When a certain group of 11 students graduates from Huntingdon College in Montgomery this weekend (one with a 4.0 grade point average), they will do so with a unique sense of Baldwin County pride. Although Huntingdon boasts several county residents among its student population, these business students attended classes at the liberal arts college’s campuses in Daphne and Bay Minette.

The Huntingdon College School of Business and Professional Studies awards a bachelor of science degree in business management to students who enter the program with a minimum of 120 credit hours, which include basic sciences, English composition, humanities, mathematics, social sciences and religion.

Some credit for these courses can be obtained through CLEP testing. At least 30 credit hours must be completed through the SBPS program in order to obtain a degree. That makes the program ideal for nontraditional students, according to Jennifer Ishler, Baldwin County program coordinator.

“It’s designed for returning adults as a completion degree,” she said. “The 15-week semester is divided into three, five-week sessions, held from 5:30 until 9:30 p.m., one night a week.”

Huntingdon was founded more than 150 years ago as a college affiliated with the Methodist church. Still tied to that denomination, religion is part of the curriculum. Ishler said psychology is also among the courses taught here, giving students a leg up in the competitive job market.

Sixty students currently attend classes at the two campuses on the coast, joining 140 others at similar academic outposts in Birmingham, Enterprise and Brewton. Class sizes are small, ranging from 12 to 20 students, making interaction between teachers and students easier.

“The beauty of the program is we’re reaching students who never would have been able to go to college because they have jobs and families,” Ishler said. “The college’s motto is ‘faith, wisdom, service.’ It’s designed to be a service.”

She said when Baldwin County SBPS classes began in August 2006, they were housed at Faulkner State Community College in Bay Minette. The same arrangement was made with state two-year schools at Huntingdon’s other locations across Alabama.

When the demand overwhelmed the space available at Faulkner a year later, the college found a home at 112 Courthouse Square. Last spring, the program expanded again, and some students now attend classes in the Daphne Senior Center.

“This area has grown more quickly than we anticipated,” Ishler said, adding, “My job is to help the students navigate from where they were to where they want to be.”

That involves accepting many electives other Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)-accredited colleges might not otherwise recognize for transfer.

She said, “We want a well-rounded student so we encourage them to take a variety of courses.” Many SBPS students have a lot of life experience to bring to the table as well, with most being in their late 20s to late 40s in age.

“They are going to progress in their current position — working toward increasing their retirement,” Ishler said. “Many are established professionally. I also see a lot of people who are in dead-end positions. I see men in trades and they realize their bodies won’t hold out.”

Whatever the reason for enrolling in the program, Ishler said it offers them a strong foundation.

“A business management degree is solid, and it gives you the ability to navigate the waters really well.”

For more information about Huntingdon College’s School of Business and Professional Studies, visit www.huntingdon.edu/sbps, or call (251) 626-7877.