At the end of the 2026 semester, one of Huntington’s most celebrated and involved faculty members will be retiring after over forty years of service.
By Gavin Leton | April 26, 2026
HUNTINGTON, Ind. | For forty years, Dr. Ron Coffey has been actively involved in student life and activities. He has pioneered several projects throughout the campus.
He first began his career at Huntington University in 1986, working as the Resident Director of Baker Hall.
In addition to being hired as an RD, campus administration also wanted Dr. Coffey to find a way to expand student activities. An organization of student-run ventures on campus was set up, and the Student Activities Board was born under his leadership.
Eventually, the opportunity to take a more central role in residence life opened up to Dr. Coffey.
“Much like Quintin Graves does right now,” he said, “I kind of became the person that oversaw all aspects of residence life.”
While serving as an RD, Dr. Coffey was offered the Vice President for Student Life position. He accepted and served in this role for 23 years.
“Athletics and campus ministries also reported to me,” he said. “For a long period of time, I oversaw those aspects of campus and really enjoyed having those pieces of campus as part of student life.”
Dr. Coffey chaired several committees, one of which was building renovations for Miller, Meadows, and Livingston Halls. He also witnessed the renovations of the Habecker Dining Commons, the RichLyn library, and the Plex Fieldhouse.
One of the ways Dr. Coffey leaves his mark on campus is through the flourishing community life and student events.
His most notable event is Olympiad, a campus-wide Olympic-style event featuring yard games, board games, and even swimming competitions.
“Olympiad came before I was the VP,” he said, “but nonetheless, I take a lot of pride that it’s still a tradition here at HU.”
Quintin Graves, director of student life, said, “Student Life at Huntington University is Ron Coffey. He is the essence of every single aspect of the student experience in every way.”
Another memorable moment for Dr. Coffey was the day that the Richlyn Library was finished being built. Students and staff received t-shirts, and HU came together to move all the books into the new building.
He said, “There was this big line of people that would just carry big stacks of books 1 by 1 into the new library.”
After a lot of teamwork, the transfer was completed, with Dr. Coffey remembering it as a fun and important day for the community.
One of Dr. Coffey’s strongest character traits is his style of leadership.
Graves made a note that when he became an RD, Dr. Coffey worked to mold and shape each one of the resident directors to become whatever they wanted to be within student life.
Dr. Coffey allows leaders to develop and push themselves while still staying consistent as a mentor to them.
“Dr. Coffey is an excellent mentor and leader both to me and all the SGA presidents who have come before me,” said Student Body President Eli Persinger.
Persinger and Graves said some of Dr. Coffey’s most respectable traits are his kindness, caring, humility, and respect for those around him.
“He reflects Christ in such beautiful ways that he cares for students so deeply,” said Graves. “The amount of events that he goes to because he wants to spend time with students is unheard of in our industry. He prioritizes making time for students and follows through.”
In Dr. Coffey’s last year serving as VP for Student Life, he experienced many events. He attended freshman orientation, dances, Olympiad, and Board of Trustees meetings.
“With a lot of reflection, kind of knowing where some things started and where they are now,” Dr. Coffey said, “I look back with a lot of fondness and a lot of happiness. I’m thankful that God has allowed me to do it for this long.”
On behalf of all of Huntington University’s staff, students, and faculty: Thank you, Dr. Coffey.
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