2003-2004   No. 35

 

ACADEMIC CABINET

Monday, December 1, 2003

 

 

Present:

Alfred Guillaume, Academic Affairs

Sarah Cooke, Off-Campus Programs

David Frantz, Purdue

David Freitas, Education

Linda Fritschner, Academic Affairs

Leda Hall, Public and Environmental Affairs

Paul Joray, General Studies

Suzanne Miller, Continuing Education

Tom Miller, Arts

Paul Newcomb, Social Work

Nancy Plennert, Academic Affairs

Mary Jo Regan-Kubinski, Nursing and Health Professions

Michele Russo, Library

Bill Schwartz, Business and Economics

Miriam Shillingsburg, Liberal Arts and Sciences

Absent:

Paul Mishler, Labor Studies

Roy Schreiber, Academic Senate

Guests:

Mae Reck, Chancellor

Ilene Sheffer, Public Affairs and University Advancement

 

Announcements (Chancellor Mae Reck):

·                     Enrollment Management Consultant Jim Guyre has forwarded a copy of his report.  The Chancellor will meet tomorrow with her Cabinet to discuss this report and the next steps related to enrollment management.  The report dovetails nicely with IU President Adam Herbert’s view that each IU campus should have its mission and that these missions will vary by campus.

·                     The new Vice Chancellor for Information Technology, Pat Ames, will be on campus beginning January 5, 2004.

·                     Approximately thirty projects are still being reviewed by the IU Bloomington Institutional Research Board.

·                     A scope of study for the infrastructure for residence halls is being developed.  Chancellor Reck does not know the price for the development of the infrastructure. 

·                     The cooperative agreement for the bridge is moving along.  Evan Bayh supports the project.

·                     Graduate Programs will play a vital role in our enrollment management plan.  Katherine Jackson, Chair of the Graduate Council, has joined the enrollment management committee. 

·                     Chancellor Reck stressed the necessity of a marketing strategy which would differentiate our campus from the other IU campuses.  Certainly, our graduate programs and residence halls will play a part in this plan.

·                     The all campus meeting is scheduled for January 9, 2004.  Announcements about this meeting and the agenda were mailed.

·                     The Christmas party is scheduled on December 12, 2003, at 7:00 p.m.

·                     E-mail is the official communication and correspondence to students. 

·                     An offer is out for a Vice Chancellor for Administrative and Fiscal Affairs.  If this offer is not accepted, the search will be reopened.

 

Other Announcements (Alfred Guillaume):

            This afternoon Mae Reck, Virginia Calvin, Joan Raymond, Alfred Guillaume, David Freitas, and others will meet to discuss the possibility of IU South Bend assuming a lead role with Head Start Programs.  David spoke about the opportunities for our students and the curricular opportunities should this occur.

 

IU South Bend Alumni Relationships (Ilene Sheffer):

            Each Dean and Program Director reported on alumni activities and events.

            School of Business and Economics:  The school publishes a newsletter twice a year.  The newsletter reaches approximately 2000 alums.  Business and Economics has sponsored two events this year:  an alumni reunion dinner (40 to 50 people attended) and a Happy Hour (two alums attended).  Neither event was as successful as the dean had hoped that they would be.  Only one percent of the alums from Business and Economics are active.  The school needs assistance in cultivating alums.  Ilene Sheffer spoke about a new event, “after hours” which may lead to greater participation by alums.  Forty people showed up at the first “after hours” event.

            School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA):  SPEA sponsors an annual dinner for alums.  Approximately 240 people attend among them a handful of students.  The outstanding alumna or alumnus is recognized and the public service award is given at this dinner.  The dean has written SPEA graduates and has tried without success to solicit contributions for the school by mail. This year she is also sending out a newsletter.  Approximately, one percent of the alumni are active. How do we get more graduates involved with the alumni association?  What do we want our alumni to do?  How do we nurture the idea of giving back to the university?

            School of Nursing and Health Professions:  The school sponsors an afternoon tea for its graduates.  An alumnus or alumna award is given annually.  At St. Mary’s the School of Nursing sponsored a breakfast for seniors and asked seniors to contribute $1.00 to the school.  The idea was to begin to build an alumni base.  The IU School of Nursing does publish a newsletter but there is not much response to it.  There is also an Honors Society through the IU School of Nursing.  We need more activities on campus.  There is an Alumni Advisory Committee for dental; the dental alums are active.

            School of Education:  The school publishes a newsletter twice a year.  This newsletter goes out to approximately 8000 alumni.  There is an Alumni Advisory Committee for the school and separate Alumni Advisory Committees for each area of the school.  The aim has been to establish a relationship with the alumnus or alumna and to build that relationship so that the graduate feels a part of the institution.  Since the school is getting ready for accreditation, the self-study review has provided an opportunity to contact graduates.  Approximately .5% of the alumni of the school contribute to the school.

            College of Liberal Arts and Sciences:  There has been no effort at the college level to cultivate alumni.  Several departments (Computer Science, History, Sociology and Anthropology, etc.) have their own newsletters and events.  Honors night does not attract many alumni; it does honor students from each department.  Ilene Sheffer volunteered her staff to help with a college newsletter.

            School of Social Work:  Social Work mails two newsletters a year; alumni are invited to conferences; social work sponsors a February conference; and March is National Social Work month.  Paul suggested that cohort events might be successful for the school.  He is interested in developing a Web site to post job positions.  This service might be attractive to alums.

            Raclin School of the Arts:  The school sponsors a number of year-end events and performance events.  Many of the graduates of the school do leave the community.  We need to maintain current addresses of our graduates.  Successful graduates have helped students get into graduate school and achieve internships.  Graduate stars are invited back to campus to assist with productions in theatre and music.

            Purdue:  The local Purdue has initiated a 400 Club (single persons who contribute $200 or married couples who contribute $400 become members).  There are already ten charter members.  Purdue has a loyal following in the area (19,000 graduates from West Lafayette, 400 from our campus).  Each program has a distinguished alumnus or alumna recognized in West Lafayette.  Notes from faculty members are successful ways to connect graduates with the campus. 

            Off-Campus Programs:  The IU Alumni Club of Elkhart is quite active.  Members are involved with the WNIT spring auction and with five or six other events.  The Marshall County IU Alumni Club sponsors an a cappella group, “Straight No Chaser”, in the spring.

            General Studies:    The Alumni Christmas Party has been cancelled and the fall event is on hold.  General Studies publishes a newsletter two times a year.  In the spring there is an event honoring graduating seniors.  The outstanding alumnus or alumna award is presented at this event.  Alumni and graduating students mingle together.  General Studies also sponsors a photo event at graduation.  At the fund raising event, local alums make calls soliciting contributions.  The IU South Bend General Studies Alumni Board meets five or six times a year.  Two of the past presidents of this group have served as presidents of the all university board.  The scholarship committee meets twice a year.  Another committee has worked to call all graduating students to connect them to the alumni group.

            Continuing Education:  Continuing Education brings alumni to campus and keeps them connected to campus through courses and programs.  Continuing Education is providing the training for the workforce that remains in the community. 

            Library:  Although there are no alumni of the library, libraries are needed on campus.  The director of the library sends a letter of congratulation to all graduates and invites them to continue to use the library.  The life long learning aspect of education is emphasized.  Alumni have been encouraged to honor someone who has helped them by buying them a book.  In this way the twenty-five dollar donation continues to give to others.

 

Merit Pay (Alfred Guillaume):

            Merit Pay and the report from Leda Hall and her task force will be on the agenda at a next meeting when Roy Schreiber is able to attend. 

 

Budget presentations from the Academic Cabinet are scheduled for December 11, 12, and 15.

 

 

Respectfully submitted

Linda Marie Fritschner

Monday, December 1, 2003

cc:  Chancellor Mae Reck