HU stands in top 5 for sixth consecutive year

With the 2022 Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Festival of Media Arts underway, Huntington University has emerged as the top private digital media arts program in the country — for the sixth year in a row.

Earning 23 awards total (up four from 2021), the HU digital media arts program ranks third in the nation among both private and public universities. Huntington University also took home a Best of Fest award in the Animation/Experimental/Mixed category.

“Ranking in the top five colleges and universities in the nation now for the sixth year tells me we have something pretty special happening in our film, television and film production programs at HU, both in Indiana and at our HU Arizona center,” said Dr. Lance Clark, dean of the School of the Arts at Huntington University.

With half of the awards earned by HU students and faculty coming from the University’s Indiana location and the other half coming from the Arizona location, it’s clear that the University’s film, television and animation pedigree is strong. The program was founded over a decade ago and has grown to be one of the largest majors for the University. And when looking at the other schools in the top five, Huntington University is clearly the one breaking the mold.

“It really is a David and Goliath modality in terms of university sizes. There are nearly 15,000 undergraduate students at Syracuse (the other private university in the top five), and for our 1,000 headcount at HU, that’s amazing to see how well we compete,” said Clark.

“We’re small but we’re focused,” said Phil Wilson, Arizona digital media arts program director. “Our hands-on curriculum works. Many of the major universities on this list make students wait until they’re juniors to work with cameras. I have freshmen using cameras week one. I tell the students that they will have made at least 100 projects by the time they graduate, and that’s not hyperbole. With that level of productivity, growth happens, and recognition like this happens.”