Celebrating 125+ Years of Christ, Scholarship, and Service

The Huntington Land Association, encouraged by Rev. A. G. Johnson, a Church of the United Brethren in Christ minister, approaches the United Brethren Board of Education with a proposal to locate a college in Huntington, Indiana.

Central College is dedicated and classes start the next day. Charles H. Kiracofe, a former president of Hartsville College, is appointed the first president.

Central College was Huntington University’s original name.

The first class, including Rufus A. Morrison, J. W. Sell, and Elizabeth Zehring, graduates.

James H. McMurray, a professor of science and French at Central College, is elected the second president.

The men’s basketball program begins. Women’s basketball has been around since the College’s opening. The men’s program began later because of the early perception that basketball was a feminine sport, as opposed to the more rugged football or baseball. The “gymnasium” at this point is a portioned-off section of the west end of Davis Hall on the third floor of College Hall. 

Davis Hall occupied the third floor of College Hall and was an open space for student activities, gatherings, and theatre productions. Although the third floor of Becker Hall is no longer called Davis Hall, the name was carried on in the Homecoming tradition Davis Hall Follies and, later, Davis Hall: Larger Than Life.

Fermin Hoskins, another Oregon pioneer and a bishop of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, is elected the fourth president.

The Agricultural Experiment Station is constructed. Courses in agriculture and domestic science are instituted.

Samuel L. Livingston, professor of theology, sells his house on the corner of Lake Street and College Avenue to the College. This building becomes the first unit of the original Livingston Hall. The home was originally built by C. H. Kiracofe.

Central College is recognized as an Associate School in Class A by the State Board of Education. This allows the College to give a state-approved degree in education. 

Daniel R. Ellabarger is elected the seventh president. He previously served as professor of mathematics at Hartsville College.

A gymnasium is constructed to the southeast of College Hall, mainly constructed with student labor. It is enlarged and brick veneered in 1934.

The first Mnemosyne, the yearbook of the student body, is published. It will be published continuously until 2010.

Clarence A. Mummert is again elected president. He is the only president to serve two non-contiguous terms. His most famous act during this term is trying to force the College’s closure in 1932 due to the Great Depression. The Board of Education did not agree.

The Foresters are named for the first time. Local sports writer “Cash” Keller, while watching a Huntington College basketball game, remarked that the team reminded him of the famed Robin Hood and his green-clad Foresters.

The first Student Union is organized. Isaac H. Osgood is the first student body president.

The Student Union later became the Student Senate. Today, it is called the Student Government Association.

The Alumni Association is revived by Dr. Fred Loew. The first newsletter is published

The Huntington College Foundation is organized. The instigation came from Dr. Fred Loew, and Jacob L. Brenn of Huntington Labs served as its president until 1962.

The Huntington University Foundation, as it’s now known, exists to support the mission of the University by promoting education and fostering a synergistic relationship between the University and the Huntington County community and surrounding area.

The original Milton Wright Memorial Hall is dedicated, named in honor of United Brethren Bishop Milton Wright, father of the Wright brothers, and those alumni who served and sacrificed their life in World War II.

The steeple on the Administration Building (formerly known as College Hall) is removed for safety reasons.

Today, this building is called Becker Hall (named after the University’s ninth president, Elmer Becker).

E. Dewitt Baker is elected the tenth president. An alumnus, he had previously served as a missionary to Sierra Leone, where he oversaw the construction and opening of two high schools and several elementary schools.

Lake Sno-Tip is constructed. It is named after the men who engineered and executed its construction: Gene Snowden, a member of the Board of Trustees, and Bill Tipmore, director of development.

The Indiana Beta chapter of Alpha Chi, a national honor society, is inaugurated.

Indiana Beta is the second Alpha Chi chapter in Indiana. At the April 2015 Alpha Chi National Convention, the Huntington University chapter was nationally recognized as the year's outstanding chapter with The President's Cup. This is the second time HU won this distinction, having also been chosen to receive the honor in 2001. The chapter has a historic record as a Star Chapter of Alpha Chi. 

The 4-1-4 calendar is adopted, allowing for the introduction of the January Term (J-term) course. J-term usually consists of one course not regularly offered in the college curriculum, ranging from courses on C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien to wood carving. Many students take advantage of this time for an international or intercultural academic experience.

Membership in the Associated Colleges of Indiana is obtained. The organization is now known as the Independent Colleges of Indiana.

The Merillat Complex opens. Named after major donors Orville and Ruth Merillat, the facility houses the Physical Education Department and is a central location for most of the sports teams. It includes a gymnasium and an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Many HU graduates know the Merillat Complex as the PERC, or the Merillat Physical Education and Recreation Complex. Today, this building is known as the Merillat Complex & Fieldhouse, or the PLEX.

Eugene B. Habecker is elected the eleventh president. Dr. Habecker previously served as vice president of the College for two years.

RichLyn Library is dedicated. This new facility more than doubles the floor space of the old Loew-Alumni Library and includes state-of-the-art information retrieval systems. Huntington is one of the first private colleges in the state to implement an online catalog.

RichLyn Library takes its name from Richard and Lynette Merillat. Since RichLyn is a combination of their first names, the L in RichLyn is capitalized.

The steeple is restored to the Administration Building. Through fundraising by the Class of 1989 and Interim President J. Edward Roush, money is secured to replace the steeple. Dr. Becker had the steeple removed in 1953 because of deterioration and safety concerns.

The Merillat Centre for the Arts is dedicated. Incorporating communications, music, art, and theatre, the facility included a 700-seat auditorium, music rehearsal space, the Robert E. Wilson Art Gallery, and a radio/television production studio.

G. Blair Dowden is elected the twelfth president. Dr. Dowden previously served as vice president of development at Houghton College.

The Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service, the precursor to the Friesen Center for Service and Experiential Learning, opens.

The Joe Mertz Center for Volunteer Service existed to connect students with the service needs of their community and missions projects around the globe. Today, the Friesen Center for Service and Experiential Learning combines that original vision with career preparation, connecting students with internship, practicum, and job shadow opportunities.

Miller Residence Hall and Meadows Residence Hall open. Both are named after retired bishops of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ: C. Ray Miller (Class of 1951) and Clyde Meadows (Class of 1925).

Dowden Science Hall opens. This building replaces Brenn Hall, which is converted into classroom space. In 2013, the University honors twelfth president G. Blair Dowden by naming the facility that was constructed during his administration after him.

Livingston Residence Hall opens, honoring the memory of all the women who passed through the old Livingston Hall that was torn down when RichLyn Library was constructed.

Huntington University’s Fort Wayne location opens in cooperation with Parkview Hospital Randallia and the Life Sciences Research and Education Consortium of Northeast Indiana.

Located on the campus of Parkview Hospital Randallia, the Fort Wayne location is home to the Doctoral Program in Occupational Therapy in Indiana.

Sherilyn Emberton is elected the thirteenth president, the first female to hold that role at Huntington University. Dr. Emberton previously served as the provost and vice president for academic affairs at East Texas Baptist University.

The Haupert Institute for Agricultural Studies opens, named in honor of Dale and Elaine Haupert, longtime area farmers and lay members of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. Dale was also a member of the Huntington University Board of Trustees.

Peoria Mayor Cathy Carlat presents HU Arizona with the Mayor’s Award at the Peoria Chamber of Commerce Banquet.

The Doctoral Program in Occupational Therapy welcomes its first HU Arizona cohort.

The Doctoral Program in Occupational Therapy in Arizona receives maximum accreditation for the first time. The first cohort graduates in August.