HU receives $850,000 Avis Foundation grant

Three Huntington University programs launched in the last three years will receive funding for further development through an $850,000 capacity-building grant from the Avis Foundation, Inc. Distributed over three years, the grant will focus on building the capacity of the animal health and veterinary nursing undergraduate program, the Executive Coaching and Leadership Certificate program and the Doctoral Program in Occupational Therapy – OTA/PTA to OTD Bridge.

The Bachelor of Science in animal health and Associate of Applied Science in veterinary nursing dual-degree program, which Huntington University offers in partnership with Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, enrolled its first cohort of students in fall 2023. Enrollment in the program has nearly tripled in the year since the initial program launch. The Avis Foundation grant funds will go toward staffing as well as laboratory supplies and equipment. In addition to scaling up the program’s current instructional capacity, this strategic growth will allow Huntington University’s facility to prepare as a regional site for competency skill testing for veterinary technology licensure, both for Huntington University students and for students from other animal health agricultural programs.

Launched in October 2021, the Executive Coaching and Leadership Certificate program uses the Coach Approach Skill Training curriculum through an agreement with Holmes Coaching Group. The Avis Foundation grant will facilitate the University’s licensing acquisition of the curriculum, opening new opportunities to tailor the certificate program to community needs while retaining International Coaching Federation approval. More than 50 individuals have completed the certificate program to date.

In January 2023, Huntington University launched the OTA/PTA to OTD bridge program at the University’s Arizona location. The program provides a pathway to a doctoral degree in occupational therapy (OTD) for practicing occupational therapy assistant (OTA) and physical therapist assistant (PTA) professionals who are looking to advance their careers. Courses in the bridge program are offered primarily online, with in-person clinical workshops rounding out the experience. The Avis Foundation grant will go toward the expansion of the bridge program, including the development of an online curriculum and clinical workshops and hiring a program director and clinical instructors.

“The funding initiatives through the Avis Foundation provide Huntington University with wonderful opportunities to expand our abilities to serve students in new ways,” said Dr. Sherilyn Emberton, president of Huntington University. “For the next three years, University faculty and staff in occupational therapy, veterinary nursing and executive coaching will see new frameworks and methodologies to strengthen their learning experiences. This seed funding will be matched to increase the impact and allow the University to build capacity in key areas of growth. We are very grateful to the Foundation and to the legacy work of Leland and LaRita Boren for their philanthropic vision.”

Huntington University previously worked with Leland Boren and the Avis Foundation to launch and expand the University’s agricultural program offerings in the Haupert Institute for Agricultural Studies as well as complete the most recent renovations to the student center at the heart of the University’s Huntington campus.