Asbury’s ImpactU offers career training

Published 10:32 am Thursday, April 19, 2018

New forensic science course offered in week-long summer camp

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Asbury University will offer its fifth annual ImpactU Summer Camp, designed to offer students across the country a way to explore their talents in a Christian community.

“A third of the students that come to ImpactU Camps at Asbury end up attending Asbury,” Brad Johnson, assistant vice president of marketing and communications for Asbury University, said. “That’s a crazy number, but it speaks to how much the students really get to see what living, learning and positive fellowship in Asbury’s community-oriented environment is all about.”

Open to high school students, registration for ImpactU is now open, and ends May 31. 

Camps are scheduled for June 4-8 and June 11-15. The camp is a week-long experience designed to offer students the ability to dive deeper into equine studies, film, science, ministry and more.

All camps are staffed by experienced Asbury faculty and students. The camp fee includes food, housing, equipment, evening activities and academic instruction for students who choose to attend.

“ImpactU is an amazing opportunity for students to explore an academic area while getting a taste of life at Asbury,” Shelby Weakley, a visit specialist at Asbury, said in a prepared statement. “With a broad range of camps — from brass music to adventure leadership to creative writing — there’s something for everyone. And as a residential program, it gives students an up-close experience of life in Asbury’s vibrant Christian community via living in the dorms, eating in the cafeteria and meeting fellow students interested in the same area.

After ImpactU, students aren’t just better equipped for college — they’re inspired to make a difference.”

New this year, is a forensic science camp where students will join Asbury professor Laura Walther as they take on a five-day hands-on learning experience designed to explore and learn the tasks involved in crime scene investigation.

“It is a new piece and it is her area of expertise,” Dr. Bill Hall, vice president of enrollment said. “It is going to be fun. This was a class before on campus that students loved. That is why we wanted to make it a camp.”

Traditionally, Hall said the camp has grown each year. Starting out with as little as 25 students, the camp has grown to house as many as 175 in recent years.

“We have between 125 and 172 kids who usually come,” Hall said. “If you include our Youth Become Leaders Camp, that adds another 50 on top of that. Our total camp attendance is around 225.

“We can handle up to about 800 campers if we wanted. Although we try to keep it reasonable and keep it manageable to give (the right) attention to campers.”

The camp not only offers high school students a residential college experience, it also provides a way for students to receive instruction in a field of their choice.

“If you are interested in having a really good time and learning something in the process, this is a combination of it all,” Hall said. “There is excitement around the camp in the evenings with canoe rides, rope courses and talent shows. During the day, students learn the academic pieces from professors with expertise where students gain an increasing knowledge about that area.”

For more information, visit asbury.edu/ImpactU or call 859-858-3511 ext. 2503