VCAA Newletter

Dear Colleagues,

In his book, The Courage to Teach, Parker Palmer speaks pointedly about the community of truth from which teachers emerge. For him, good teaching is interactive and fundamentally communal. In early spring, I spent countess hours reading tenure and promotion dossiers. Not surprisingly, at IUSB, good teaching abounds. In those Sisyphean moments when reading seems to have no end, I am buoyed by the splendid examples page after page where faculty speak excitedly about the interactive learning in their classrooms. The recently adopted general education curriculum is a prime example of how faculty will engage students in the interconnectedness of knowledge. To cite the document, the purpose of our general education is “to prepare students to be successful in their chosen professions and become valued citizens and leaders within their communities, individually enriched by their studies and stimulated by the spirit of discovery. We will create a learning environment that serves the academic, civic, cultural, and career needs of an educated citizen within the global community.”

A few weeks ago I was privileged to join Professor Randy Isaacson and his family for the Founders Day celebration in Bloomington, where Randy was celebrated as the recipient of the Frederic Bachman Lieber Memorial Award for distinguished teaching. In the printed biography in the program, one of Randy’s students exuberantly captures how he motivates students in their learning. What she says about Randy’s teaching mirrors Palmer’s community of truth: “He helped me and literally hundreds of kids he has coached to discover the strength and the depth of potential each of us has and our ability to realize that potential.” In my brief tenure at IUSB, I have observed Randy in many different settings in and outside of the classroom. As it is true for many of our faculty, his passion for teaching is electrifying. With Randy, one never knows where teaching ends and learning begins. I am deeply appreciative of his efforts in the classroom and I applaud him and all of you for stellar teaching.

I am happy to report to you that Mary Jo Regan-Kubinski of St. Mary’s College has verbally accepted our offer to be Dean of the Division of Nursing and Health Professions. This is indeed exciting news and I look forward to working with her and with each one of you as we continue on the path of excellence in teaching, research and service in Nursing, Radiography, and Dental Education. Mary Jo joins a strong and dedicated faculty whose commitment to excellence is unparalleled in this region. She joins a loyal and competent staff and she will be a committed advocate for our students and an excellent ambassador with our community health care partners. Mary Jo is an accomplished teacher and researcher in the health professions. I welcome her as a member of our academic team. I ask that you join me in welcoming Mary Jo to our campus community. Mary Jo’s e-mail is regankub@saintmarys.edu. She will formally begin her duties with us on July 1, 2003.

David J. Freitas has been named the Dean of the School of Education. Dr. Freitas has nearly 20 years of experience in higher education and previously served as interim dean and full professor, and associate dean and full professor at the National College of Education at National-Louis University, Chicago; assistant dean, academic affairs and graduate school professor at Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, Mass.; educational specialist with the Massachusetts Department of Education; university teaching fellow at Boston University and public school teacher in Massachusetts. He will formally begin his duties with us on July 1, 2003.

Ilene Sheffer has been named Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs and University Advancement. Ms. Sheffer is currently serving two roles - as vice president for community services and development for Southwestern Michigan College and as executive director for SMC Foundation, both in Dowagiac, Mich. Through her work at Southwestern Michigan, she has developed college on-site classes at area high schools, cultivated a bachelor's program with Bethel College, worked to establish the an associates degree program with Michigan City Head Start. Chancellor Reck said Sheffer's extensive experience in educational marketing, alumni relations, fund-raising and communications will make her a valuable member of her administrative team. "Ilene brings a knowledge of education and the community that is difficult to match. She understands the importance of working closely with alumni, faculty, staff, friends and the community for the betterment of IU South Bend." She will formally begin her duties with us on July 1, 2003.

We are sorry to report that the search for a new Vice Chancellor for Information Technology has failed. Bev Church has agreed to stay on as Interim Director of Information Technology and we hope to open the search again soon.

The 4th Annual Midwest Conference on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) with Keynote speaker Barbara Cambridge will be held on Friday, April 11, 2003 between 8:30am and 3:00pm. The Publication Reception will immediately follow the conference.

The Publication Reception will be held next Friday, April 11, 2003 at 3pm in the 5th Floor Atrium in the Schurz Library. Please join us in celebrating the publishing accomplishments of our faculty and staff in 2002. Check out the publication list on-line at http://www.iusb.edu/~acadaff/publications/Pub2002.htm

Education: Some great news about our Title II data. Background: Title II looks at the number of program completers (undergraduates and graduate students who complete coursework to be eligible for licensing) who pass the PRAXIS tests. PRAXIS I (which used to be called the PPST) is the basic skills test that student pass to enter the Teacher Education Program, usually in their sophomore year. The PRAXIS II (which used to be called the NTE) is the test that must be passed to receive a teaching license. It focuses on pedagogy and academic content. The news: Our Title II pass rates are UP! Last year, our overall pass rate (for Praxis I and II) was 92%, which put us into the fourth quartile for the state of Indiana. We are now at 96%. The biggest jump was in the basic skills test, which rose from 94% to 98%. This gain is due to two reasons: (1) we adhered closely to our stated policies and did not "waive" students into advanced courses until they passed the PRAXIS I, and (2) we are offering more support to students who are struggling with the PRAXIS, including revisions of the math "T" courses, Continuing Ed classes, and sessions on test anxiety by the Counseling Center. Our pass rate on the content tests was 98% (up from 97%), and the pass rate for Teaching Special Populations remained at 100%.

B&E: With the financial assistance from IU and IUSB alumnus F. James Hammer (Imagineering, Inc.) on Friday, March 28 B&E hosted an all-day teaching development seminar "Cooperative Learning: Using Group Activities both Wisely and Well" and "Using Group Activities to Foster Deep Learning." The presenter was Dr. Barbara Millis, Director of Faculty Development at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Approximately 35 faculty attended, including individuals from B&E, CLAS, and Nursing and Health Professions.

With the financial assistance of many of our Advisory Board members B&E will host its annual spring honors luncheon on Sunday, April 13 on campus. In addition to presenting scholarships in undergraduate and graduate business students we will present the E. M. Morris Award to Mr. John Phair, President of Holladay Properties, and the Outstanding Associate Faculty Award to Ms. Christine Pochert. We will be presenting scholarships to 16 students representing 13 separate scholarships (some scholarships have multiple recipients). In addition we will be presenting non-scholarship awards to a number of students.

With the financial assistance of Crowe Chizek on April 15-16 B&E will host its second Executive-in-Residence Program. This year's executive is Mr. Alan Gilman, President and CEO of Steak 'N Shake. Mr. Gilman is a South Bend native who holds two academic degrees from IU. He will team teach an MBA class on April 15, following a reception at Crowe Chizek, and three undergraduate classes on April 16.

B&E will host its first B&E alumni reunion dinner on Thursday, April 17 on campus. Chancellor Reck is the guest speaker and we will present the Distinguished Alumna(us) Award to Mr. John Voorde.

Next year IUSB will host a campus-wide discussion centering on the theme of Identity and Conflict. The centerpieces of the discussion will be an exhibition of art by Israeli and Palestinian artists in the IUSB Ruskin Street Gallery and a visit by the Palestinian poet Naomi Shihab Nye in October. A series of films, lectures, and performances prepared by many different Schools and areas will fill out a very busy calendar of events that will extend the theme far beyond the Middle East. This project will provide an excellent opportunity to not only to explore a theme that has taken on great importance in many of our academic disciplines but also the chance to bring the campus closer together intellectually by working toward a permanent “thematic year” called for by the extended learning component of our new General Education requirements. I encourage all of you to support this project either by including a discussion of the theme at an appropriate time in one of your courses, by informing your students to attend one of the scheduled events, or by working to plan some sort of public presentation that examines some aspect of this theme for your own discipline. Please contact either Rebecca Torstrick (CLAS-- Anthropology) or Ben Withers ( ARTS-- Art History) if you have ideas to contribute.”

Assessment Grant Announcement: Assessment of general education is an important goal for IUSB. General education was addressed at both the accreditation visit of the Higher Learning Commission and in the campus strategic plan. The campus has become increasingly aware general education issues will play a large part in the future of IUSB. In response, the General Education initiative passed at the last Academic Senate Meeting. In order for the General Education Curriculum to be a success, effective assessment needs to be incorporated in the initial stages. The Assessment Committee would like to assist in these efforts by offering grants to fund assessment planning, strategies, implementation and evaluation.

Proposals will be accepted until April 30. Applications and guidelines are available on the Assessment Webpage: http://www.iusb.edu/~assess/ or from Rhonda Culbertson, (rculbert@iusb.edu or x6598)

Many thanks to Tuck Langland for the beautiful fountain that graces the mall in front of the student center. Once again he has shown that is a master of movement in bronze. Kudos to him too for a magnificent Lundquist lecture that showcased the Renaissance man that he is.

Kudos to Les Lamon for being named the winner of the 2003-04 Lunquist Award.

And congratulations to Becky Torstrick for receiving a Fulbright scholarship.

Anne Brown and Paulette Zizzo were recently awarded over $90,000 for their project entitled "Mathematical Proficiency through Inquiry-Based Teaching & Learning" from the Indiana Commission of Higher Education. This project will provide opportunities for teachers to improve their mathematical knowledge while developing expertise in aligning their curricula with the Indiana Academic Standards for Mathematics.

Our own Ilan Levine is part of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) collaboration of 150 scientists which solved the almost 40 year-old “Solar Neutrino Problem.” This event has been rated the second most important scientific breakthrough worldwide for 2002 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Reference for this honor is in the journal “Science”, December 20, 2002 issue. The web page for the experiment can be found at the URL: http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/