Freed-Hardeman is a private Christian university located in the town of Henderson, a rural community in West Tennessee. The school traces its heritage to members of the Churches of Christ who helped build it, and was named in honor of its founders A.G. Freed and N. B. Hardeman.
FHU is consistently ranked in the top tier of Southern universities by U.S. News and World Reports’ annual college ranking. For the last 11 years, FHU has been recognized by the magazine in the “Great School, Great Price” category. With an enrollment of approximately 2,000 students, FHU is small enough to have a friendly, family atmosphere, yet large enough to offer plenty of student activities and an impressive list of majors.
At FHU there are twelve academic departments organized into six schools – Arts and Humanities, Biblical Studies, Business, Education, Sciences and Mathematics, and the Honors College. FHU offers more than 40 undergraduate majors in such fields as: Arts and Humanities; Behavioral Sciences and Family Studies; Biblical Studies; Biology; Business; Nursing; Chemistry and Engineering Sciences; Communication and Literature; Fine Arts; Health and Human Performance; Mathematics and Computer Science; History, Philosophy, and Political Studies. Students can also enter the college without declaring a major.
Since the majority of FHU students live in the university’s residence halls, the campus quickly becomes a home away from home. Dormitories are staffed by mature Christians and a team of student assistants. Quality food is served in the dining hall, snack bar, and coffeehouse. Extracurricular activities include movie nights, social clubs, intramural and intercollegiate sports. Counseling and health services are available on campus.
Although Chester County is considered a safe place to live, the university has its own security staff and security camera surveillance. Members of the security staff are trained and certified by the state of Tennessee. In addition, the university utilizes LionAlert as a means of mass notification via email and text messages in the event of threatening weather or some other incident.
Character and career education, reflected in the school’s motto of “Teaching how to live and how to make a living,” have been the school’s focus for many years. At FHU academic excellence is paired with a commitment to Christian principles. Chapel and devotional periods are a regular part of campus life and the study of the Bible is included in every student’s curriculum. Standards of conduct reflect that commitment to principle. The administration has demonstrated its dedication to students’ spiritual development by appointing a vice president for spiritual development—a seasoned Christian whose main job is promoting spiritual growth among young people.
Although proud of its heritage, Freed-Hardeman is also focused on the future. The iKnow initiative was created by the university to shift the paradigm of traditional instruction at FHU. Beginning in the fall of 2012, iKnow 2.0 will provide an iPad to every student who enrolls as a freshman, as well as all faculty members at the institution. The most exciting part of the program will be the ability to access textbooks via the iPad. Historically, students have gone to the university bookstore and spent hundreds per semester on books. Now, because of the iPad, students will have access to interactive digital textbooks that are not only more participatory, but significantly more affordable.
In addition, FHU has partnered with Inkling, a company working with publishers to provide enriched, interactive, and engaging content, on the iPad. Their goal, along with FHU, is not to reinvent the textbook or reinvent publishing, but to reinvent the way people learn on campus. While FHU looks to the future with its emphasis on technology, it is firmly grounded in a tradition of educating the whole person. It seeks to help its students grow as Jesus grew: mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually.
Jared Gott, Director of Recruitment for FHU, told us: “We work with many homeschool students and … we would love to work with your homeschool organization, with your students, and with any parents that are looking for college options. We can send you any information that you require … I’ll be more than happy to help you out. We want to serve your homeschool organization the best way we can and help you guide your students into their postsecondary careers.”
For more information about FHU, see http://www.fhu.edu or check out the following:
why.fhu.edu– a microsite where prospective students can see what sets Freed-Hardeman apart from other institutions.
apply.fhu.edu– FHU has a free application and after a student applies, they can learn about scholarship possibilities.