Big Ten Network to air series featuring IU

Beginning today, Big Ten Network will run a series that features IU-sponsored activities, including a program for horse-assisted activities for children with special needs and veterans, as well as an HIV and AIDS control program based in Kenya.

Actor Dennis Haysbert will be the host for the series, which will include a compilation of feature breakthroughs and inspiring initiatives, according to a University press release. The series will hone in on initiatives and stories from all 12 schools represented in the Big Ten Conference.

“The two programs from IU, one in the American heartland and the other in Kenya, exemplify a heartfelt tradition at IU of helping and healing our neighbors, as well as people in need around the world,” Valerie Peña, associate vice president of public affairs and government relations at IU, said in a press release.

“We’re proud of our cutting-edge research and how our faculty and staff use it to change people’s lives,” she continued.

The program is set to be divided into two segments. One of the segments will involve the Horseshoes of Hope and Horses for Heroes programs, which are associated with the Department of Recreation, Physical Education and Recreation.

The other segment will feature the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare, Park and Tourism Studies in IU’s School of Health, which is in partnership with the IU School of Medicine, the Moi University School of Medicine and the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya, according to the press release.

AMPATH is a group that consists of North-American academic health centers that are headed by IU and other schools such as Brown, Duke, Purdue and Toronto.

Faculty and medical students alike will share their experiences about the impoverished communities in which they worked. The program will run a second time at 10 p.m. on Jan. 19 following the finish of the Purdue vs. IU women’s basketball game, which will be at 10 p.m.

At 9:30 p.m. today, viewers have the opportunity to observe how horses are used at Bradford Woods.

These woods, which serve as IU’s 2,555-acre outdoor recreations and leadership development facility, are intended to assist children with conditions spanning from autism and cerebral palsy to Down Syndrome in cooperation with Horseshoes for Hope and Horses for Heroes.

The groups use specially trained horses to care for both children and veterans in their objectives to improve self-control, encourage team work and build confidence.

Following the conclusion of the Purdue vs. Iowa men’s basketball game at 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 17, viewers will be able to tune in and learn about the various HIV and AIDS control programs throughout the world.

“‘Impact the World’ is the first Big Ten Network collaborative campus program series produced in conjunction with the Big Ten Conference and its 12 universities. Since the network launched in 2007, BTN has aired programs produced from each Big Ten university under the University Showcase heading. BTN is co-producing the series with Chicago-based TeamWorks Media,” according to the press release.