Mike Thigpen is the director of the Cultural Resource Center located on the second floor of Decker Hall. Thigpen is also a member of MOSAIC, which is a team of students appointed by the CRC to “build an interculturally responsive campus,” and is the staff adviser to the social club Phi Alpha Kappa. What did your career look like before you came to AU? I have been in ministry for over twenty years. Beyond that, I have worked with youth, adults and Christian organizations. Before AU, I … [Read more...]
Nursing faculty promote curriculum diversity
Anderson University’s nursing department has a one hundred percent pass rate on the NCLEX licensure exam. The nursing department equips its students in the best way they know how for the workforce. Dr. Lynn Schmidt, dean of the School of Nursing and Kinesiology, has been in office since 2016. She has been teaching since 2008. “I’ve always wanted to be a nurse. That is the only thing I have ever wanted to do,” Schmidt said. “The most rewarding part of my job is the opportunity to … [Read more...]
Nicholson Library hosts book signing with Dr. Dirck
Beneath him were thousands of dead Americans. Their bodies were scattered across the Civil War battlefields during the darkest years of the American experiment. President Abraham Lincoln, who suffered a tragic death much like his soldiers, led a deadly and divided America. Four years turned America’s glorious plains into mass graves. Dr. Brian Dirck, both a Civil War and Lincoln presidential scholar, is releasing a new book titled The Black Heavens: Abraham Lincoln and Death. The book … [Read more...]
Junior sets heart on UNICEF
Hayley Stone is a junior international relations major with an emphasis in global culture and a minor in peace and conflict transformation (PACT) from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Stone grew up not knowing what she wanted to do in the future, and it wasn’t until she came to AU that she truly discovered her career path. “I came into AU declared as an international relations major and a PACT minor, because it was fascinating to me,” Stone said. “I actually didn’t know what I wanted to do until I was … [Read more...]
AU department highlight: English department
English majors are often seen as the quiet students at AU, and many people don’t know much about what makes the major or the department unique. Dr. Kevin Radaker, English professor and former chairman of the English department, believes that English majors are extremely versatile. “Yes, we know how to write and read well,” he said, “but there’s just something more there. English majors have gone places in the workforce no one thought they could.” The backbone of the English … [Read more...]
Q & A with Becca Palmer
Becca Palmer is originally from Springfield, Illinois, but has lived in Anderson since she came to AU for college. She is now the director of spiritual formation and oversees chapel worship, female and male discipleship coordinators and campus ministries. What initially led you here to AU? When I started looking for colleges, my Bible study leader at the time told me that if she could do it all over again, she would have gone to AU. I had never heard of it, but she told me all about the … [Read more...]
Former U.S. senator gives public address in Reardon
On Wednesday, Dec. 3, AU welcomed Kelly Ayotte to campus. Ayotte is a former senator representing New Hampshire where she sat on the Committee of Armed Services and the Committee of Commerce, Science and Transportation, among others. President John Pistole, as administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, reported to the commerce committee for Congressional oversight. The former senator is an expert on issues of national security and previously served as the first … [Read more...]
#myAUstory: From Ukraine to Anderson, Indiana
Whether a student, professor or faculty member, every Raven has their own AU story. Perhaps yours is a legacy story or maybe one of paving your own way. People from different states, countries and continents have made AU home over the years. AU is more than just an institution or a college campus. AU is made up of the people who call this place home, and the stories of what brought them here are what keep AU alive. As we continue to grow in community together, every individual “My AU Story” … [Read more...]
Q & A with Dr. Tammy Reedy-Strother
Associate Professor of Sociology Dr. Tammy Reedy- Strother is the chair of the Department of Sociology, Social Work, Criminal Justice and Family Science. She earned her bachelor’s in math and sociology and her master’s in sociology from Marshall University before going on to earn her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Kentucky. Reedy-Strother also obtained a graduate certificate in women’s studies from UK. Tell me about your family life. I’m married to Dr. Eric Strother, who … [Read more...]
Cinema Club sets sights on developing original content
Most college students would jump at the chance to join a club based around watching and discussing movies. Add a dozen other students who are well-versed in the world of film, and you have something truly special. That’s the opportunity that professor Jack Lugar saw in creating a cinema club. Each week, Lugar is working to create that culture more and more. The club began in 2016 but didn’t really take off until this school year. It is designed to be a place where AU students who share a … [Read more...]