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Chapter 7: Community Outreach
Criterion Three: The institution is accomplishing its educational and other purposes.
ABSTRACT: This chapter examines the extent to which Indiana University South Bend provides educational outreach to the community. The strength of continuing education programs, the existence of programs that assess the community’s educational needs, and the extent to which the community relies on the institution for its human resource needs are discussed. Indiana University South Bend strives to keep its alumni connected to the campus in a variety of ways. The existence of formal and informal links between programs, faculty, and the community are also important elements of community outreach.
As a regional campus, Indiana University South Bend has always had a strong commitment to public service. Programs, services, and individual commitments by faculty and staff reach far into the community and beyond. Campus commitments to the community were formalized in the recent redefinition of campus mission and priorities. The outreach efforts of the Indiana University South Bend community clearly support two of the four campus priorities: developing and expanding partnerships with the community and enhancing the image of Indiana University South Bend in the community.
Economic Impact
Indiana University South Bend contributes to the community in which it is situated not only by making available the rich resources of a comprehensive institution of higher education, but also by the significant effect such an institution has on the economic well being of the surrounding region. A study of Indiana University South Bend’s impact on the South Bend-Elkhart area commissioned by Chancellor Perrin in 1998 documented a $50.9 million contribution to the area’s economy. The report also noted that this stream of income resulted in the creation of 1,478 new jobs. Those jobs were in addition to the employment Indiana University South Bend provides as St. Joseph County’s seventh-largest employer.
Chancellor Perrin commissioned the report as a means of giving empirical shape to the economic contribution of the campus, in addition to the contribution it makes as an educational institution and a community partner.
Some 7,000 copies of the report were printed and distributed to members of area chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, and the Indiana General Assembly as a means of generating discussion about Indiana University South Bend’s contribution to the area’s quality of life. A copy of this report, The Local Economic Impact of Indiana University South Bend, is available in the NCA Resource Room.
Educational Outreach
The Division of Continuing Education accomplishes a vital educational purpose through its offering of a broad range of quality programs and services that are accessible and responsive to the needs of the various constituencies of the community. During the past 10 years the division has experienced growth in the number of programs and services offered, individuals served, and community partnerships. This is the result of an on-going planning process, guided by the vision and commitments of the division.
Each year the division offers more than 600 public enrollment courses and workshops. Most programs carry continuing education units that apply to 1 of 15 certificate programs or that prepare individuals for state or national examinations (for professional certification or license renewal). Based on the needs of the community, there are programs addressing careers in education, health care, business, and other professions. Curricula for continuing education certificates include required and elective courses designed with the guidance of faculty and community advisory committees.
The population served includes college-bound students, individuals preparing for new careers, business professionals, public employees, alumni, youth, and individuals who are interested in new ideas. Participants come primarily from St. Joseph and Elkhart counties. Enrollment has steadily increased over the past 10 years. In 1998-1999 enrollment exceeded 8,000.
Although the majority of courses offered by the division focus on career development, other programs reflect Indiana University South Bend’s broader educational mission. Each semester several college preparatory, personal enrichment, language, healing and wellness, test preparation, and youth enrichment programs are attended by people of all ages. The Division of Continuing Education also provides computer training for Indiana University South Bend faculty and staff (on behalf of the Office of Information Technologies) and works with faculty and their respective professional associations to host conferences and workshops.
The division actively seeks community partners to assist in the design and delivery of programs. Many of the certificate programs are offered in partnership with professional associations. Other programs are co-sponsored by area health care or educational institutions. Many long time associations exist with companies wherein continuing education has been a major provider of on-going education for the corporation’s employees. Each year several thousand employees are served through these partnerships.
The Division of Continuing Education has also established an international partnership with the South Bend Japanese School, an accredited institution that provides elementary and secondary students with courses in mathematics and Japanese in an intensive weekend school format. The division provides, as instructors, Indiana University South Bend graduate students who are Japanese natives.
More than 300 associate faculty teach in the division. Although some continuing education instructors are full-time Indiana University South Bend faculty, the majority are hired from the community for their special expertise. Copies of continuing education catalogs are available in the NCA Resource Room.
Off-Campus Programs and Distance Technology
Through its continual expansion of off-campus programs, including the innovative use of distance learning technology, Indiana University South Bend has extended its reach to better serve the community and to increase access to educational opportunities. Since 1977, Indiana University South Bend has been offering courses in Elkhart (12 miles east of South Bend). In 1990, the IUSB Elkhart Center began a day program to add to an extensive list of evening courses. By 1995, the site offered two-way interactive video distance learning technology and a fully-equipped computer laboratory to support a larger range of courses and provide more services to Elkhart students. At the time the center moved to its present site in 1996, the number of student enrollments had stabilized at more than 1,000 per semester. In fall 2000, Elkhart programs will be offered at a new site.
Since 1995 the Elkhart site has used the specially equipped classroom both to send and to receive courses in several departments. It has helped local students gain access to courses offered from originating sites throughout the state. Because use of distance technology can make it possible to accommodate very small class sizes, students were able to enroll in these courses without the threat of low-enrollment cancellations. The feature was especially beneficial for courses that originated on the South Bend campus with Elkhart designated as the receive site. Whole courses could be designed with two groups of Indiana University South Bend students at different sites receiving the same class in real time. In fall 1996, off-campus programs in Elkhart received a grant to offer a degree-completion program, based on the General Studies degree curriculum and using the two-way video technology.
Classes were first offered in Plymouth (25 miles south of South Bend) in fall 1994. Approximately 10 evening courses are held at Plymouth High School each semester. A small office space was rented to provide a local address, telephone, and a site for part-time staff to support student services. The office is open Tuesday and Thursday mornings and late afternoon four days a week during fall and spring semesters. During the summer months, office hours are expanded to twenty hours per week to assist local students for the start of the fall semester. Recently, computer access to the Indiana University student records base allowed local staff to register students in Plymouth. Also, staff at the Elkhart off-campus office are familiar with Plymouth operations and program offerings, so students calling the toll-free number can be served over the phone during the day. A three-year plan is projected with a goal of offering a full range of freshman general education courses. Under this plan, Indiana University South Bend will cooperate with a local private two-year college, which also holds evening classes at the high school. By not duplicating class offerings, enrollments may stay high enough to prevent the courses from being canceled. An articulation agreement was signed in 1996 to guarantee that these courses would transfer from school to school.
Indiana University South Bend’s distance technology enhances several important community outreach initiatives including connections to area school districts and opportunities for members of the community to access graduate programs and professional conferences. As participants in Ameritech’s Athena Project, Indiana University South Bend has two-way, audio-video, connections to 11 local high schools. Athena programs have included, for example, professional development seminars for secondary teachers as well as programming for students presented by the Office of International Programs, the Office of Admissions, the Office of Financial Aid, the Honors Program, and Purdue University School of Technology. The network is also used for the IUSB Experts Network whereby presentations by campus faculty are provided to Athena high schools.
A second two-way, audio-video, interactive network connecting Indiana University South Bend to all Indiana University campuses allows us to respond to community graduate education needs in areas such as nursing, library science, and education. Community professionals can also access a wide range of professional conferences through satellite connections.
Indiana University South Bend distance equipment is an important resource for the community
as it seeks to expand its world-view. Indiana University South Bend hosted three events, for example, connecting
Elkhart to its sister city, Burton-Upon-Trent in England. During the first two meetings, the mayors and other officials
of the two cities met via the Indiana University two-way interactive system to talk about the sister city relationship.
The third meeting, held in the IUSB Elkhart Center computer laboratory, used the Internet to connect the two cities
while they launched their shared Web site.
Institutional Partnerships
In the spirit of cooperation and mutual support, Indiana University South Bend has forged partnerships with other post-secondary institutions as a means of coordinating complementary educational offerings. In fall 1996, Indiana University South Bend Off-Campus Programs joined with three other state institutions of higher learning (IVY Tech State College, Purdue University School of Technology, and Vincennes University) to provide a central location for each of them to bring services to Elkhart students. The Lifetime Learning Center in Elkhart was established as an information and referral resource to link students to these services. Funds were also made available through this agreement to develop new post-secondary educational and training programs as defined by needs assessments conducted within the county. The alliance among Indiana University South Bend, IVY Tech State College, and Purdue University School of Technology remains strong, but the relationship with Vincennes University has been terminated.
Indiana University South Bend has signed articulation agreements with several area colleges to guarantee transfer of credits for designated courses. These agreements are regularly reviewed and updated as course descriptions and options change. Colleges with whom articulation agreements are in place include Ancilla College (Donaldson, IN), Davenport College (Granger, IN), Indiana Vocational Technical College, North Central (South Bend, IN), and Southwestern Michigan College (Dowagiac, MI). An articulation agreement between Lake Michigan Community College and Indiana University South Bend is being negotiated. Copies of the articulation agreements are available in the NCA Resource Room.
Community Arts Program
Indiana University South Bend’s commitment to community outreach, enjoyment, and enrichment is strongly reflected in the Division of the Arts, one of the most visible and available resources for community interaction. The Division of the Arts is heavily invested in community partnerships and community outreach, and the campus has dedicated significant resources to support such activity. The numerous individual and group activities of the division’s students, faculty, and staff and the quality of programming offered in university facilities have created a strong bond between Indiana University South Bend and the community. Each year Indiana University South Bend students and faculty and their partners reach 25,000 children through programs on campus and programs that extend into schools and institutions. The division also does outreach to adults throughout the region, principally through performance. The overall impact is significant to the cultural life of the community. Some examples of the extensive outreach activity include involvement with the South Bend Youth Symphony, The Young Men and Boys Choir, Elkhart County Symphony Association Youth Honors Orchestra, South Bend Symphonic Choir, Jazz Ensemble and Southold Wind Ensemble, A Christmas Carol (small, traveling ensemble), and annual Kappa Kappa Kappa/Theatre IUSB Children’s Productions.
The faculty of the Division of the Arts also share their talents regionally presenting workshops, sharing expertise, and serving on boards of regional and national arts institutions. The division sends a wide range of small performing groups into local and regional schools. This includes the Chester String Quartet, student string groups, the Improvisation Group (theatre), opera scenes for young people, and pianists, among others. School visits sometimes include an educational component as well and at times the educational/demonstration/interaction is the primary purpose of the visit. These are done on request and frequently have recruiting as a secondary goal. All areas of the division make these visits. The same groups and individuals also appear frequently throughout the community on request. This outreach has expanded to include two Theatre Day offerings per year, during which high school students spend a day at Indiana University South Bend participating in various workshops. Workshops have also been held for the Very Special Arts organization which serves physically and/or mentally challenged children.
The Division of the Arts isan active partner of a consortium of university galleries and art museums in the region which work together to produce art exhibits and other collaborative projects. The division collaborates frequently with the Center for History, a museum which is an arm of the County Historical Society. The Midwest Museum of Art is the Elkhart venue for divisional performances. A minimum of two concerts or performances are staged there each semester, frequently featuring pianists, vocalists, or string groups.
Perhaps the most spectacular community presentation was the Toradze Piano Institute and IUSB Piano Festival that ran during the first week of November 1998. The institute brought to campus a number of young pianists who were designated as fellows and spent a week studying piano concerto literature and learning about the business side of performances with Professor Toradze and guest pianists, critics, journalists, and managers. The festival presented one public performance a night for seven days and featured guest artists, Professor Toradze, local symphonies, and one large guest orchestra as the anchor event.
With approximately 100 events annually including music, theatre, fine arts, speech communications and mass communications, the Division of the Arts entertains, enlightens, and enriches the Michiana region. The division offers over 75 on-campus performances a year from September to late April, with additional performances scheduled during summer school sessions. Events are formally presented on the Indiana University South Bend campus, at the Elkhart Midwest Museum of Art, and in venues throughout the region.
The theatre faculty recognizes the support of the Michiana community and is committed to community outreach activities. The faculty provides production assistance and advice to area high schools, colleges, and community groups. They present numerous workshops to area high school and community theatre groups. Faculty members provide their professional expertise as panelists for regional and state high school Thespian events and as adjudicators for the Kennedy Center’s American College Theatre Festival. Recently the community outreach has expanded to include post-show discussions after a performance of every production where audience members are invited to talk with various participants and guest responders.
Fine arts has entered into partnerships with the local business community and Indiana University South Bend alumni in order to recognize student artistic and scholastic excellence. Independent judges from the regional arts community select the award recipients in the annual Student Exhibit. The fine arts faculty also reinforce the mission of the program through individual efforts outside the classroom. Members promote local arts agencies and various organizations by donating their work for charity auctions or exhibitions, and they often demonstrate studio techniques and speak about the areas of their expertise at local schools, for audiences ranging from elementary through high school levels.
The gallery contributes significantly to the program’s goals of education, artistic and cultural enrichment, community outreach, and diversity. The division hosts seven exhibitions annually, showcasing the work of international and regional guests, alumni, Indiana University South Bend faculty, and students. Approximately 3,000 people attend the various shows annually, drawn through direct mail invitations, advertisements, and reviews in campus and community publications. Guest artists have represented the Hispanic, African, Asian, and Eastern European communities. In the last seven years, international artists from China, Korea, Uganda, England, Korea, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Mexico, and Lithuania have fostered an understanding and appreciation of the richness of diversity.
Speech communication students serve Indiana University South Bend and the community in a variety of speaking situations. Speech communication students have been featured in Indiana University South Bend promotional radio spots, have spoken in a local United Nations presentation, worked at the South Bend Ethnic Festival, were moderators for the Indiana Commission on Gambling Forum held at Indiana University South Bend in September, and were masters of ceremonies for the IUSB Fest. Speech faculty at Indiana University South Bend serve the community through such activities as presenting at K-12 career days and judging local speaking contests, for example, four faculty members judged the Optimist Northern Indiana Oratorical Competition in Elkhart.
The mass communications internship program is another vehicle for community outreach. Interns can earn up to three hours of classroom credit by serving at local television, radio, print, and Internet journalism and telecommunications facilities such as WSBT, WNDU, WMAQ, WSBN, FOX and Irish Eyes (irisheyes.com).
A selection of programs and a distillation of attendance figures are available in the NCA Resource Room.
Academic Resources and Public Service
As a regional campus of a state-supported institution, it is central to the Indiana University South Bend mission to have individuals actively involved in public, professional, and institutional service. The community activities by individuals are far too numerous to list in this chapter. Service ranges from membership on community boards, participation in service activities such as Habitat for Humanity, tutoring, serving as elected government officials, adjudicating regional and national competitions, presenting in public forums, contributing to area exhibits and performances, and working with area business, labor, government, public schools, and health care institutions, to name just a few. It is evident that Indiana University South Bend faculty and staff are integral to the social fabric of the larger community.
The Division of Business and Economics maintains four main community based programs.
- The Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) is a formally established organization that is attached to the division whose purpose is to provide area businesses economic information, conduct community research, and present economic forecasts. BBER publishes Michiana Business Trends, a monthly publication that provides analysis of the local regional economy and is read by 1,200 persons.
- The internship program provides learning opportunities for students by placing them in a working environment among our local profit and nonprofit organizations.
- The Entrepreneurship Program provides student consulting opportunities in the small business sector of the local economy and develops entrepreneurship symposia and relationships with organizations such as the Small Business Administration.
- The Economics Education Center is a summer institute for elementary and secondary teachers who are exposed to microeconomic and macroeconomic theory in special summer classes.
The Division of Business and Economics has developed community partnerships through the establishment of several advisory boards. The Business and Economics Advisory Board membership reflects a cross section of 31 persons covering both profit and nonprofit organizations among the five surrounding counties. There are two student advisory groups (an undergraduate advisory board and a graduate advisory board), whose membership represents the various disciplines. The Economics Education Center Advisory Board provides direction and policy determination for the center.
In collaboration with the South Bend Community Schools Corporation three projects have been approved for funding for three consecutive years. An emphasis in each of the sub-grants is the improvement of collaborative field experiences at elementary, middle school, and senior high school levels. The three distinct, but inclusive, programs are:
- Centers for Instruction and Assessment in Reading, which involves three schools
- Preservice Assistant-Teachers in Residence, in which seven schools participate
- Secondary Collaborative Preservice Education, which targets all five middle schools and all five high schools in the South Bend Community School Corporation.
Twenty South Bend schools are linked in collaborative efforts with the education faculty and preservice teachers at Indiana University South Bend.
Hamilton Alternative High School Project
In the area of public secondary education, the Hamilton Learning Center/Indiana University South Bend Partnership was specifically established in order to develop a middle/secondary school for at-risk urban youth in the city of South Bend. Indiana University South Bend faculty have contributed to this project by implementing specialized reading programs, developing technology centers, offering classroom instruction in art, and by providing general administrative direction for the principal and staff of the Hamilton Alternative School. Indiana University South Bend students may log field experience hours as well as participate in specified programs that are directed toward identified student needs on the school campus.
The America Reads Challenge program enables Indiana University South Bend students who qualify for the federal work-study program to participate in improving the reading skills of preschool and elementary school children. The Division of Education provides a mandatory orientation and training session in which eligible tutors are introduced to various community agencies.
The annual spring event involves 600-750 early childhood educators. The conference serves the ongoing professional development needs of early childhood teachers, administrators, and support personnel.
Counseling and Human Services Program Outreach
The annual networking session is an opportunity for all counseling and human services students to meet potential employers, gather information about local mental health service providers, and gain information about employment possibilities. The annual Counseling Conference, which is promoted throughout the area to all mental health professionals, is an all day event that takes place on the Indiana University South Bend campus or in other community facilities. Typically the workshop includes a luncheon, speakers, and facilitators for breakout sessions.
The Division of Education has undertaken a number of steps over the last several years to develop global themes and issues within instructional programs. In spring 1996, a division faculty member spent a semester at Ryazan State Pedagogical University (RSPU) conducting research and developing a proposal for a joint IUSB/RSPU global education initiative and other collaborative research and development projects. One outcome was the receipt of a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence grant to Indiana University South Bend. This allowed a faculty member at RSPU, who is also deputy director of the Russian Center for Global Education, to come to Indiana University South Bend for the 1997-1998 academic year in order to teach courses and assist the future development of global issues. A second result was the creation in August of 1998 of the IUSB Center for Global Education (CGE) as an autonomous unit within the Division of Education. The CGE was established with funding from both the Division of Education and the Office of the Chancellor at Indiana University South Bend in order to promote global perspectives in education and across the curriculum. A second Fulbright award brought a scholar from the International Institute of Labor and Social Relations in Minsk, Belarus, to Indiana University South Bend for spring 1999. His work at Indiana University South Bend was in the area of application of information technologies to teaching.
The General Studies Alumni Association sponsors an annual lecture series entitled “Crucial Issues for Our Times” for the campus and general community. This group also contributes to a newsletter that is published each semester. The association sponsors both educational and social activities and assists in fund raising activities and the awarding of grants and merit scholarships to students.
The Michael J. Lawrence Labor in the Schools program and the division’s Michiana Labor Speakers Bureau provides free speakers and materials on labor issues to K-12 teachers in public and private schools throughout the service region. The direct costs of a part-time coordinator and clerical support are funded by donations from individuals and labor organizations. The programs are well regarded by K-12 social studies teachers interested in labor studies perspective on historical, economic, political, and social issues. Several hundred students and numerous teachers are involved annually.
The Indiana University-wide Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Resource Center is housed at Indiana University South Bend. This center, maintained by the labor studies program, provides free information and referrals to workers regarding a broad range of workplace health and safety issues. Indiana workers can call a toll free hotline for assistance. As part of its mission, the OSH Resource Center develops educational programs that are integrated into credit and noncredit curricula. Three very active community based advisory committees are central to program planning, promotion, implementation, and evaluation for the geographic region they represent. One or more labor studies faculty or professional staff meet with an advisory committee every month. These committees enable the community to communicate its labor education needs and interests to the division and also give Indiana University South Bend entree to a generally under served community.
The Advance College Project (ACP) is an Indiana University program that works with self- selected high schools by offering college-level courses taught by the regular high school teachers, who are especially trained by the program and visited once each semester by designated divisional faculty. The university ACP program office is located in Bloomington, but Indiana University South Bend is the only campus that has its own director and works directly with the participating schools and teachers in the region. In fall 1999, 17 schools were involved in the project. Three hundred forty-two students enrolled in the program which generated 1,118 credit hours. For fall 2000, 19 schools are scheduled to participate in the project. Data for the ACP program are in the files in the NCA Resource Room.
Also for high school students, the English department sponsors an annual Writer’s Workshop that includes a session designed for high school students selected by their own schools to participate in the weekend’s activities as guests. Two departments (history and mathematics) regularly sponsor a day on campus that involves a competition in the subject area for high school students. The Science Day program, initiated in fall 1998 and continued in 1999, attracts about 300 middle school students and involves faculty from the five science departments.
The mathematics department sponsors a Summer Math Institute for high school teachers and also an annual Teachers Teaching with Technology conference and a project based on an interdisciplinary mathematics course that provides direct contact between the campus and seven participating organizations in the region as well as working relationships for students at these organizations.
Many departments in liberal arts and sciences also offer internships to connect students to career opportunities and to connect their academic studies to their futures. Service learning options are also taking students and the classroom into the local community.
Nursing and Health Professions
The School of Nursing co-sponsors several community events each year. These include a program offered each fall with the Northern Indiana Nursing Research Consortium and St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center’s Diversity Health Care Forum offered during 1998-1999. The school places senior nursing students into community schools for a service learning project and routinely participates in health fairs in the community. The school is developing strong relationships with Memorial Hospital to bring additional education to their staff nurses through summer electives for credit.
The dental program has a partnership with St. Joseph’s Medical Center to operate the Chapin Street Clinic which provides health care to low-income residents. The dental partnership offers affordable dental care ($10 per visit). More than 150 patients have been treated at Indiana University South Bend since the partnership’s inception in 1995. In 1998 the dental hygiene program received a two-year grant to fund expansion of its partnership with the Chapin Street Clinic. The grant, provided by St. Joseph’s Care Foundation, covers costs for dental equipment, supplies, an emergency fund, and a part-time program coordinator.
Public and Environmental Affairs
All of the degrees have a public service orientation and all emphasize public and private ethics. A very strong public service internship/practicum program operates for both graduate and undergraduate students. Each semester public and environmental affairs places between 30 and 40 students in various agencies and organizations. In addition to a learning experience for students, this program has a major impact on the way many public and nonprofit organizations function.
The three service/research units—the Center for Institutional and Community Research Services, the Institute for Applied Community Research, and the Joint Center for the Study of Population Health Management—work with various community agencies and organizations and each provides opportunities for both students and faculty to engage in relevant community service.
Through the internship program Master of Social Work candidates each receive field experience
in two different agencies at various locations in South Bend and throughout the state.
The Schurz Library and the Learning Resource Center are open to the general public. High school teachers are encouraged to bring their students to the library to work on research papers.
The library regularly sponsors special programs to which the public is invited. In 1997-1998
two lectures featured new special collections, the German POW collection and a collection on the history and sociology
of quilting. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Schurz Library building and the 100th anniversary of Franklin
D. Schurz, the chancellor declared 1998-1999 The Year of the Library. A year long series of events was planned
around the theme “Treasuring the Past, Exploring the Future.” Highlights included a lecture by Paul Gehl from the
Newberry Library speaking on Renaissance school books, a joint reception with the Indiana University Press, and
a lecture by John Perry Barlow, co-founder of the electronic Frontier Foundation.
Community Involvement
The Office of Campus Diversity, described in Chapter 6, regularly sponsors special events and activities open to the public. A lecture/movie series featuring diversity was developed in fall 1996. A conference on Ebonics was sponsored in April 1997 and attended by educators, students, and community leaders. In fall 1997 the first annual Conversations on Race conference was organized and co-sponsored by the South Bend Tribune. Sixty-five different conversations took place at four sites on the Indiana University South Bend campus during the day of the conference. These sessions were facilitated by a combination of Indiana University South Bend faculty/staff/students, community organizations, and public school educators. The evening lecture, delivered by Cornel West, professor of Afro-American Studies and Philosophy of Religion at Harvard University, attracted more than 800 individuals. A similar conference was held in 1998 and featured the noted Hispanic educator Jaime Escalante as the keynote speaker. Conversations on Race III was held in November 1999 with over 45 conversations and an evening lecture by the Rev. Walter Fauntroy, civil rights leader and former United States congressman.
The chancellor declared the 1999-2000 academic year as the Year to Celebrate Diversity with a full calendar of activities and programs to focus on that topic. The May 5, 2000 issue of IU Home Pages, which is located in the NCA Resource Room, describes the programs and events at Indiana University South Bend during 1999-2000. This issue also features Indiana University South Bend’s new on-line journal, the Toradze Concerto Institute, and other Indiana University South Bend initiatives.
This office functions as a clearing house for student placement in the community and seeks to create long term community partnerships by promoting a range of programs and initiatives.
America Reads/America Counts has been one of the biggest success stories of the office. Training is held three times per year. At any one time there are approximately 20-25 students in the community tutoring children through this program in neighborhood centers and elementary schools.
The annual Expo has three components:
- Workshops for students, faculty, and community volunteer coordinators
- The Volunteer Fair at which agencies and organizations may recruit volunteers
- Speakers, events, and opportunities for talking about the importance of volunteering. Ralph Nader has been secured as a speaker for the Millennium Expo to be held in September 2000
Internship
Several divisions have their own internship programs, but the Office of Community Links fills in for those that
do not have a regularly appointed staff or faculty member to assist students in internship placement. The office
takes all calls from the community regarding internship openings, posts them on the Web site, and notifies divisions
that teach courses in relevant areas.
According to federal guidelines, at least 10 percent of the campus total federal work-study allocation must be used to place students in the community. As of November 1999, 127 percent of the total year’s requirement had been spent. This is a major success story for this office which supports, encourages, and actively seeks places where eligible students can work and contribute, while gaining practical experience. There are a total of 84 agencies approved and seeking to employ Indiana University South Bend work-study students. In 2001 an additional requirement of providing family literacy tutoring in order to qualify to spend work-study funds on tutoring will take effect.
The office assists outside agencies in finding suitable classes to adopt a learning experience while providing a valuable service to the agency. For instance, a psychology class conducted interviews of clients at La Casa de Amistad at the request of the agency who wanted to know if they were really meeting the needs of the clients they were serving.
The office coordinates student participation in community based volunteer projects such as Youth Fest, Christmas in April, and Relay for Life. The number of student participants has steadily increased.
For two years the office has coordinated student work with Madison Elementary School. Children are tutored weekly and enrichment programs expose the children to the arts through drama and music. Certificates are given for most improved student and good citizenship at an awards ceremony organized by the Office of Community Links.
Alumni Affairs
Indiana University South Bend’s commitment to community outreach is strongly reflected in the activities of the Alumni Affairs Office and the Alumni Association of Indiana University South Bend. Since 1989, alumni community outreach activities have been focused primarily on student recruitment and retention, student and alumni services, and alumni recruitment and development.
Student Recruitment and Retention
The Alumni Association Scholarship Campaign is designed to improve the image of Indiana University South Bend by attracting some of the best and brightest area high school seniors. Ultimately, since approximately two-thirds of Indiana University South Bend alumni remain in the Michiana region to live and work, the campaign improves the quality of life for our community. Seventeen high school seniors applied for the first five Alumni Association Scholarships that were awarded in May 1998. That campaign raised $76,000, a portion of which began an endowment. The Alumni Association co-sponsors the annual Honors Program student welcome reception and a special reception for alumni scholarship recipients. Approximately 20 alumni participate in the Alumni Admissions Council. Members work at college fairs as needed to help recruit students and host annual high school counselors breakfasts and other events to give the counselors more information about Indiana University South Bend. These alumni breakfasts are held on campus as well as in outlying areas. This group also serves as the selection committee for the Alumni Association scholarship, along with university staff. Through the Alumni Liaison Program, 12 alumni representing a variety of career fields offer educational and career advice to prospective and current students. They write letters to be sent to prospective students who express an interest in a particular career area.
The IUSB Alumni Association hosts separate divisional honors events for alumni and students each spring and provides, both a cash award and a trophy, to students chosen by their academic program units to receive the Excellence Award. In addition, it awards an annual Student Leadership Award to a student who exemplifies the qualities of leadership and service that are valued in alumni and a Student Art Award to the best-of-show winner in the Indiana University South Bend Student Art Exhibit.
The IUSB Alumni Association hosted and co-sponsored the Neal-Marshall Alumni Association Alumni Recognition Banquet, which was attended by 150 people and included recognition of four distinguished African American alumni and a performance by Indiana University’s renowned Soul Revue performance troupe. The association is working with the Hispanic community to encourage Hispanics to consider higher education and Indiana University South Bend. A current project is the printing of full-color posters depicting graduating Hispanic students, with proceeds to benefit Hispanic students.
The IUSB Alumni Association regularly supports lectures on campus which are open to the public. Among the most successful are the annual lectures sponsored by the Liberal Arts and Sciences Alumni Council, which have brought to campus speakers with national reputations. To increase awareness in the community, the IUSB Alumni Association sends cards to alumni, students, and members of the community, congratulating them on various accomplishments which have been listed in the local paper. Publications mailed to alumni and friends include Vision magazine (twice per year) and the Alumni Newsletter (twice per year). The Alumni Office also directed IUSB Fest in September 1998, and again in 1999. IUSB Fest has become an annual event which in its first year was attended by approximately 5,000 people. IUSB Fest includes hands-on science, mathematics and art activities, entertainment, mini-university classes, an alumni reunion, wellness activities, and booths sponsored by students, faculty, staff, and community organizations.
In 1995-1996, the Alumni Association started a series of skill-building seminars to help alumni achieve professional success. This was a seed project, and Indiana University South Bend’s Division of Business and Economics are now offering the seminars. The IUSB Liberal Arts and Sciences Alumni Council association planned a series of after work social networking gatherings held spring 1999, including hors d’oeuvres and brief presentations by favorite faculty members.
External Affairs
The Division of External Affairs has oversight of formal marketing and public relations and does much to enhance Indiana University South Bend’s image and lay the groundwork for community outreach efforts. Many marketing and community outreach activities involve community-wide advisory committees and projects related to promoting community involvement in social issues, diversity, and global understanding.
Publications and Press Releases
In addition to normal press releases and media contacts that result in 25 to 35 newspaper articles per year and occasional local television spots about Indiana University South Bend, its faculty and students, the external affairs office publishes Vision magazine, the principal means of reaching alumni and friends. For several years the office also published Review magazine to showcase the research capabilities of Indiana University South Bend’s faculty. That was discontinued in 1997 when its purpose in reaching the community with Indiana University South Bend’s most important messages could not be validated.
The division published a facts brochure and placed the facts map in local hotels, museums, and other points of interest to increase awareness about Indiana University South Bend. For several years the division published a speaker’s directory that listed the names of faculty who were available to make public presentations. Sporadically, a media directory would be published and sent to the print and broadcasting media. In 1998, that document was redesigned as a resource directory and provided to civic organizations, social service organizations, libraries, and the media. A precollegiate directory was prepared in late summer 1998 for mailing to middle and high schools as a curriculum enhancement tool. A sample of these publications are available in the NCA Resource Room.
In late summer 1998 the campus published its first annual calendar listing of a vast number of events. Although not comprehensive, the calendar represented a concerted effort on the part of the institution to plan a way that could highlight Indiana University South Bend’s resources and to make these known to the community.
Many of the above-mentioned projects represent the division’s response to the Campus Direction Committee’s report. In 1997, the division established a strategy of selecting one division per year to focus on marketing issues. Working with the Division of Business and Economics in 1997 resulted in an upgrade in media attention to the division, a revision of the division’s alumni newsletter to better focus on the division’s strengths, and the creation of a new set of promotional materials. The 1998 focus on the Schurz Library was manifested in the Year of the Library campaign, which included a full set of public programs, banners, and media publicity.
IUSB Advisory Board
The IUSB Advisory Board consists of regional representatives from government, education, health care, business, and industry. This group of prominent citizens, several of whom hold degrees from Indiana University South Bend, has been of immense value in several ways. The board meets regularly with the chancellor to bring information and issues of importance to the community to the attention of campus administration. The board also serves as a consultative body as the campus moves forward with planning and growth. Recently the board has been especially active in urging legislative support for various initiatives and played a significant role in gaining appropriations for the building of the student activity center.
Chaired by Ernestine Raclin, chairman of the board of 1st Source Bank, the IUSB Advisory Board also includes B. Patrick Bauer, Robert Beutter, Cora Breckenridge, Virginia Calvin, Roland W. Chamblee Sr., Arthur J. Decio, Robert Deputy, Fred S. Kahn, Larry Lentych, Steve Luecke, Phil A. Newbold, Richard (Dick) Pfeil, Samuel Raitzin, Emil (Lucky) Reznik, Franklin D. Schurz Jr., William S. Shields, Mike Wargo, Barbara K. Warner, Robert Warnock Jr., Darwin L. Wiekamp, and Joseph C. Zakas. Mrs. Breckenridge, an Indiana University South Bend alumna, also serves on the Indiana University Board of Trustees.
Summary and Conclusions
This chapter demonstrates that Indiana University South Bend meets criterion three, accomplishing its educational and other purposes through its multifaceted, integrated public service and community outreach efforts. Two of the four priorities identified in Chapter 2—developing and expanding partnerships with the community and enhancing the image of Indiana University South Bend in the community—have received a great deal of attention during the last several years. Indiana University South Bend makes a significant contribution through its educational offerings, outreach, service, and economic impact. Indiana University South Bend faculty, staff, and students are integral to the social and intellectual fabric of the community. Formal and informal links exist between university programs, faculty, students, and the community. During the 1990s Indiana University South Bend has also become better known and better respected as a contributor to the quality of life enjoyed by citizens of this region.
It is rather remarkable that such positive results have been achieved during a period of considerable change for the campus, especially at its upper administrative levels. Since the last NCA review there has been a major focus and effort by all academic and support units to increase Indiana University South Bend’s visibility in the community by reaching out with programs, services, and partnerships. The three chancellors who led the campus during the 1990s were devoted, each in his own way, to increasing Indiana University South Bend’s visibility, gaining recognition of its significance as a major campus of Indiana University, and strengthening partnership relationships with its host community. It is time now for the campus and its leaders to pause and reflect on what has been accomplished and to devise a rational and deliberate strategy for making even more significant gains in the first decade of the new century.