Office of Academic Affairs VCAA News    September 2004

Dear Colleagues, The very visible signs that summer is over are the jammed parking lots and the hustle and bustle of students moving to and from classes. The beginning of the new academic year is always an exciting time for me. New energy fills the air. There are grand expectations of success that are vibrantly reflected in the students’ faces. Among the faculty is intoxicating optimism that each student will be a serious and dedicated learner. And  within Academic Affairs summer came and went with barely a notice; the expected slower pace of work that naturally happens during those lazy, hazy days of summer remained unfulfilled. Projects that you will hear more about in the coming weeks and months include strategic planning implementation, the Higher Learning Commission Self-Study for 2007 re-accreditation, the American Democracy Project, the Indiana Project for Academic Success, general education, the Extended Learning Center (formerly Off-Campus Programs and Continuing Education), continuing and expanded articulations, summer school review, faculty and dean searches, budget planning, NCATE and AASCB planning activities for re-accreditation, review of the Honors Program and review of International Programs, etc. And with the arrival of Salina Shrofel, our new Associate Vice Chancellor for Graduate Programs and Sponsored Research, there will be much engagement of faculty and administration in the strengthening of our graduate programs and the expansion of our capabilities to attract external funding. I am already hearing many positive comments about Salina’s visits with faculty. Since re-accreditation is a priority for us, I would like to recommend an opportunity for interested faculty to present at the annual conference of the Higher Learning Commission in the spring.  The following website provides more detailed information about the call for proposals: http://www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org/AnnualMeeting. The self-study team of faculty and administrators will attend the conference. IRB Update - All of the protocols that were suspended last October have been either re-approved or closed and IU South Bend's Institutional Review Board (IRB) is entering a transitional period. For the next few months all applications for IRB approval (exempt, expedited, and full) will be reviewed by the full IUSB IRB in conjunction with the chair of the Bloomington Human Subjects Committee (Peter Finn). You can find more information, along with a review schedule, at the IRB website (http://www.iusb.edu/~sbirb). Democracy Essays Broadcast on WVPE Local NPR affiliate station WVPE and our campus’s new publication on democracy, ADP/SB, have teamed with a new series of broadcasts on the election.  The series launched on Tuesday, September 7 with a discussion of the American Democracy Project (ADP) between Professor Elizabeth Bennion, Campus Director of ADP, and WVPE’s News Director, Beth Graham. The series continues next week with the 7:35 a.m. Tuesday broadcast of Paul Herr’s commentary on the role of choice and compromise in a healthy democracy.  ADP/SB (http://www.iusb.edu/~sbadp) is a daily web publication addressing the 2004 election, the quality of American democracy, and the challenges of active citizenship.  Students, faculty, staff, and members of the community are invited to participate as readers and writers – contact Ken Smith (ksmith@iusb.edu) for more information. Regular ADP/SB broadcasts on WVPE (www.wvpe.org) continue each Tuesday at 7:35 a.m. at 88.1 FM. Electronic Rosters with E-mail Addresses Now Available via Oncourse Using Oncourse, faculty can now download electronic class rosters that contain student e-mail addresses. For instructions, see the IU Knowledge Base document http://kb.indiana.edu/data/apal.html Electronic rosters are also available through OneStart, but do not include e-mail addresses.  For instructions on retrieving rosters through OneStart, see the IU Knowledge Base document http://kb.indiana.edu/data/aouq.html If you need more assistance with electronic rosters, contact the UITS Support Center. Academic Renewal Policy The amended version of the Academic Renewal Policy, as finally approved by the Senate in April can be found here. 9TH ANNUAL ASSOCIATE FACULTY AND LECTURER CONFERENCE SPONSORED BY FACET  The 9th Annual FACET sponsored Associate Faculty and Lecturer conference will be held at the University Place Conference Center and Hotel at IUPUI on Friday, October 15 and Saturday, October 16.  The theme for the 2004 conference is “Teaching with Style:  Considerations for effective communication and student motivation”.  The conference is designed to be pedagogically general so that participants from all disciplines can focus on their common interests and can share their successful teaching strategies.  The following Associate Faculty members and Lecturers will represent IU South Bend at this conference.  CONGRATULATIONS to each of them for their selection for this conference. Sushma Agarwal, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Jarrod Brown, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dave Hendrax, School of Education Vonda Hittle, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Virginia Olson, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Keith L. Smith, Lecturer in Decision Sciences, School of Business and Economics Laura Talcott, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Abigail Tanon, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Todd M. Thompson, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Genevieve Trench, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Nancy Troeger, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Raymond D. Vander Heyden, School of Business and Economics Al Vitale, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences David Wemhoff, School of Public and Environmental Affairs Assessment Committee September 2004 WEBSITE - The new Assessment Committee website is now on-line.  Its many added features include: announcements, examples of assessment reports, and helpful resources.  Please visit the website at: http://www.iusb.edu/~sbassess/   GRANTS - The Assessment Committee will be offering Assessment Grants again this fall. Grants will be available for departments to research and establish an assessment plan; implement new assessment activities; analyze the results of assessment activities; and implement program changes as the result of these activities. The maximum amount of the grant has been increased to $3000. Applications and guidelines as well as final reports from previous assessment plans are available on the website:  http://www.iusb.edu/~sbassess/granhome.shtml.  Applications are due by November 3 ASSESSMENT PLANS - In preparation for the upcoming Higher Learning Commission accreditation visit, the Assessment Committee is asking that all programs update assessment plans in accordance with HLC priorities. Information and samples for revising and updating assessment plans are available on the website. ASSESSMENT INSTITUTE - One of the premier assessment conferences, the Assessment Institute, is sponsored each year by IUPUI, and held in Indianapolis. It's time to mark your calendar for this year's event: October 31 -November 2.   More information is available at: http://www.planning.iupui.edu/conferences/national/National/2004/2004novinstitute.html   A limited number of conference registration sponsorships are available from the Assessment Committee for IUSB faculty. If you are interested in attending the conference, please contact Rhonda Culbertson, (x5598) or email the Assessment Committee (sbassess@iusb.edu) as soon as possible; the conference always fills up early. ANNUAL REPORTS – Those departments which have not yet submitted their 2003-04 Annual Assessment Report are encouraged to do so as soon as possible.  The information from these reports is crucial for documentation and accreditation. Community Links IU South Bend’s Volunteer Fair will take place on Wednesday, September 15 in the Administration Bldg. Cafeteria from 11 a.m. till 2 p.m. America Reads/America Counts Tutor Training will be held on Friday, September 17 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Greenlawn 149. Contact the Office of Community Links (5465) for more information on these events. Kudos: To the dental assisting and dental hygiene programs for their recent re-accreditation by the American Dental Association Council for Dental Accreditation. Last month the Health and Wellness Center was a host site for the first Community Pap-a-thon sponsored by the Women's Task Force.  The 5 Nurse Practitioners/Nurse midwife from the School of Nursing, Teri Dobrzykowski, Tara Stokes, Chris White, Sue Anderson and Patti Nietchall, volunteered to make this a very successful event. One accelerated nursing student Kier Harris volunteered from 7:30 am to 8 pm. A total of 59 women were seen and many of them commented they were very grateful for this event. Thank you to everyone who supported this event. Best wishes, Alfred J. Guillaume, Jr. Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs