, assistant professor of biology at 91����Ƶ, intends to learn more with the help of a $100,000 grant from the . The grant, awarded to full-time faculty members hired within the past seven years at Virginia colleges and universities, supports “one-year pilot studies that encourage the development of innovative interdisciplinary strategies.” Ten projects received funding during the 2014 grant cycle.

Halterman joined the 91����Ƶ faculty in 2012 after earning a PhD in pharmacology from the University of Virginia. She teaches in the undergraduate and in the .

Halterman’s research, which focuses on the effects of a salty diet on organ function at the molecular level, will begin in the spring. She is specifically interested in a protein called NFAT5.

“When salt is applied to cells in a dish, a protein known as NFAT5 is activated to turn on genes that protect cells from damage,” Halterman said. “However, this protein is also known to turn on genes involved in disease.”

Halterman wants to know more about how this effect occurs in living animals rather than cells. She will put rats on different levels of salt diets for six weeks, monitor blood pressure, and measure changes in NFAT5 levels in different organs of the body.

The goal is to “provide insight for future drug development and treatment of hypertension,” she said.

Grant funding will be used to purchase several pieces of high-tech equipment to conduct molecular biology research. The equipment includes a quantitative, real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) machine, spectrophotometer, and a special non-invasive device to measure rat blood pressure, all of which will also be used by students in upper-level courses at 91����Ƶ.

Other grant funds are designated to hire student assistants. This summer, senior biology majors Rachel King and Jason Spicher will receive stipends to work alongside Halterman. “In future semesters, both undergraduate biology students and graduate biomedicine students will be recruited to continue the research with the samples generated this summer,” Halterman said.

The research project will take advantage of 91����Ƶ’s newly renovated labs and animal facilities. Suter Science Center, built in 1968, is currently undergoing the final phase of a $7.3-million lab renovation project, with efforts underway to raise an additional $3.3 million for renovations to the western wing of the building.

The renovated building includes state-of-the-art facilities for 91����Ƶ’s three-year-old graduate program in biomedicine. A member of the program’s leadership team, Halterman instructs many of graduate-level courses, including “Human Gross and Microscopic Anatomy,” held in the .

Halterman earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Texas A&M University in 2006 and a master’s in biological and physical sciences from the University of Virginia in 2008.

“Begin with what you have,” she said, using “your little gift to change the world.”

Gbowee referred with pride in her to being a graduate of 91����Ƶ (she earned a in 2007) and to being the mother of a 2014 graduate, . “My home is 5,000 miles away from this campus, but this is a place that is very close to my heart.”

She said she chose 91����Ƶ for her eldest son because she wanted a university with “a whole lot of Jesus and lots of churches” in the vicinity, but “limited partying.”

Mensah, a major, was one of 351 students receiving bachelor’s degrees. Eighty graduate degrees were conferred, including the first graduates from 91����Ƶ’s two-year-old . Graduate certificates, associate degrees, and pastoral ministry degrees were also conferred.

Among the thousands of family members and friends in the audience were 10 relatives of , a well-known figure on campus for his basketball prowess. Less well-known is that he flunked out of 91����Ƶ after his freshman year.

Thorne appealed for re-admission, hoping to prove that he could be the first member of his extended family to finish college. The following years were not entirely smooth, including at least one brush with the law. But, in Thorne’s words, basketball coach “stayed in my ear to push me along and to be honest. He never gave up, and he’s been getting on my nerves for four years! But that’s what people need.”

An published in December 2013 showed that Thorne, in his fifth year at 91����Ƶ, was still struggling to complete his required coursework. Upon reading the article, Coach Dean posted this comment:

You need to really focus and finish strong! You can see the light at the end of the tunnel so keep grinding! Years from now, I need to be able to tell other recruits about ‘Andrew Thorne’…where he came from, what he had to overcome, the contributions you are making to society, and the successful life you are leading now. That’s where this story needs to go over the coming years. Get it done.

When Andrew’s name was called and he walked across the stage to receive his diploma, his father James waved the commencement program in the air and yelled, “It’s about time!”

Andrew’s 27-year-old brother (named James like his father) got leave from his work as a Norfolk-based petty officer in the U.S. Navy to be present. “I knew he was going to make it,” said his brother, though “it was not an easy ride for him.”

Their mother, Wanda, said she is sure “Drew” – as the family calls him – “is going to be successful – he’s proven that he can overcome a lot of obstacles in his life.”

Drew himself was all smiles as he hugged his family, but he was a man of few words in talking about his accomplishment. He simply said, “It means the world. It’s a fresh start. It’s a new beginning.”

More from commencement weekend:

Cords of Distinction ceremony��(��ǻ峦������)

Seminary commencement ceremony (podcast)

“” – WHSV/TV3 (video)

Nurses’ pinning ceremony (podcast)

Seminary Baccalaureate��(��ǻ峦������)

In traditional undergraduate population, there was a 2 percent increase, from 912 to 929 students, based on head counts in early September 2012 and 2013.

“I am especially proud of the fact that we attracted a high number of ethnic and racially diverse students,” said Luke Hartman, PhD, vice-president for enrollment. “I believe 91����Ƶ may be heading toward being one of the most diverse liberal arts institutions in the state. Greater diversity will, of course, enhance the university experience for all of our students, developing their critical-thinking abilities and emotional intelligence.”

Older students seeking graduate degrees or returning to school to finish their undergraduate degrees were the most significant area of enrollment growth for 91����Ƶ.

The older-adult group was heavily concentrated in graduate education outside of the seminary, with the total number of students in six master’s programs increasing by 27 percent, from 271 to 343 students.

Two new master’s degree programs – in and in – contributed heavily to the increase, with the former accounting for 61 students, 74 percent more than the previous year, and the latter accounting for 22 students, three times more than were enrolled the previous year, its first year of operation.

Close behind the graduate programs in growth were those serving adults who wish to complete their bachelor’s degrees. There’s a caveat in reporting the adult-program enrollment statistics: these adults study within cohorts that start at irregular intervals throughout the year, rather than being synchronized to the typical two-semester academic calendar. This makes it problematical to compare enrollment at the same point in time for successive years.

Being mindful of the caveat, 91����Ƶ officials are cautiously optimistic that the fall 2013 enrollment statistics may prove to be a harbinger of a jump in total adult enrollment for the coming academic year.

As of Sept. 10, 2013, was 121; last September, it was 79. The Lancaster students are all upgrading their RN degrees to degrees. On the main Harrisonburg campus, enrollment was 102 this fall, compared to 98 last fall. Harrisonburg offers the , as well as a . With 223 students enrolled altogether, these two sites are showing a 26 percent increase in enrollment.

For coursework that is not counted as college credit, has seen a dramatic increase in enrollment, necessitating a move to larger quarters on the Harrisonburg campus in 2012. Since the fall of 2012, IEP enrollment has jumped from 61 to 85, a 39 percent increase.

enrollment has been flat for a number of years, a trend that likely reflects the shrinkage in the membership of traditional churches in wider society.