More than 900 Sycamores participate in winter commencement Indiana State University sent the Class of 2017 into the world with parting words from fellow Sycamores at the winter commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 16. There were 906 Indiana State students who applied to graduate, of which 386 undergraduates and 198 graduates signed up to participate in the commencement ceremony at Hulman Center. Student speaker and political science major Shayla Bozdech of Effingham, Ill., offered her
fellow graduates a message about sacrifices. “Look at the world in which we live. There are many circumstances around us that might cause us to become disheartened and feel defeated. There are old problems in our world that have come back into light, and new problems that we, as the next generation of world leaders, are tasked with solving,” she said. “These problems, they won’t be solved by thousands of people choosing to simply follow their dreams. That’s not how you got here today, is it? Your dream may have been to go to college, but when you look up in the audience and find the people in your support system, you can realize that you are not the product of a thousand dreams. You are the product of a thousand sacrifices.” She reminded the graduates that sacrifice for
others is a message that was driven home at Indiana State. “At Indiana State, we have learned that, if service is beneath us, then leadership is beyond us,” Bozdech said. “We have been taught the importance of making an impact in our communities through service. ISU has taught us the value of making sacrifices for our neighbors, and we have seen how connected we are at our core.” Bozdech’s wish for her fellow graduates was for them to “recognize the sacrifices that must be made for the good of others.” “I hope that we will always do what is right, even if it does not mean following our dreams,” she said. “In turn, I hope that our dreams will turn into those of integrity, honesty, love, respect, patience, joy and peace. Because with these dreams, we can become humble servants. With these dreams, we can have hope.” Alumnus Michael Scott Jr., ‘10, used the opportunity as the alumni speaker to encourage his fellow Sycamores to focus the talents and skills they honed at Indiana State toward making a difference in the lives of the next generation as he did post-graduation. Scott serves as an instructional fellow with the Uncommon Schools in Brooklyn, N.Y. - a nonprofit network of public charter schools closing the opportunity gap primarily for students of color from low-income communities in New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey. “As an alumnus, it’s my duty to impart wisdom or lessons that, hopefully, allows you to avoid an obstacle or two that I encountered,” he said. “So, what lessons have I learned? Lesson one. Embrace difference. Expose yourself to new experiences. Meet new people. By listening to folks who you would normally shun or not gravitate toward, what you’ll learn is you have far more in common than you have in contrast.” Lesson two, Scott said, is to seize the moment and live life to the fullest.
“You’ve got one life to live and only one chance to live it,” he said. “Two weeks after I walked across this stage, my father’s years among the living were cut short at the age of 53. From that pivotal moment, I committed to not live for tomorrow, but to ensure that today was the best and most fulfilled it could be. You see, when you live life to the fullest, doing what you love and what makes you happy, you thrive and spread those positive ripples to the rest of society.” For lesson three, Scott encouraged the graduates to fall forward.
now be a drum major for the voiceless. Be an advocate for those who often go unheard, represent those who don’t have access to the table of power and donate to causes of profound impact.” Scott knows of what he speaks. He has dedicated his life to working in communities where the odds are not in his students’ favor. “I advocated before the Texas state Legislature for high academic expectations coupled with assessments that did not diminish a student’s joy for learning,” he said. “I lobbied in Albany for the expansion of education access so more students have an opportunity “Mistakes are unavoidable. It is what you do to realize their greatest potential. Throughout after that alters the outcome of your next the seven years since I left this place, I have attempt,” he said. “Embrace error because used my voice and the education I received you will fall, but you’ll get back up. When you here for advocacy and my vote for policies rise, honor the reflection. Ask yourself, ‘What and candidates that align with my passion did I do wrong? What can I learn from this?’ It for educational equity.” is only in the reflection that the move forward As an advocate for providing college access happens.” and opportunity for all, Scott announced a Scott’s final lesson was for the graduates to scholarship in honor of his father that will be give by using their privilege for others. available at Indiana State next fall to any “The idea of service is not lost on anyone in rising junior or senior who hails from Indiana this institution. Indiana State prides itself on and has chosen to major in education or recits servant and civic leadership, consistently reation and sport management. top ranked in higher education for embracIn addition, because college access can be ing the idea of service,” he said. “Within this more difficult for men of color, Scott said The room, you have completed thousands of Michael Scott Jr. Civic Leadership Scholarhours of volunteer work and your service has ship will be available next fall to two males made this institution and society a better of color who are rising sophomores, juniors or place. Continue to volunteer at local food seniors with a demonstrated commitment to banks, homeless shelters and schools. Contin- service and a willingness to use their privilege ue toy drives for foster children, blood drives in service of underserved communities. for the afflicted.” “Use your privilege for others. As you launch But volunteering is no longer enough, he on a new and exciting journey in your life, I added. leave you with the idea of Ubuntu - I am and “Your degree not only makes you more likely you are because we are,” he said. “I wish to be employed, increases your life expeceach of you immeasurable success because tancy and you are more likely to be attentive your success will impact the lives of generaand engaged in the national discourse. But, tions.” see, your degree also makes you more likely to vote, more likely to have a seat at the taThough the day was about the graduates, ble and understand the channels for change Indiana State President Dan Bradley, with his and will allow you to earn over $1 million in wife Cheri at his side, offered a few words at additional income over the course of your his 19th and final commencement ceremony life,” Scott said. “To all graduates in this room, as president of Indiana State. you’ve upgraded. As some would say, Dr. “These ceremonies and 10 convocations for King was a drum major for justice. You must new freshmen will always stand out as high-
lights of our tenure,” he said. “We want to thank all of you and all of our students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters who are not here today who have, over the last nine-plus years, made ISU an incredible place to work, to learn and to play. Cheri and I have dedicated all of our energy to making it a better place and we do not regret one minute. Know that the best is yet to come.” -30Photos: https://photos.smugmug.com/ Events/Events-by-Year/2017/Winter-Commencement-2017/i-Q7KB55T/1/924baa65/ X2/12_16_17_commencement-5513-X2.jpg Writer: Betsy Simon, media relations assistant director, Office of Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-7972 or betsy.simon@indstate.edu
University of Evansville partners with Toyota Indiana The University of Evansville has received a generous gift of $100,000 from Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana. The majority of the gift –$90,000—will be used to launch the University’s new Logistics and Supply Chain Management (LSCM) Program. The remainder of the funds will continue Toyota’s long-standing support of the University’s annual Changemaker Challenge competitions for area high school students and UE students. “We are proud to partner with the University of Evansville on this milestone,” said plant vice president Tim Hollander. “This program will help to fill a need for trained and qualified candidates for many employers in our region and create opportunities for students to build careers with longevity.” UE’s new Logistics and Supply Chain Management (LSCM) Program will be introduced in the fall of 2018. The University’s Schroeder Family School of Business Administration will be the first private University in Indiana accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International to offer an undergraduate major in logistics and supply chain management. New college graduates in the supply chain management field are highly sought after with a 6:1 demand-to-supply ratio. UE’s program will prepare students with knowledge and skills desired by employers. In addition to a rigorous course of study, students in the program will take part in high level experiential learning opportunities such as internships. “Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Indiana is a world-class manufacturer and a great corporate partner,” said Greg Rawski, Schroeder Family Dean at UE. “We are excited to launch this distinctive LSCM program, which
provides students great placement opportunities and rewarding careers.” Part of the Toyota gift designated for the LSCM program will fund ten $5,000 scholarships. These one-year scholarships will be awarded to each of the 10 students in the cohort that will begin the program. In 2018 U.S. News & World Report ranked the Schroeder School of Business #4 among small private schools and among all business schools Schroeder was the fastest riser (+38 places) to #183 overall. Schroeder average starting salaries are now at $50,500. ### About the University of Evansville: Located in Evansville, Indiana the University of Evansville is a private, liberal arts-based university with over 80 majors and more than 100 areas of study. UE’s diverse student body represents 45 states and 61 countries. U.S. News & World Report recognized UE as a “Best Value” Midwest university and Washington Monthly calls UE a “Best Bang for the Buck.” For more information, please visit http://www.evansville.edu.
Lilly Endowment Provides Rose-Hulman $2.85-Million Grant
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Homework Hotline will continue assisting Indiana middle and high school students in understanding mathematics and science principles, through a $2.85-million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. This support will make tutors available each school year through December of 2020. Homework Hotline student tutors conducted 33,897 tutoring sessions just in the 2016-17 school year alone, and more than 637,000 sessions since the program’s inception in 1991. The grant will enable the Homework Hotline to continue utilizing the latest technology to strengthen its virtual presence to meet the changing needs of students. “We’re seeing more students using the Homework Hotline’s online services each year. We want to continue remaining on the forefront of advancements in technology that make students most comfortable in getting help from our tutors,” said Homework Hotline Director Susan Smith Roads. Starting in the 2018-19 academic year, the Homework Hotline will begin collecting aggregate information from tutoring sessions to
help identify students’ specific knowledge gaps that may exist relative to science and mathematics principles. “We are looking forward to collecting this information so that we can share it with educators, parents and other stakeholders and work collaboratively to strengthen students’ math and science skills and encourage their interest in STEM,” said Smith Roads This Lilly Endowment grant also will support expansion of the Homework Hotline’s Student Ambassador Program, which currently brings tutors back to campus in mid-August – several weeks before Homework Hotline’s official opening in early September – to visit area schools that operate on a balanced calendar schedule. The expansion of the Student Ambassador Program will also allow teams of tutors to meet virtually with students, teachers, guidance counselors and administrators at schools throughout the state, regardless of their distance from Rose-Hulman. Additionally, a team of Rose Ready tutors will initiate live tutoring sessions using current and emerging technology platforms to reach Indiana students through both in-school and after-school initiatives during the academic year.
The Homework Hotline started in 1991 as a free community service for students in Vigo County, and its reach was extended statewide in 1999 through Lilly Endowment support. The hotline has become a model for programs at other higher education institutions. It has been replicated at three branch campuses of Pennsylvania State University, at California’s Harvey Mudd College and at the University of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. “Now more than ever, we need to help students overcome barriers to understanding math and science, because proficiency in these areas is vital to their future success,” said Rose-Hulman President Jim Conwell. “Lilly Endowment has been a valuable partner for the Homework Hotline and Rose-Hulman in ensuring that students get the help they need and don’t give up on math and science.” Tutors are available from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays from early September until the middle of May, except for holiday breaks. Free tutoring sessions or assistance with homework problems are available by calling 1-877-ASK-ROSE (877-2757673) or through chat, e-mail or other online resources at www.AskRose.org. Founded in 1874, Rose-Hulman is dedicated to preparing its students with the world’s best undergraduate science, engineering and mathematics education in an environment infused with innovation, intellectual rigor and individualized attention. The institute is consistently recognized nationally as an elite STEM school for distinctions that include faculty excellence, return on investment, value added and career services. Six of the college’s professors are listed in the Princeton Review’s Best 300 Professors book. Located in Terre Haute, Indiana, Rose-Hulman has an enrollment of approximately 2,200 undergraduate students and nearly 100 graduate students. Learn more at www.rose-hulman.edu. Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in
1937 by three members of the Lilly family--J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli--through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.
Upland Greenway Project Gets $200k Grant The Town of Upland has been selected to receive a $200,000 grant to establish a greenway and trail head from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. This grant is a result of a partnership between the Town of Upland, The Upland Area Greenways Association, and the William Taylor Foundation of Taylor University. Town and university officials say the grant requires a $50,000 match, which will be met by the William Taylor Foundation. Organizers say the trail head will be located at the southeast corner of the Main Street bridge across from Upland Tire and includes a one mile trail that will head east and then south along the William Taylor Foundation land border. According to Ron Sutherland, Upland Area Greenways Association President and Special Assistant to the President at Taylor University, the trail will accomplish the following objectives: 1. Enhanced quality of life, 2. Enhanced recreation opportunities, 3. And provision of a safe place to run, walk, bicycle on a path that is closed to motor traffic. “We believe the establishment of this trail demonstrates Upland’s commitment to attract great people and organizations to consider our wonderful community,” Sutherland said. “The grounds upon which the trail head and one-mile trail will be constructed provide
a beautiful setting and we believe this project can be a prelude to additional trail and local development.” Town Council president John Bonham added, “It is exciting to consider that Upland is joining the growing list of communities that will have access to a greenway. We are confident the trail and greenway will be a wonderful blessing for our hometown and provides additional evidence that the Town of Upland is poised for more great improvements.” Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2018. The mission of the Upland Area Greenways Association is, “To work in concert with all Town of Upland councils, organizations, and entities to enhance the quality of life in Upland by closing the gap in the Cardinal Greenway and by providing exceptional local walking and bike riding trails that create a walkable community, promote healthy living, provide better safety for the public, and improve the opportunity to attract the next generation to Upland.”
Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit to Goshen College in 1960 by Richard R. Aguirre Many famous people have visited Goshen College since it was founded in 1894 — none more famous than the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The slain civil right leader visited Goshen College on March 10, 1960. At the time, King was leading the struggle for racial equality throughout the South. The charismatic pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga., soared to national prominence in 1954 by leading a boycott against the segregated bus system in Montgomery. Ala. He had endured many threats to his life and had been arrested in protests. A year before his Goshen visit, in 1959, King spent a month in India studying Mahatma Gandhi’s techniques of nonviolence. In later years would come more protests, more arrests, the March on Washington, the “I Have a Dream” speech, the Nobel Peace Prize — more triumphs and more frustrations. But on the evening of March 10, 1960, King delivered a spellbinding lecture to a crowd packed into Goshen College’s Union Auditorium, according to news accounts. The Elkhart Truth and the South Bend Tribune reported that King lectured about the “sitdown” strikes against segregated restaurants that already had spread to 37 cities in the South. “The strikes will arouse the dozing conscience of the South,” he predicted. King condemned police tactics used against student demonstrators and he spoke about his commitment to non-violence. King told the crowd about a telegram he had just sent pleading for President Dwight D. Eisenhower to help end the “reign of terror” by police against the students in Montgomery, Ala. King described the “Negro’s quest for freedom,” the Tribune reported, and stated that the nation faced a moral challenge. “We have broken loose from the Egypt of slavery. We moved through the wilderness of segregation. We stand now on the border of
the promised land of integration,” the Tribune quoted King as saying. “All over the South, the Negro is rising up and saying he is determined to be free, he is tired of the yoke of oppression.” The Truth reported that King called on Congress to pass a strong civil rights law to “control the effects” of racist attitudes. “Law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me,” he said. King also called on religious leaders to help change attitudes on racial issues. He pointedly noted that churches were a “segregated island” in America and he said that political moderates and liberals had an obligation to speak out in protest. “What is needed now is a liberalism committed to the ideals of brotherhood,” the Tribune reported. “White moderates in the South must take a stand.” King also said that all persons should be free to marry whomever they wanted, but he rejected the idea that a desire for intermarriage had any bearing on the drive for civil rights, according to The Truth’s story. “The basic aim of the Negro is to be the white man’s brother, not his brother-in-law,” he said. In her book, “Culture for Service, A History of Goshen College,” author Susan Fisher Miller (a 1980 Goshen College graduate) wrote that King’s visit “sparked a great deal of interest” on campus and spurred sustained activism against segregation. Still, the story behind the visit is almost as fascinating as the positive reaction it provoked on campus and in the community on March 10, 1960. This story also provides a glimpse at the racial tensions sweeping the nation at the time and about the college’s strong support for King at a time many Hoosiers opposed or were skeptical of King’s efforts. This little-known story can be told based on records of the Goshen College Lecture-Mu-
sic Series — specifically the correspondence between Professor Willard H. Smith and Martin Luther King Jr. — that are housed in the Mennonite Church USA Archives at Goshen College. Dennis Stoesz, the church’s archivist in Goshen, shared the records. The records show that Professor Smith, the chairman of the lecture-music series, wrote to King on Feb. 5, 1959 and invited him to lecture at the college in January 1960. After a few months of correspondence, King wrote a letter in which he thanked Smith for the invitation, but politely declined. “Ordinarily, I would be more than happy to accept your invitation,” King replied in a letter dated April 8, 1959. “Unfortunately, however, some road blocks stand before me at this time. Because of the mounting racial tensions in the South, I find it necessary to spend more of my time in this area. “This means keeping my outside engagements to a bare minimum. After checking my calendar, I find that I have accepted as many speaking engagements outside the South as my schedule will possibly allow for the next year. But for this, I would be glad to accept your gracious invitation. Please know that I deeply regret my inability to come at this time,” King wrote. Despite the rejection, Smith persisted. He called King and proposed alternative dates for a lecture. A few days later, on April 11, King wrote a letter in which he indicated that he might be able to lecture at Goshen College after all. He proposed a visit on Feb. 19, 1960. In the letter, King declined to specify what his speaking fee would be but he urged the college to be generous. He wrote Smith: “… I do urge the sponsoring group to make the honorarium as high as possible since the bulk of it goes for my work here in the South. Let me thank you again for extending the invitation and I look forward with great anticipation to the time when I will appear at Goshen College.” Professor Smith called and told King’s aides on April 14 that a lecture on Feb. 19, 1960 was impossible for the college. Smith proposed three alternate dates in January 1960,
and he stated that the college would pay King a “good fee” if he agreed to the visit. Smith further requested that King respond on April 15, according to archive records. On April 15, 1959, Smith received a Western Union telegram that must have been received with great joy at the college. Its entire text: “Have arranged to speak at Goshen on January fourteenth. Martin Luther King Jr.” On April 28, following more contacts, King sent a more formal response. He agreed to speak at the college for a $600 fee. “I am placing January 14, 1960 on my calendar, and I look forward to this engagement with great anticipation,” King wrote. For months afterward, the college worked with King and his secretary to finalize details of the lecture, according to the archive records. Advance publicity was arranged after King’s office sent the college “glossy” photographs and biographical material. In December, King’s secretary, Maude L. Ballou, wrote and informed Smith that King’s lecture topic would be “The Future of Integration.” King also had accepted Smith’s offer to spend the night in his home and agreed to attend an evening meal before the lecture as long as it was with a “small group” from the college. The lecture was scheduled for the Union Auditorium on Jan. 14, 1960 at 8:15 p.m. Tickets were available at the college business office for $2, $1.50 and $1.25. Details of King’s arrival and departure later were arranged. On Jan. 7, 1960, for example, King’s secretary wrote and informed Smith that King would arrive at the South Bend airport at 4:15 p.m., via a United Airlines flight, but he no longer would be able to spend the night in Goshen. Friends would drive him to Chicago immediately after the lecture. All was in place for a successful, high-profile lecture. However, it was abruptly cancelled on Jan. 14 — the day of the lecture. The news media helped spread the word that King had been unable to fly to Chicago because of
weather problems. On Jan. 15, Smith called King and the civil right leader agreed to lecture at Goshen College on March 10, 1960. On Jan. 21, Professor Smith wrote to King to confirm the new lecture date. He also raised two sensitive issues: the need to generate renewed public interest for King’s rescheduled lecture and college “finances.” Smith wrote that the college had spent “quite a bit” of money advertising the Jan. 14 lecture and preparing the Union Auditorium for the event. The college also had given ticket refunds to those who could not attend the rescheduled lecture on March 10. The total loss to the college: $200, according to archive correspondence. “In view of this, I am wondering whether you would like to reconsider the $600 fee that we had agreed upon,” Smith wrote to King. “I do not mean at all that we would want you to consider bearing the entire added expense, because it was not your fault any more than it was ours that the lecture had to be cancelled.” The college still was willing to pay King $600, Smith wrote, but a lower speaking fee “would enable us to stay out of the red and we would still be able to put out adequate publicity for the rescheduled lecture.” King’s secretary responded in a Jan. 27, 1960 letter in which she suggested lowering the speaking fee to $500. Smith accepted the new fee in a letter dated Feb. 9, 1960. And he again invited King to spend the night in his Goshen home. Maude L. Ballou, King’s secretary, responded that King’s travel plans for March 10 were not settled but that he would lecture at the college despite some personal problems. “As you probably know, the state of Alabama has attacked Dr. King on a charge of perjury regarding income tax,” Ballou wrote on Feb. 22. “This has caused him quite a bit of strain because this is an attack on his integrity and honesty. Of course, we feel that it’s just another attempt to harass him and embarrass him.” The news clearly worried Professor Smith, ac-
cording to archive records. “According to press reports, I notice that the state of Alabama is trying to harass you apparently because of your stand on civil rights,” Smith wrote to King on Feb. 24. “I am assuming that this will not in any way interfere with the possibility of your being here in March 10. Is that correct? We certainly hope so.” Ballou responded with a letter on March 5, in which she reconfirmed the lecture and provided King’s travel plans. She also noted that King’s busy schedule would force him to leave Goshen immediately after the lecture and that he could not spend the night at Smith’s home. “He wants you to know, however, that he is anxiously looking forward to being with you, the faculty, and students at Goshen,” she wrote. And, indeed, King did speak at Goshen College on March 10. Professor Guy F. Hershberger, who had met King several years earlier during church con-
ferences in the South, introduced King to the crowd. Hershberger described King as “a maker of history; a man who at the age of 27 had not only completed a distinguished academic career, but who had become a world
figure as well.” The Goshen professor also told the crowd he strongly endorsed King’s work. “Martin Luther King is not merely a champion of civil rights. He is also a minister of the Gospel whose roots are deep in the Christian heritage. He speaks out of the deep religious experience and the sacrificial suffering of his own people. He has repudiated all violence,” Hershberger said. “For four years he has demonstrated a better way for the achievement of freedom; a new road to the pursuit of happiness. In this age of the hydrogen bomb and the intercontinental ballistic missile, it is our hope that this voice shall continue to speak for peace and freedom as the days go by.” King apparently enjoyed his lecture and brief visit to Goshen College. After returning to Atlanta, Ga., he wrote a letter to Professor Smith, on March 25, 1960, expressing his appreciation for a “meaningful and enjoyable” visit. “The fellowship was rich indeed. My only regret was that circumstances made it necessary for me to rush in and rush out,” King wrote. “I hope the time will come when I will be able to visit the campus and spend a little more time.” Professor Smith responded to King a few weeks. He wrote that he also regretted that King’s visit had been so brief. “If you ever come through this community, be sure to stop off and see us if you can. Our latch string is always out.” In his letter of April 6, 1960, Smith also praised King for his “excellent” address, which he noted had been well received on campus. “May God bless you in your further work,” Smith wrote. “Here at Goshen we are all for the work you are doing, and we hope to do our part in helping this great work to be a success and we appreciate also the methods which you use and emphasize.” The following month — on May 28, 1960 — an all-white jury in Montgomery, Ala acquitted King of the tax evasion charge. Eight years later — at sunset on April 4, 1968 — Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine
Motel in Memphis, Tenn. Like much of the rest of the world, Goshen College mourned. Richard R. Aguirre is director of public relations at Goshen College. You can reach him at (574) 535-7571 or rraguirre@goshen.edu.