Huntingdon College
Office of Communications
| August 22, 2007 For immediate release: |
Huntingdon College NEWS RELEASE |
Huntingdon Students Receive “A Brand New Campus Experience”
Montgomery, Ala.—“A Brand New Campus Experience” is the theme for the Huntingdon College Office of Student Life this year. And for the vice president and dean, director of residence life, chaplain, and director of the Center for Career and Vocation, the mantra, meant for students, could be their mantra as well. All of these staff members are new in their roles at Huntingdon this year. Vice president for student life and dean of students Dr. Frank Parsons was the first to arrive, June 1. Formerly the director of Greek life, student organizations, and community service at Samford University, Parsons has more than 15 years of experience working in higher education, both as a teacher and administrator. Hired in May after a national search, Parsons quickly began making phone calls to fill the other openings in his department. “We’re putting the ‘life’ back into ‘student life’ at Huntingdon,” he says, with a degree of seriousness behind his smile. “I’m excited we have been able to hire such fine professional staff to accomplish the task. We’re all well-trained, well-equipped, passionate, and energetic, and we can’t wait for the year to unfold.” A careful, easy-going fellow, Parsons brings a broad spectrum of experience in student life to his first position at the helm of a student life office. Parsons earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Auburn University and his doctorate at the University of Alabama. College chaplain and director of community service Brian Smith, a Class of 1994 Huntingdon College graduate, completed his master’s degree at Asbury Theological Seminary, was ordained in ministry in the Wesleyan Church, and has served in the ministry in North and South Carolina since 1999. He is in the process of transferring to the United Methodist Church. On campus since June 1, signs of new life in the Campus Ministry program are emerging already. In addition to the traditional weekly Chapel service at 11:00 a.m. Wednesdays, Smith has organized a new weekly Thursday night EMERGE gathering (8:08 p.m.). “It’s a chance for participants to go deeper into their faith, to step out, to explore and ask questions. We’ll begin in the Chapel and then go to break- out sessions in other rooms,” says Smith. Once a month the group will head over to the College’s new coffee shop, Java City, for later discussion. A new Christian dance team, organized by Chapman Benson Professor of Christian Faith and Philosophy Jimmy Jeffcoat, known as Perfected Praise, will begin this term. Father Louie Skipper, Episcopal priest, will offer Eucharist/ Communion services each Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. in Pratt Hall, Room 115. Weekly Bible study groups are forming. Fellowship of Christian Athletes will continue to meet weekly, and a “Huddle” meeting will happen on the first Monday of each month during lunch in the dining hall. Smith is also in charge of the community service initiatives at the College. Long known for its emphasis on community service, Huntingdon student volunteers, overseen by faculty and others, run the College’s Wheelin’ Hawks adapted sports program for children with physical disabilities, plow fields and raise crops for Project Jericho and the Montgomery Food Bank, and are a driving force in the Montgomery Area Non-Traditional Equestrian (MANE) project. They also volunteer for countless other projects in the city, building playgrounds and houses, raising money for causes, tutoring children, and a myriad of other programs. Smith, the first to be placed in a position of authority over all service experiences, foresees better communication about the opportunities available with a central person in charge, as well as the ability to organize campus-wide service projects each semester. Kari Osborne, director of residence life, joined the College in July. A graduate of Samford University (undergraduate) and the University of Alabama-Birmingham (graduate), she comes to Huntingdon from her position as coordinator of student activities at UAB. “There’s no place like home,” says Osborne, “and we want to make Huntingdon feel like home for our students.” New structured office hours for resident assistants and resident directors will enable response to identified issues. In addition, RAs and RDs will offer hall programs once each month, building programs twice each semester, and one large residence life program each semester. A new commuter adoption agency is taking shape. Osborne’s biggest challenge is space—most of the available housing on campus is full—so plans and options are under discussion for how to increase available housing spaces. Matthew Correia, the father of two current Huntingdon students, is the new director for the College’s Center for Career and Vocation. It’s his job to connect with students from the freshman through senior years as they discover what they are called to do with their lives and find places where their talents and the world’s needs meet. Along the way, he will offer programs that engage student interest on topics from résumé preparation to dressing for success, and offer personality testing, aptitude testing, graduate school selection assistance, and professional advice on preparing to meet their goals and objectives. Correia comes to Huntingdon from a career in the U.S. Air Force, where he most recently served as a career counselor for the ROTC program at Auburn University. Parsons, Smith, Osborne, and Correia join a staff of three returning student lifers, director of student involvement and leadership Rebecca Timmins Adams, office manager Alicia Burnett (Class of 2006), and director of campus health services Camilla Irvin. Chief of campus security Mike Ward (Class of 1974) and the campus security team are considered part of the Student Life umbrella as well. Burnett has been at the College since she arrived as a freshman in 2002. She joined the student life team upon graduation. “I think [this year is] going to be a whole new outlook on everything,” says Burnett. “It’s a whole new beginning. I’m excited about everyone’s ideas, their enthusiasm, and their determination to get students more involved. It’s going to be a great year.” Huntingdon College, grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition of the United Methodist Church, is committed to nurturing growth in faith, wisdom, and service and to graduating individuals prepared to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Founded in 1854, Huntingdon is a coeducational liberal arts college. The College motto is “Enter to grow in wisdom; go forth to apply wisdom in service.” ### Su Ofe | |
