“I loved the flexibility and rigor of my studies at Harrison Middleton University! I highly recommend this program to anyone wanting to further their education from home in the great books tradition.”
“As a teacher myself, I know that the true goal of education should not be to impart specific skills; rather, it should be to impart a frame of mind that renders skills easy to acquire. That is what Harrison …”
“The administrative team is outstanding, and the faculty and staff are excellent. The liberal arts education at HMU trains students to synthesize and generalize the ideas of scholars and experts…”
“Harrison Middleton University is a Great Books institution and coursework is designed around the Great Books of the Western World. All work is performed based upon an analysis of the primary texts…”
“Harrison Middleton University is a model educational institution for the 21st century. While students learn independently from a distance, the administration, faculty and staff are always close and ready…”
“HMU gave me the opportunity to pursue literature and the Great Ideas by structuring a program that reflected my individual interests and goal. The university’s pedagogical approach of reading …”
“My work with Harrison Middleton University has been and continues to be extremely helpful. Harrison Middleton University’s balance of form and flexibility empowers…”
“Reading from The Great Books of the Western World was like taking a literary journey through time, from the ancient Greeks to the Twentieth Century….”
“The demanding pedagogy of Harrison Middleton University has made a profound impact on my life. The university’s Doctor of Arts program, with its emphasis on the…”
“Twain claimed the classics as things everyone wants to have read, but no one wants to actually read; however, with my tutors and mentors at HMU, I was not only able to read these works…”
“Harrison Middleton University’s curriculum is based upon the bedrock of Western thought, namely the Great Works, and is thus of a lasting value for those who love learning for its own sake.”
“Studying at Harrison Middleton has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life. One learns to read more intelligently by asking interpretive questions and relying on the text for answers. The process…”
“I continue to be impressed with Harrison Middleton University’s educational philosophy and the manner in which they put it into practice. I would recommend the school without hesitation to anyone…”
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“I loved the flexibility and rigor of my studies at Harrison Middleton University! I highly recommend this program to anyone wanting to further their education from home in the great books tradition.”
Audrey Rindlisbacher was a homeschooling mom of 6 when she wanted to continue her education in the great books. Harrison Middleton University was a perfect fit for her. She was able to pursue a Master of Arts degree where she focused on the history and methodologies of education.
Audrey graduated Cum Laude with a 4.0 GPA. During the years she was studying at Harrison Middleton, Audrey continued speaking in the homeschooling arena and was able to teach thousands of families the principles of education she was learning.
During this time, Audrey also launched a company called The Mission Driven Mom with an online academy for moms. In her academy Audrey teaches mothers to center themselves on principles, building a more solid foundation for their lives. In fact, her capstone gave her the perfect opportunity to build more of the curriculum for the academy. Having received hundreds of testimonials from the 600+ moms who have benefited from her academy, Audrey is grateful for all she learned at HMU.
Audrey is now posting book reviews on YouTube and discussing her on-going study of current events and the natural law on her podcasts: “The Mission Driven Mom” and “Audrey Rindlisbacher”. She looks forward to continuing her self-education with the skills she gained at HMU.
“As a teacher myself, I know that the true goal of education should not be to impart specific skills; rather, it should be to impart a frame of mind that renders skills easy to acquire. That is what Harrison Middleton did for me.”
Cody Kuhlken had taught high school for 12 years and wanted to go back to school to earn a master’s degree. He had delayed because he wasn’t impressed by the education classes he took to get his teaching credential. Luckily, a mentor directed him to Harrison Middleton’s Great Books program.
In 2003, Cody graduated summa cum laude from San Diego State University with a major in English and minors in Spanish and Latin. In his last year at SDSU, he was admitted to Phi Beta Kappa, one of the nation’s most prestigious honor societies. After graduation, rather than immediately beginning a career in teaching, he worked construction and trained in martial arts for several years, even competing in several professional mixed martial arts bouts.
In 2006, he entered a teaching credential program, and the next year he got a job teaching English at Monte Vista High School in Spring Valley, California, where he has worked for the past fifteen years. He is currently the English Department Chairperson and the literacy coordinator, and he teaches Sophomore English, Junior English, and AP Language.
A few years ago, Cody decided he wanted to continue his studies and earn a master’s degree, but he did not want to take traditional education classes. When he heard about Harrison Middleton’s Great Books Program, he knew he had found the right school. His course work and his capstone have made him a more effective educator, a more helpful colleague, and a more precise thinker. Since his graduation, Cody has worked with his colleagues to rewrite curriculum and overcome the educational challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The administrative team is outstanding, and the faculty and staff are excellent. The liberal arts education at HMU trains students to synthesize and generalize the ideas of scholars and experts from various fields—past and present—to develop alternative solutions to seemingly intractable problems.”
Austin L. Scott is a graduate of Harrison Middleton University, earning a Doctor of Arts. Initially, Austin was confident about enrolling in the doctoral program at HMU, but later withdrew, citing a “crisis of confidence.” However, encouraged by family and HMU administration, Austin re-enrolled and graduated with a 4.0.
In 2018, he earned a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. A Ronald E. McNair Scholar, in 2008 Austin was also class salutatorian at Livingstone College, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education. He is a Christian missionary, entrepreneur, and human services professional with experience in education, workforce development, and international development. Austin is also an author, having published several books, essays, and research articles. His essay, “Expectancy, Goal-Setting, and Reinforcement: Behavioral Theories and their Application in the Workplace” was recognized as being in the top ten percent of all essays downloaded for 2021 on the Social Science Research Network.
Since completing his doctoral work at HMU, he has written and published a new book titled, “Between Christ and the Black Man: A Conversation on Race, Politics, and the Church in America.” He has also been invited by fellow scholars to submit an essay addressing the Black experience in America for an anthology soon to be released by an academic press. Austin continues to serve his local community, and has plans to travel overseas this year to resume his missionary work. He hopes to use his doctorate to pursue new writing opportunities and to open doors for more African-Americans to become internationalized.
Visit the DEAC website to read more about Dr. Scott and the other DEAC Outstanding Graduates.
“Harrison Middleton University is a Great Books institution and coursework is designed around the Great Books of the Western World. All work is performed based upon an analysis of the primary texts, which encourages students to interact with the text, their tutor, and the author.”
Peter Ponzio, Doctor of Arts, is a tutor of imaginative literature and social sciences at Harrison Middleton University and teaches finance at the School of Continuing and Professional Education at Loyola University of Chicago. His studies at Harrison Middleton University led to his employment at Loyola University and his appointment as Tutor at Harrison Middleton University.
Dr. Ponzio graduated from Loyola University with a bachelor’s degree in English literature and received his CPA license shortly after graduating from Loyola. He worked for thirty-five years in various financial positions and retired to pursue his goal of continuing his education in order to teach. He earned a Master’s degree from Northwestern University and a second Master’s degree in the humanities and a Doctoral degree in humanities from Harrison Middleton University with an emphasis on imaginative literature and social sciences.
Harrison Middleton allowed Dr. Ponzio to set up his own program of study, which was comprised of two broad time frames: imaginative literature and philosophy from Homer through Dante and a second time frame which focused on imaginative literature, psychology and social sciences from Chaucer and Erasmus through Sigmund Freud. Dr. Ponzio’s Capstone on Charles Dickens was adapted for publication by McFarland & Company, a leading publisher of academic non-fiction, and is titled Themes in Dickens: Seven Recurring Concerns in the Writings. Dr. Ponzio’s interest in Charles Dickens has led to several other publications in academic journals.
Visit the DEAC website to read more about Dr. Ponzio and the other DEAC Outstanding Graduates.
“Harrison Middleton University is a model educational institution for the 21st century. While students learn independently from a distance, the administration, faculty and staff are always close and ready to offer support.”
Ellin Iselin, Professor of Humanities, teaches at Florida State College in Jacksonville. Ellin decided to pursue a doctoral degree and learned about Harrison Middleton University through an Internet search. HMU’s Doctor of Arts program was an ideal fit providing pedagogical and andragogical practice as well as discipline-specific research.
Dr. Iselin graduated with a Master of Arts in Philosophy and Religion and a Doctor of Arts. She completed extensive readings, conversations, and coursework that explored the development of themes related to immortality and the soul through the Great Books and inquiry-based discussion traditions. With a background in theater and communication, Ellin chose a Capstone Project that could combine her career experience and areas of personal interest with the study of philosophy—thus the movie “Soul in the Machine” was created.
The rigorous Doctor of Arts program, from which Ellin graduated with a 4.0 grade point average, helped her hone her critical thinking and writing skills. Dr. Iselin expects to use her creative work, produced with the guidance of HMU’s Doctor of Arts program, in classroom lectures, integrating classical, traditional, and contemporary educational conversational resources in order to enhance student learning and her own effectiveness as an educator. Additionally she anticipates submitting The Soul in the Machine to film festivals around the world.
Visit the DEAC website to read more about Dr. Iselin and the other DEAC Outstanding Graduates.
“HMU gave me the opportunity to pursue literature and the Great Ideas by structuring a program that reflected my individual interests and goals. The university’s pedagogical approach of reading, writing, and discussion presses the student into conversation with the Great Authors and a community of readers and thinkers. The tutors were intelligent, well-read, and thoughtful; the staff supportive and responsive. Ultimately, the focus remained on the authors and their works. HMU goes so far as to list the Great Authors themselves as instructors. This is no trite marketing copy. I came away from my studies at HMU having imbibed the ideas of the Great Authors, rather than a group of scholars who claim to speak for them. I was challenged to interact with primary works, supporting my own understanding with textual references, rather than with secondary criticism. I appreciate HMU’s respect for the voice of the authors as contained in their works. Such respect is rare in the academic world of textual criticism.”
Missy Andrews has had a lifetime affinity for great books. She completed her undergraduate work in English literature and Christian Studies at Hillsdale College and married her college sweetheart. Relocating to Virginia Beach, VA, they began to pursue master’s degrees, but Missy laid graduate work aside to embrace a career of motherhood, which included the project of home education.
Finding a deficit of curriculum in the subject of literature, she and her husband developed Teaching the Classics, A Socratic Method for Literary Education, which approaches the study of literature through structure, style, and Socratic discussion. Missy and Adam began the Center for Literary Education, a parent-training and curriculum-development organization that exists to help homeschool parents teach the classics of Western Civilization, including literature curriculum, teacher resources, homeschool support, reading groups, a literary podcast, and an online school that offers 5th-12th grade literature and composition classes.
When Missy’s thoughts turned back to graduate work, she began a program at HMU in Imaginative Literature. Her coursework, readings, and discussions enriched the work she was doing with her children and in her work with other families. Missy’s Capstone was a memoir about her homeschool experience, entitled My Divine Comedy – A Mother’s Homeschool Journey, which substantiates the wisdom she gained through the project of home education with the testimony of the great authors.
“My work with Harrison Middleton University has been and continues to be extremely helpful. Harrison Middleton University’s balance of form and flexibility empowers a teacher to grow personally and professionally without having to leave one’s community. The degree program has equipped me to serve my students, my fellow educators, and my community.”
While teaching high school English, Dr. John Robert Reynolds desired to further his own education by exploring how the Great Books tradition might enhance contemporary educational practices. Harrison Middleton University’s Doctor of Education program provided a supportive learning community for his inquiries through its excellent readings, discussions, and writing-based coursework.
Dr. Reynolds graduated with a Master of Arts and with a Doctor of Education degree. He completed extensive readings, conversations, and coursework that explored the development of educational themes through the Great Books and Great Conversation traditions. His capstone, titled “Better Conversations about Effective Education with High School Students,” explores ways to integrate classical, traditional, and contemporary educational conversational resources in order to enhance student learning and educator effectiveness.
Since graduating, Dr. Reynolds continues to pursue better conversations with his fellow educators, students, and community members. He has served as a facilitator for the English Language Arts collaboration session in his regional educational consortium. Recently, he teamed up with a local business manager to present high school seniors with an interactive discussion about “Liberal Arts Skills and the Art of Motor Shop Maintenance.” As his school’s English Department Chair, he serves on several local educational committees. In service to his students, Dr. Reynolds continues to explore and apply themes from his capstone with special attention to coaching educational experiences that integrate social and emotion intelligence development, character education, civics, communication skills, and literary studies.
Visit the DEAC website to read more about Dr. Reynolds and the other DEAC Outstanding Graduates.
“Reading from The Great Books of the Western World was like taking a literary journey through time, from the ancient Greeks to the Twentieth Century. I also loved working with enthusiastic Tutors who made each conversation feel like an intellectual discussion with a friend. In addition, as a wife, mother, daughter, and teacher, flexibility was imperative; Harrison Middleton offered me a challenging course of study that complimented my lifestyle.”
Dr. Susan Dunekacke has been an adjunct English instructor at a small college in southeast Nebraska for twenty-two years. The part-time position was perfect while raising her two daughters, Amanda and Amzie, but when they entered high school, Dr. Dunekacke had the time and motivation to pursue her dream of a doctorate in literature. One complicating factor was the family’s rural location. Since her husband owns a business, relocating was impossible, so Dr. Dunekacke began to search for a distance learning doctoral program, and Harrison Middleton University’s Doctor of Arts program with a concentration in Imaginative Literature was a perfect fit.
Harrison Middleton gave Dr. Dunekacke the comprehensive and challenging program she desired while allowing her to continue to focus on her family. First drawn to the great books course of study itself, Dr. Dunekacke discovered that Harrison Middleton University’s interrogative approach fostered deeper and more creative thinking about literature.
Dr. Dunekacke’s Capstone, a novel, titled Beneath a Brilliant Sky, is about her great-aunt, Alta Garrison, who was born in 1892, near Sutton Nebraska. With an eye to publication, Dr. Dunekacke not only depicts a woman and her family, but period in history and a sense of place that have a broader appeal.
“A long and winding road” is a phrase that would aptly describe Dr. Dunekacke’s educational endeavors. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dr. Dunekacke moved to Gainesville Florida, where she earned her Master’s in English Education at the University of Florida. Next, she returned to Nebraska where she met and married her husband, Joel. Parenthood soon followed, and Dr. Dunekacke strove to instill a love of education in their daughters. Today, Amzie is an honor student majoring in English and Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Like her mother, Amzie aspires to be a writer. Amanda, a UNL graduate, recently earned a Master’s degree in Structural Engineering at Stanford. Finally, Dr. Dunekacke continues to be true to her love of education and dedication to the success of her novel, and is now working on a Master of Arts degree in Creative Writing.
“The demanding pedagogy of Harrison Middleton University has made a profound impact on my life. The university’s Doctor of Arts program, with its emphasis on the Great Books of the Western World, allowed me to bring to fruition my dreams of writing a novel.”
During his career, journalist Phillip M. Perry has written extensively about business management, workplace psychology and employment law. Longing to expand his writing into the field of humanities, and unable to travel beyond New York City, he applied for the Doctor of Arts distance education program at Harrison Middleton University.
Dr. Perry incorporated the knowledge gained from the university’s Great Books program into his capstone project, a novel which explores the creative process by expanding on the writings of such diverse authors as Honoré de Balzac, John Locke, and Virginia Woolf. Phillip credits the critical thinking skills gained from his Harrison Middleton studies for the success of this novel, which is scheduled for publication in the fall of 2017 under the author’s pen name of Walter Idlewild. Dr. Perry is also active in several literary organizations, including the Association of Literary Scholars, Critics and Writers.
The rigorous Harrison Middleton program, from which Phillip graduated with a 4.0 grade point average, also helped him hone his journalistic and business writing skills. The American Bar Association honored him with two “Value to the Reader Awards” for his published work. His syndicated business management column appears in scores of trade magazines. Dr. Perry is an elected member of the Delta Epsilon Tau Honor Society.
Visit the DEAC website to read more about Dr. Perry and the other DEAC Outstanding Graduates.
“Twain claimed the classics as things everyone wants to have read, but no one wants to actually read; however, with my tutors and mentors at HMU, I was not only able to read these works, I was able to fully and wholly study and absorb them. HMU offered me both the academic flexibility and rigor that I longed for.”
While working as a full time professor at Henry Ford College, Dr. Hazlett sought to enhance his humanities education. He had researched many programs and universities, but under the suggestion of his vice president of academics, Dr. Hazlett did one more search into his dream program. That is when he found Harrison Middleton University. The school offered a comprehensive humanities curriculum with an emphasis on primary texts. This was the perfect fit.
Dr. Hazlett has worked as a college professor for over 15 years and teaches a variety of disciplines – writing, world religions, and political science. He has a real passion for interdisciplinary learning and exploring such learning opportunities with his students. A loving husband and father, Dr. Hazlett was born and raised in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. He credits his determination and confident attitude to this upbringing. When not teaching, Dr. Hazlett enjoys outdoor pursuits like hunting, camping and fishing. He plays a variety of instruments and also enjoys poetry and film.
For his capstone, Dr. Hazlett developed a college humanities curriculum that focused on character education through modern mythology. With the popularity of superhero films, Dr. Hazlett decided to utilize these artifacts in the teaching of ethics. Because of the confines of the secular state college classroom, the seemingly innocuous genre of the superhero film is the perfect way to introduce and explore the concepts of personal character, moral duty, social justice, and the nature of heroism. Conversely, these discussions will also open up the ideas of injustice, moral bankruptcy, and the nature of the villain.
“Harrison Middleton University’s curriculum is based upon the bedrock of Western thought, namely the Great Works, and is thus of a lasting value for those who love learning for its own sake.”
Database administrator Gary Waters spends much of his time learning technologies which quickly become dated. Tiring of fads in technology, he turned to classical studies, in particular the “Great Books.” Unwilling to relocate from his hometown, Gary enrolled in Harrison Middleton University’s Bachelor of Arts distance education program.
For his capstone project, Gary wrote and illustrated a book in verse which catalogs a boy’s attempt to become a gentleman. The book, titled “Gentlemen Speakeasy,” reveals that the nature of a gentleman is found in mutually beneficial dialogue, with great philosophers such as Socrates, Thomas Aquinas, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Friedrich Nietzsche. Gary graduated with a 4.0 grade point average and immediately registered his bachelor’s degree with his employer, opening the door to future advancement into a position which requires a bachelor’s degree. He uses the reading, writing, critical thinking, and discussion skills that he developed in Harrison Middleton University’s curriculum on a daily basis when communicating with staff and the public.
Since his graduation, Gary has traveled to Haiti to build shelters for the homeless, published his capstone project as a book (Gentlemen Speakeasy), and made many friends and acquaintances with whom he has discussed the ideas and philosophies he explored during his Harrison Middleton University Great Books coursework.
Visit the DEAC website to read more about Dr. Waters and the other DEAC Outstanding Graduates.
“Studying at Harrison Middleton has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life. One learns to read more intelligently by asking interpretive questions and relying on the text for answers. The process of shared inquiry keeps the mind from becoming an echo chamber and opens up the text through the insights and questions of others. I am eager to resume my studies with HMU.”
James was working in fast food when he began reading philosophy as a way to enrich his life. He began with Plato’s Apology and soon found himself drawn in toward the world of ideas. He was taken with the question: “What makes a good life?” The more he contemplated this question, the more he wished to study it with others. Eventually he decided to attend college with the hope of one day teaching and making a lifetime of studying the good life with others.
James is the father of two beautiful girls. They spend their days learning together. At night, he studies on his own. His wife is a soldier of whom he is exceedingly proud. James completed his Bachelor of Philosophy and Religion at Harrison Middleton University in August 2015.
James’ capstone project consisted of a dialogue regarding the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Relying on classic rabbinic commentaries, it explored what was the purpose of the prohibition to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. It also explored themes such as temptation and repentance, while serving to display the process of shared inquiry.
James began the Master of Arts program at Harrison Middleton University in January. He looks forward to continuing his studies in philosophy and religion.
“I continue to be impressed with Harrison Middleton University’s educational philosophy and the manner in which they put it into practice. I would recommend the school without hesitation to anyone seeking a meaningful, rewarding, and ultimately life enriching educational experience.”
Dr. Edgar Daniels is a busy college professor who wanted to expand his intellectual horizons by studying the best literary works available and applying new knowledge to the courses he teaches. He realized the opportunity to do this with Harrison Middleton University’s Doctor of Arts program. Dr. Daniels, a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT), is an Assistant Professor in the Child Study Department at St. Joseph’s College, N.Y. where he works with students who are studying to become teachers. He is also an educational consultant who conducts workshops for teachers on cooperative learning, differentiated instruction, co-teaching, bullying, and teacher mentoring.
For his capstone project, Dr. Daniels designed two courses for the St. Joseph’s College Freshman Year Experience Program that were aligned with the goals and philosophy of St. Joseph’s College. Both courses, The 7 Deadly Sins through the Short Story and Thinking Critically about Civic Engagement, were based on publications from the Great Books Foundation. They were accepted by the college and taught during the Fall 2014 semester.
Click here to view a copy of the 2015 Outstanding Graduates and Famous Alumni booklet.