HUNTINGTON, Ind. — Huntington University will begin offering a faith-based agriculture curriculum in the fall of 2015, university officials announced last week. This fall, the university will unveil its Institute for Agricultural Studies, with the hope of enrolling students for the start of the 2015-16 academic year.

A $100,000 gift from an anonymous donor allowed for the creation of the institute, said Sherilyn Emberton, university president. Agricultural classes at the university will focus on agribusiness, with an emphasis on communications and media and innovation in entrepreneurship.

Faith-based study – such as preparing students for agricultural missions or work as teachers and business professionals in Third World or other countries – will also be a primary focus, Emberton noted. The university hopes to collaborate with Purdue University on such areas as research projects and possibly sharing faculty.

"This would be a great opportunity for students to get a general strong foundation in agriculture," she said. "They could gain a basic working knowledge of animal science or plant production, but for us to specialize (in those areas) wouldn’t be to our strengths. An agribusiness curriculum does feed into our strengths."

Huntington, a Christian college of liberal arts, has undergraduate and graduate degree programs in more than 70 areas of study. The faith-based agricultural curriculum will be the first of its kind in the state, the university said.

Its Christian emphasis doesn’t inhibit its ability to teach scientific classes to students, Emberton noted. While the school does provide a Biblical perspective, it also introduces students to all theories and knowledge of the sciences, she explained.

Emberton, a Texas native, was named president of the university last year. Though ranching and farming were not new to her when she moved to Indiana, she was surprised by the amount of land she saw set aside for crop production as she traveled to the area. "As a new president and in getting to know people, I was overwhelmed by the number of families who have a direct connection to farming, a legacy of farming or who worked in agribusiness," she said. "It piqued my interest.

"I asked who provides agriculture education in the state and was told Purdue. I asked about other schools providing agriculture education and received no answer. It became clear to us as an institution that we had a strong desire to pursue this."

In the year between the creation of the institute and the start of its agriculture program, Emberton said officials will be proactive in getting the word out about the curriculum. They’ll also be asking potential students what they might be looking for in agricultural courses. She eventually hopes to see 200-300 students enrolled in the agriculture program.

Huntington’s size may make a difference to a student who wants an agricultural education but at a smaller college, Emberton noted, adding the ability to participate in sports may also be a factor. "You may have a kid who comes from a rural area and who wants to continue playing sports, but they’re not a Division One athlete, per se," she said. "Here, they can pursue that sport and continue their studies." Huntington’s sports teams play in the National Assoc. of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Last fall, Huntington had an enrollment of 1,113, while Purdue’s West Lafayette campus had 38,788, according to the schools.

In December 2013, Emberton created an Agriculture Task Force to work toward creating an agriculture program. On the task force is R.D. Schrader, president of Schrader Real Estate & Auction Co., based in Columbia City. As a graduate of Grace College in Winona Lake and Purdue, Schrader appreciated the benefits of attending both a small, faith-based school and a large university.

"Students will have another viable option, especially those wanting to go to a faith-based program," he said. "I believe there will be considerable demand, because I think a lot of students are looking to a smaller school with a faith-based education.

"They’re looking for that option. There’s a lot of opportunity for Huntington, and for the region."