Seasons

Two FHU basketball players received All-American honors. Graduating senior Kortland Martin was named to the NAIA All-America Third Team, while Alyssa May was recognized as an NAIA All-America Honorable Mention.

For the first time in program history, three Freed-Hardeman runners competed for a national title in track and field.

The University Program Council is a student-led organization to plan, develop, and present campus-wide programs for the student body. All of these programs provide recreational, cultural or spiritual interactions and involvement. UPC events are free for FHU students. Past programs include hypnotist Jim Wand, comedian Henry Cho, Acrobats of Hebei China, iceless skating rink, UPC carnival, and concerts with Dave Barnes, Matt Wertz, Ingram Hill and Ben Rector. Monthly Coffee Houses provide musical entertainment performed by students. UPC also coordinates campus-wide devotionals throughout the week.

Mr. and Miss Freed-Hardeman University for the 2021-22 school year were announced Thursday, April 14, during a special chapel program. The student body chose CeCe Spencer, Martin, Tennessee, and John Allen Thomas of Columbia, Tennessee, as this year's ideal student representatives.

For decades, hundreds of Freed-Hardeman University students have spent their spring break doing good and spreading the Gospel of Jesus. After a hiatus caused by COVID-19, that tradition is returning as a part of campus life.

Tennessee Women’s Basketball Coach and former Lady Vol Kellie Harper headlined Freed-Hardeman University’s 2022 Sports Advisory Council Benefit Dinner Friday, April 22, 2022, in Brewer Sports Center. More than 500 guests and intercollegiate athletes attended the event. The annual benefit raises funds for FHU’s intercollegiate athletic program.

Twenty-two travelers, including students, alumni and friends of FHU, created lifelong memories and bonds during the Romantic England Tour led by John and Debbie McLaughlin May 27-June 11, 2022. 

Xi Chi Delta’s “The Spirit of the Samurai” took home the sweepstakes trophy Saturday, April 9, 2022, at Freed-Hardeman’s annual Makin’ Music production. Sigma Rho’s “Rumble at the Raceway” claimed the runner-up spot, while FHU Variants finished third with “The Sound of Sirens.”

Freed-Hardeman University honored eight individuals who have retired from the university with a special chapel program and a reception April 20. These employees provided a total of 185 years of dedicated service to FHU.

Five Freed-Hardeman University psychology majors made poster presentations to the Mid-South Psychology Conference at the University of Memphis Saturday, April 2, 2022. The posters reflected 15 months of research.

Five undergraduate science majors took part in a six-week summer research program on the Freed-Hardeman University campus. They focused on the enzyme topoisomerase II, a critical enzyme in the cell that serves as a cancer drug target. They designed, performed, analyzed and interpreted research experiments, and they also learned about protein and DNA purification, enzymology, structural biology, research methods and design, and data analysis and interpretation. 

Through the FHU Criminal Justice Program, 12 students took a trip to Washington, D.C. with faculty members  Stark Davis and Brian Bundren. Visits were taken to the national monuments, the National Archives, the Library of Congress, numerous Smithsonian museums, Arlington National Cemetery, Mount Vernon and the National Gallery of Art.

Enrollment at Freed-Hardeman University continues its upward trajectory with an all-time high spring total of 2,112 students, according to FHU President David R. Shannon.

Brinton Eldridge, a recent graduate of Freed-Hardeman University from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, has been awarded a Sledge Fellowship by Alpha Chi National College Honor Society to assist with his first year of graduate school.

A newly formed data analytics team from the FHU College of Business won one of the three top awards in its first intercollegiate competition. Competing against schools like Johns Hopkins, the University of Maryland, and William & Mary, the five-member FHU team had less than 48 hours to analyze a dataset from the Yale School of Medicine that had more than 2 million rows. Event organizers described it as “one of the more open-ended and complex challenges DataFest has provided” and said the data had not previously been studied in-depth.

Freed-Hardeman University’s College of Business highlighted the contributions, opportunities and challenges for women in business with a half-day conference Tuesday, April 19, 2022. Approximately 120 attended the conference which had been planned by 12 students from the special events management class. Students involved in planning the event include: Brittany Adair; Samuel Cox; Jack Early; Elijah Ellis; Raine Estes; Mason Libla; Lydia May; Mason Minor; Lilly Pendleton; Sydney Phillips; Philip Wallace.

The Association of Theological Schools/Commission on Accrediting has reaffirmed the accreditation of Freed-Hardeman University’s Graduate School of Theology for the next ten years, until March 31, 2032. FHU President David R. Shannon was notified by a letter from James Moore, ATS Director of Accreditation. 

With the final Coaches' Poll released, Freed-Hardeman Baseball will spend the summer at #22 after reaching the opening round of the 2022 World Series. The Lions began the season receiving votes in the preseason poll, cracking the top 25 on March 9 with a #22 ranking after a 14-5 start.

Freed-Hardeman University honored a former member of the FHU Lion Baseball team by naming a deck at Five Wells Field in his memory, April 9, 2022. Daniel Wallace, better known as D-Wall, pitched for the Lions 2012-14. A member of the Brownsville Police Department, he died Aug. 21, 2021, at a Jackson, Tennessee hospital after an on-duty medical emergency.

Three decades after Freed-Hardeman began playing intercollegiate softball, two of those first players are again at the softball field. This time around, though, they are not on the field. Instead, they are enthusiastic fans and proud moms watching their daughters compete as Lady Lions.

Having recently celebrated 150 years of teaching young people “How to Live and How to Make a Living,” Freed-Hardeman University looks confidently toward the future. To honor and celebrate the past, FHU has set forth a bold vision for the future. In the past year, FHU has successfully launched a five-year, $100+-million campaign to answer the question of what’s next for the venerable institution. 

“We are building on our rich heritage and significant accomplishments to reach higher than ever before for God’s glory,” FHU President David R. Shannon said.

Eleven students, dually enrolled at their high schools and at Freed-Hardeman University, received their high school diplomas and their Associate of Arts degrees this spring. The group began taking college courses in Fall 2019 when they were high school sophomores to jumpstart their academic careers.

Approximately 340 Freed-Hardeman University students received degrees Saturday morning, May 14, at the school’s spring commencement. In addition to baccalaureate and graduate degrees, 11 high school students enrolled in the university’s early admission program were awarded Associate of Arts degrees.

Tea for two — or maybe 350 of your closest friends?

Freed-Hardeman University Associates celebrated their 20th year of tea parties by serving a full afternoon tea to approximately 350 guests. The annual rite of spring returned to the home of N.B. Hardeman, long-time president of the university, for the first time in several years, due to a renovation of the Hardeman House followed by COVID-19 restrictions.

Approximately 25 volunteer cooks labored in FHU’s commercial kitchens to prepare 1,200 scones, 1,200 tiny cucumber sandwiches and 600 small lemon-blueberry cupcakes, along with the other delectable treats.