Philosophy of Education

As a Christian university, Huntington is committed to developing the whole person, assisting students to understand all areas of human knowledge from the perspective of a Christian worldview and preparing them to impact their world for Christ. While the programs of the University are designed especially for students who desire to study in such an environment, the University welcomes students of all faiths who understand the objectives of the University and are willing to abide by its regulations.

The University is committed to a strong liberal arts emphasis, with general requirements in the arts, history, literature, philosophy and natural and social sciences for all students, regardless of the vocation or profession for which they are preparing.

In developing the whole person, the University emphasizes intellectual, physical, social and religious objectives.

• The University encourages the development of thorough scholarship; habits of honest, clear, constructive, critical thought; a command of oral and written English; an understanding of the meaning, methods and interrelationships of the principal fields of learning; an appreciation of beauty as expressed in nature and the arts; and concentration in one or two fields of learning in preparation for life’s work.
• The University encourages the student to value physical well-being as a basis for wholesome living and good health and to develop a personality that makes possible mutually satisfying and cooperative relations with others.
• The University encourages students to develop their faith, to interpret fields of learning from a Christian perspective, to commit themselves to Christ as Savior and Lord and to develop traits of Christian character and service. The University community nurtures a Christian environment conducive to spiritual growth and specifically requires Bible courses in the core curriculum and attendance in the chapel program.

The University recognizes that, as a Christian institution, it must make itself not a refuge from the contemporary world but an arena for encounter with the world and creative response to it. The University must emphasize the necessity for students to make a critical and personal response to the issues encountered in the various fields of study and challenge students to think through the relationship between their Christian faith, their academic pursuits, their career goals and their personal lives. These challenges should include unsolved problems and open questions, as well as issues for which satisfactory solutions have already been worked out. The University must accept disagreement and controversy as a normal and healthy part of its life as a university, rather than viewing them as a threat to be avoided by silence on controversial topics.

The University recognizes that it is unsuccessful if students learn information but are not challenged to rethink their values; students become familiar with a major field of study but are not ready to do independent and critical thinking in those fields; students learn about current problems, issues and controversies but feel no need to make personal responses to them; students maintain Christian beliefs and practices but insulate their Christian faith from other aspects of their experience and do not think through, broaden and deepen their faith in response to the challenges presented both by their academic and career pursuits and by their awareness of current problems and issues.