Maggie Platt attended AU as an undergraduate student and completed her bachelor’s in 2007. Since then, she has worked in youth and camp ministry before returning to AU as a resident director in 2013. She served as RD of Rice and Martin Halls and is now the director of residence life and student conduct. Platt earned her Master of Science in Management and Leadership in 2016. Tell me a little bit about how you initially came to AU. I was planning on going to Indiana University. My mom told … [Read more...]

Last Tuesday marked the beginning of the first Nursing Bootcamp to take place at AU. Students and faculty from the School of Nursing and Kinesiology gathered in Hartung Hall on the morning of Aug. 21 to kick off four days of experiential learning, networking and community building. Students were able to practice performing nursing duties such as testing for vital signs, including blood pressure, pulse and temperature. There were also sessions in time and stress management as well as a handy … [Read more...]

Every year before classes begin at AU, there is a week of training for student leaders.  The student leadership training consists of between one and two weeks of preparation for the succeeding academic year. Everything from academic coursework to interactive training and spiritual development prepares student leaders to serve in their diverse roles at AU. The staff of residential halls, CAB, IM Leagues, admissions, first year experience and peer mentors fall into the category of student … [Read more...]

The ninth annual Scholar’s Day showcased 51 undergraduate students’ research from various departments yesterday. Dr. Chad Wallace, dean of the School of Science and Engineering, does a lot to make this event happen. Wallace said that Scholar’s Day is important because it gives students who do their own research and scholarly work the opportunity to share it with the AU community and public. “It gives them a chance to share their excitement and the things that they’ve learned,” Wallace … [Read more...]

From a young age, Boris Sitnikoff was exposed to faith in a very distinct manner. As a toddler, he and his family moved to Tennessee from Indianapolis, where his first memories are filled with fear and spiritual attack. “I had a lot of nightmares of these shadow things that were chasing me and throwing me around,” Boris said. “I was struck with fear endlessly, and I couldn’t stay in a room alone for more than 10 seconds.”  These nightmares were more than just dreams for Boris, and the … [Read more...]

Professor Liz Ranfeld has taught in the English Department at AU since 2011. She received a bachelor’s degree in English from Taylor University and a master’s in creative nonfiction from the University of New Hampshire. She, her husband and their two children live in Albany; in her free time, Ranfeld enjoys traveling, gardening and reading. When did you realize that you wanted to be a writer? In kindergarten, even before then, I was stapling together construction paper into a book. And I … [Read more...]

Now coworkers, Trent Palmer, director of student engagement, and Dr. Jason Varner, assistant profesor of the history of Christianity, were once just two friends with a mutual passion for Americana and bluegrass music. The two guitar players met regularly for “jam sessions,” and after being asked to perform at a few AU campus events, they formed the Rock Bottom Boys band. Fast forward nearly a decade—the duo has become a trio and together, Palmer, Varner and Mike Snyder make up the Rock … [Read more...]

Natalie Esarey did not grow up in a Christian home. Her dad believed in a world full of light and darkness but no Jesus, and her mom was raised in a very passionately Catholic family. “I grew up in a very loving family,” she said. “It’s just that Jesus wasn’t the center of the love—it was very human love.” However, Natalie did not have a good relationship with her father. “I had this longing for a father, and there was this hole in my heart that I tried to fill with a lot of things,” … [Read more...]

Zina Teague earned her bachelor’s in sociology and psychology from Houghton College, where she worked for five years in the Office of Admissions. Teague came to AU in the fall of 2017 as the new Morrison Hall RD. What led you to become an RD at AU? When I graduated from college—I went to a small, Christian private school similar to AU up in western New York called Houghton college—I ended up staying at Houghton and working in the admissions office for five years. I really enjoyed that job; … [Read more...]

During their senior years, AU nursing students are not confined to studying in the library on campus; rather, they are encouraged to gain hands-on experience across the U.S. and even overseas. Nursing capstones take place during the second semester of senior year and incorporate three components. “Students are put through quite a grind,” said Professor Patricia Kline, who coordinates the clinical experiences. “They complete the highest level of complex patient care. They also complete a … [Read more...]