Mission & Philosophy

The University is a Christ-centered liberal arts institution of higher education with a strong historic and ongoing relationship with the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. With the conviction that all truth is God’s truth, the University exists to carry out the mission of Christ in higher education.  Through a curriculum of demonstrated academic excellence, students are educated in the liberal arts and their chosen disciplines, always seeking to examine the relationship between the disciplines and God’s revelation in Jesus Christ.  

The University’s mission will be accomplished as we . . .  

1. develop in students a commitment to scholarship that is persistent in its pursuit of truth and sensitive to the concerns of the Christian church, the scholarly and educational community and the world at large;  

2. educate students broadly for a life of moral and spiritual integrity, personal and social responsibility and a continued quest for wisdom;

3. equip students for a variety of vocations so that they may glorify the Creator, who charged humanity with the care of his Creation;  

4. help students develop their abilities for a life of God-honoring service to others and for personal fulfillment.

With the conviction that all truth is God’s truth, Huntington University as a Christian liberal arts college exists to carry out the mission of Christ in higher education.

As a Christian liberal arts college, 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.

Huntington University recognizes that, as a Christian liberal arts college, it must make itself not a refuge from the contemporary world but an arena for encounter with that world and creative response to it. The University must emphasize the necessity for the 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 college, rather than viewing them as a threat to be avoided by silence on controversial topics.

The University recognizes that it is unsuccessful to the extent that 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.

Excerpt from the Articles of Incorporation

Huntington University is among the top Indiana Christian liberal arts colleges with a strong historic and ongoing relationship with the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA. With the conviction that all truth is God’s truth, the University exists to carry out the mission of Christ in higher education.

Through a curriculum of demonstrated academic excellence, students are educated in the liberal arts and their chosen disciplines, always seeking to examine the relationship between the disciplines and God's revelation in Jesus Christ.