If you’re in high school and considering a career in the ag industry or ag biosciences, then you may want to consider Huntington University, which is southwest of Fort Wayne in Huntington, Indiana.
“For Huntington, our basis on faith, family, and farming has served us extremely well,” says Dr. Sherilyn Emberton, President of Huntington University.
She says the idea to start an Agricultural Studies Program at the university in 2015 developed from one of her first visits to the campus nearly a decade ago.
“I was amazed flying into our regional airport in Fort Wayne,” says Dr. Emberton. “I grew up in a large state, Texas, but I had never seen in my life the amount of acreage under crop production that I saw in northeast Indiana. Immediately, my brain kicked over to president role, and I thought, ‘Who’s providing the talent? Who’s providing the workforce?’”
When word got out that Huntington University was starting an Agricultural Studies Program, Dr. Emberton says Indiana’s ag companies stepped up to help.
“Before I could even have graduates, we had corporate partners on our campus saying, ‘Can they come? Can they do internships? Can we add to your curriculum?’ Those were places like Beck’s Hybrids, Dow, Corteva, Advanced Agrilytics, Pioneer, Ag Plus, Strauss Veal and Midwest Poultry. People who stepped up and said, ‘What can we do to help you be successful?’”
She says the program is incorporating the latest technologies in agriculture.
“Our students have been flying drones on our campus for probably a dozen years,” says Dr. Emberton. “We did it in the film and media program. To see those students interact with our agriculture students has taken it to a whole new level.”
Dr. Emberton adds that students who earn an ag degree from Huntington University also receive a faith-based Christian education.
“Anybody that has been in agriculture through the years knows that faith has always been a part of that,” says Dr. Emberton. “Your faith to put that seed in the ground or to have that operation and expect something to come from that. Our footprint has always been in faith-based higher education, but I think, because we have 125-year history of Christ-scholarship service, it really is a sweet spot for many people.”
Since Huntington University first started its Agricultural Studies Program in 2015, they offer four different bachelor’s degrees. They also have also recently added a farm lab and an animal science education center.
Click BELOW to hear C.J. Miller’s radio news report on Huntington University’s Agricultural Studies Program and how they combine faith, family and farming.
Click BELOW to hear the FULL Podcast interview with Dr. Sherilyn Emberton, President of Huntington University, as she discusses the creation, development and rapid growth of the university’s Agricultural Studies Program.
Click HERE to learn more about Huntington University’s Agriculture Studies Program.
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