by Rev. Mary Harmison, SEU Ohio Academic Director
Recently, we shared the exciting news with our student body that SEU Ohio is relocating our campus to a larger and better facility at the Heartland Conference and Retreat Center in fall of 2023. This move presents an incredible opportunity for us to provide students with a high-quality academic experience where they can grow both academically and spiritually and have fun in a safe and healthy environment with more options for recreation and experiential learning. In addition, this move will help us stay true to our mission to shape the imagination, skills, and values of future Christian leaders by providing an affordable Christian higher education. Moving to Heartland will allow SEU Ohio to provide students with a better college experience at a lower cost than what our students would have to pay if we stayed at the Polaris location.
For those unacquainted with Heartland Conference and Retreat Center, Heartland offers a variety of meal options, a dedicated dorm, brand-new classrooms in the Buckeye Center, a work-out facility and study center, and dedicated spaces for spiritual formation. Heartland is located off of Interstate-71 in Marengo, Ohio, about 25 minutes north of our current location at the Polaris interchange. The recreational opportunities at Heartland are numerous, providing our students with access to outdoor basketball courts, an indoor gymnasium, sand volleyball courts, frisbee golf, hiking, and so much more.
We understand that you may have questions about this move, and if you have visited SEU Ohio at Polaris in the past, you may be asking: Can I visit the new location this summer to see what it will be like? The answer is: Yes. Many Ohio middle school and high school students will be at Heartland this summer for summer camp season. For new college students admitted to SEU Ohio for fall, we are hosting FIRE Orientation at Heartland on Saturday, June 17. (Register for FIRE Orientation here.) For those graduating from high school in 2024 or later, campus visits at Heartland will begin at the start of fall semester, and we hope you will come see us.
To answer some of the most common questions we've received, SEU Ohio tuition and site fees will remain the same, and we are working with the Heartland staff to offer a competitive rent, utility, and meals package for those who will consider the residential option. We will publish those details as soon as they are available. For commuter students, options for food will be available for purchase. For online students, the student experience will remain largely unchanged as we will continue to offer online classes and hybrid classes with Zoom access.
For students who wish to stay at Heartland during the academic year, we will use the Sycamore dorm, providing our students with a traditional college dormitory experience that includes beds, dressers, wardrobes, and access to a desk space. Additionally, there will be a small-scale kitchen space in the common area.
Our number one priority is to provide the highest quality student experience possible. This move to Heartland allows us to increase the activities and recreational opportunities we offer, develop our student activities, and build a strong student community. Employment opportunities will also be plentiful, with opportunities to work on campus at Heartland, in local businesses within a few minutes of the retreat center, and in both Sunbury and Columbus.
Dr. Joshua Willaford, our SEU Ohio Executive Director, has prepared a video above to give you a preview of what is in store for SEU Ohio at the new Heartland location. We hope you will view it and share in our excitement for the good things to come for the SEU Ohio FIRE family. Our staff is working hard this summer to facilitate the relocation, and we appreciate your prayers for our team and our leaders. We are confident that the move to Heartland will be an exciting new chapter in the history of SEU Ohio, and we look forward to seeing all the wonderful opportunities it will bring for our students. Go FIRE!