Adult Ed Student Helps AU Campus Receive Defibrillators

By Stefanie Leiter

Megan Biddle, originally from Hope, Ind., is married, has 2 children, and is currently in her final semester at the School of Adult Learning receiving her bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership. Biddle is also starting classes at the SOT towards her Master of Divinity degree. If all this was not enough to keep her schedule busy, Biddle worked on a class project with Director of Security, Walt Smith, and Karen McTague, Grants and Research Officer, to help AU receive a non-competitive matching grant for fifteen defibrillators on campus.

According to McTague, the financial match was a collaborative effort with the Parents Club, AU donor Russell Savage, and Anderson University.

Each student in the School of Adult Learning chooses an applied research project to fulfill graduation requirements. The 5-hour course requires between 160 and 200 hours defining the project problem, researching literature, discovering solutions, and writing the finished paper that, typically, is at least 35 to 45 pages in length. The learner’s project is written and orally presented.

Pictured above, left to right: Adult Ed student, Megan Biddle; Grants and Research Officer, Karen McTague; Director of Security, Walt Smith; Director of Health Services, Nancy Mumbower; Associate Director of Alumni & Parent Programs, Kim Wolfe; and Manager of Annual Fund Programs, Elyse Cromer

“A lot of students do a work or church related project,” recalls Biddle. “But because we had just moved to Noblesville and I had left my job as a nurse to come to AU full-time, I wanted to do something relating to Anderson University,” said Biddle.

Biddle met with Smith in the fall of 2008 to research the safety and security issues on campus. After considering different options, providing the campus with defibrillators seemed to be a natural choice given Biddle’s nursing background.

The location of defibrillators are as follows: Student Center; Reardon Auditorium; Decker Hall basement; Fine Arts building; Hartung Hall; Nicholson Library; Hardacre Hall; Health Services; and residence halls. There are also future locations on campus the university will be purchasing defibrillators for.

Jim Scott, natatorium director in the Kardatzke Wellness Center, will be providing CPR and defibrillator training for faculty staff the end of February on campus.

Source: Anderson University