seminar discussions, reflecting a deep engagement with the subject matter and related issues,” said Webb. “His research project on New Deal-era conservation and infrastructure far exceeded standards for undergraduate scholarship.”
About the Jack P. Barlow, Sr., Book Prize:
The Jack P. Barlow, Sr., Book Prize honors the memory of Professor Barlow, who served for over three decades as professor of American history at Huntington University, and carries a prize of $250 worth of academic books. It is sponsored by the Ron Frank Fund, which rewards academic achievement and student participation at professional academic conferences. The fund was established in 1973 in honor of Ron Frank, a former student at Huntington University.
Luckey is from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and graduated from Homestead High School. She is pursuing bachelor’s degrees in history education, international and development studies, history, and political science. She plans to teach at the secondary level and pursue graduate study in history. Luckey was recognized by Dr. Dwight Brautigam, professor of European history at Huntington University, for her performance in the course European Nation-States in Conflict.
“Rebecca was a stalwart leader and constant source of intellectual accountability for herself and her classmates,” said Brautigam. “She is a fantastic example of how commitment to her academic improvement raises the level of everyone in the room. She is a most worthy recipient of the Barlow Prize.”