Huntington University will launch Indiana's first faith-based agriculture program, school officials announced.

The Christian college will create HU's Institute for Agricultural Studies for the fall of 2014 using a generous $100,000 gift from an anonymous donor. The school also hopes to offer its first program in agribusiness by fall 2015.

For several months, Huntington University has explored the possibility of an agriculture program.

Huntington University President Sherilyn Emberton said she first felt compelled to consider the opportunity when she looked out an airplane window as she arrived in Indiana for the first time.

"I was so struck by the beauty of the cornfields," recalled Emberton who is beginning her second year as school president. "After meeting the people of this region and seeing the overwhelming connection to everything agriculture, I began to sense a strong conviction that Huntington University was being called to launch a faith-based program in agriculture."

The school's Institute for Agricultural Studies will be based on three core values: faith, family and farming. The institute will seek to provide innovative, agriculture-based solutions to meet challenges in Indiana, the nation and the world as well as address a growing need for agriculture professionals.

According to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, the average age of an Indiana farmer is 55 years old. Despite industry expansion, Change the Equation reported that in 2013, fewer than 12 percent of college degrees and certifications granted in Indiana were in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, which encompass agriculture.

"Recent studies confirm that the agriculture industry is growing as an important part of Indiana's economy. We need future leaders for all parts of the agriculture industry, and the new Huntington University program will prepare young men and women for those positions," Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann said in a statement.

Agriculture education is not new to Huntington University. Under the leadership of faculty member Dr. Fred A. Loew, the university had a thriving agriculture curriculum in the early 20th century.

Huntington University hopes to collaborate with the state's public agriculture program at Purdue University.

"We have been privileged to meet with the academic administration of Purdue's agriculture program on multiple occasions to look for ways to build strong connections as we move forward," Emberton said. "Some options we have discussed involve shared faculty, joint undergraduate research opportunities and service-learning international trips for both Purdue and Huntington students. The possibilities are endless."

Fundraising and curriculum development continues for Huntington University's Institute for Agricultural Studies.