NEW HEAD OF ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

First Destination Survey shows value of ISU education

Indiana State University posted strong results in its First Destination Survey, showing a 95 percent placement rate for the Class 2021 into jobs, the military, or graduate school.

The survey reported an average starting salary of $57,360 for ISU graduates and that 66% of graduates stayed in Indiana.

“The results of the first-destination survey provide strong evidence that ISU graduates are in demand by employers throughout Indiana and beyond,” said Nancy Rogers, Vice President for University Engagement. “ISU students definitely receive an education that prepares them for life after college. An ISU degree is an excellent value proposition.”

The survey is done by ISU’s Career Center using protocols established by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

The response rate for the Class of 2021 was 68.5%, which exceeds the minimum of 65% established by NACE.

The top employers for ISU graduates were Union Health, ISU, and the Vigo County School Corporation.

Clint Weddle appointed Executive Director of Alumni Association

Clint Weddle has been named Executive Director of the Indiana State University Alumni Association.

Weddle was previously Interim Executive Director of the Alumni Association, which works to grow connections with more than 100,000 alumni around the world.

The Alumni Association manages an advisory board, creates plans for membership and scholarship support, and coordinates programs, communications, and events for alumni.

“Within the Division of Advancement, I have had the opportunity to see the great many ways in which our alumni, students, administrators, faculty, and staff work together to make Indiana State University a special place,” Weddle said. “I am honored to serve and to work with our outstanding alumni and talented staff as we move the University forward.”

Andrea Angel, Vice President of University Advancement and CEO of the ISU Foundation, said she’s “thrilled” with Weddle’s promotion.

“Clint has shown leadership, vision, and attainment of lofty goals during his tenure on our University Advancement team,” Angel said. “He is successful in collaborating with our University partners and alumni to advance the ISU Alumni Association, and these relationships will only grow in his new role.”

Before becoming Interim Executive Director of the Alumni Association, Weddle was Director of Corporate and Foundation Giving in the Division of University Advancement. In that role, he championed development and corporate relationships in support of ISU programs and students.

Weddle established partnerships with more than 30 corporate entities and eight charitable foundations, which provided more than $13.5 million in philanthropic support to ISU during his tenure. Prior to joining ISU, Weddle, a Terre Haute native, served as Director of Development for the Ivy Tech Foundation. Before that he worked at the Clay County School Corporation and coached the boys’ basketball team.

Weddle’s coaching career also includes six years with the Indiana State Women’s Basketball program as an Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. He also previously coached at Oakland City University and the University of Indianapolis.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ENVISIONARY The highlight of the night was students and leaders of “Be So Bold: The Campaign for Indiana State University” taking the stage to turn over cards to reveal the fundraising goal.

When the number was revealed — $100,000,000 — colorful streamers were shot into the air and the crowd at the highenergy campaign kickoff event last month at Hulman Center cheered loudly. Music started. Dancing broke out. The arena’s new video ribbon boards added to the festive atmosphere.

So began the “public phase” of the campaign. During the “quiet phase,” ISU raised 62 percent of the goal.

ISU President Dr. Deborah J. Curtis told the crowd that like everything at the university, the campaign is focused on students.

“This campaign’s success is a message about people believing in our mission and making a commitment to invest in strengthening our capacity to educate and graduate more Indiana State University students,” Curtis said. “We are driven by a desire to help more students cross the stage at commencement having earned that lifechanging degree.

“In the changing landscape of higher education, it’s never been a more important time to support the mission of Indiana State University. That is why Lynn (Curtis, her husband) and I have made a major commitment to the campaign, and that is why we’re appealing to you to do the same.”

Two former ISU Presidents, Dr. Lloyd Benjamin and Dr. Dan Bradley, were present for the kickoff, as were several ISU trustees

BOLD is a new beginning for a brighter future.

BOLD is being proud of our roots.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ENVISIONARY PHOTO COURTESY OF ENVISIONARY

President Curtis and University Advancement’s Jeremiah Turner present a gift to the event’s emcee, newscaster and alumnus Rondrell Moore (previous page); student Corey Christman (left) spoke in his nursing scrubs; Dr. Curtis (right)

and numerous donors. The campaign’s co-chairs are Paul and Susan Chaney and Larry and Buffy Boulet.

“Our ask,” Paul Chaney told the crowd, “is for you to take that bold step and help inspire the next generation of Sycamores to fulfill their dreams.”

Buffy Boulet said she isn’t an alumna but started attending ISU events with her husband and was “hugely impressed” by the university’s mission. “ISU has finally and unequivocally embraced its identity as a transformational place … There’s a new energy! Lots of you have been inspired to give in new ways that resonate with you — to pay forward to future Sycamores what ISU gave you,” she said.

The campaign has four priorities: Scholarships, Experiential Learning, Faculty Excellence, and Sycamore Athletics. (See stories on each in this magazine.)

is a new beginning for a brighter future.

For each priority, the kickoff event had a video and a speaker talking about how it helps ISU students.

Student and ISU Presidential Scholar Corey Christman spoke in his nursing scrubs about the benefit of scholarships.

“I stand before you in my ISU nursing scrubs, without a tie, without a jacket, and with shoes that don’t shine,” Christman said. “But in these

(continued on page 8)

BY MARK ALESIA

ISU volleyball player Melina Tedrow (left) read a favorite quote from a book. Student Meka Wiggins (right) wants to become a doctor.

scrubs, I have held infants minutes after birth, consoled grieving families, and traveled to distant countries to provide free care to the less fortunate. ISU didn’t just provide me with a scholarship, they provided me with the ability to make sure that their generosity and care doesn’t stop with me.”

Dr. Robert Guell, a professor of economics, noted that he has been an ISU donor for more than 30 years. He talked about the importance of endowed professorships and chairs.

“Faculty are the main instruments by which our students have their success,” Guell said. “Faculty are the people who organize the curriculum that puts experiential learning and success at its core.”

ISU volleyball player Melina Tedrow quoted from a book about New Zealand’s elite rugby team and its culture. She read the quote: “Leave the jersey in a better place.” “Aren’t we all trying to leave our jersey in a better place?” Tedrow said. “Maybe it is not a jersey for you, maybe it is a suit or a scrub. We are teachers and business owners, mothers and fathers, all just trying to make an impact on the people next to us.”

She asked the crowd to “be bold and leave your jersey in a better place.”

Tejas Kandharkar, a 2022 ISU graduate and current medical student, spoke on experiential learning and his experience in the student undergraduate research program from his freshman to senior years.

“I was fortunate enough to get an experiential learning opportunity doing research in Dr. (Shaad) Ahmad’s biology lab,” Kandharkar said. “I had the chance to present this research at regional conferences and the Indiana statehouse. Doing and presenting research taught me how to discuss science with actual professionals in the scientific field and how to communicate complex ideas to the public.”

So many Sycamores came together that night to launch a campaign that will benefit generations of students. It is an ambitious goal.

During an interview while shooting the cover photo of this magazine, Paul Chaney was asked about one of the bands he wore on his wrist.

It said, “Relentless.”

“It’s one of the things we like to say on our sales team, that we’re relentless in reaching our sales goal,” Chaney said.

He said that while working on Be So Bold, he intends to be relentless.

“You have to be,” Chaney said. “You have to be bold to reach that goal that’s been set. I think we’re well on the way. I think with the support from the campaign cabinet, the co-chairs, the Foundation, the university, we’re going to succeed.”

CAMPAIGN PRIORITY: STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS

Scholarships help nursing student take a step toward the American dream

Negus Bogard was born in Ethiopia 21 years ago. He was the third of four children to parents trying to survive in a poverty-stricken country. The death of his mother when he was 8 years old left his father alone to care for the children. Dreaming of a better life for his children, his father thought adoption was the solution.

So the young Bogard was sent to care centers and in 2015, at age 14, he was adopted by a family in Robinson, Illinois. They showed him love and care and helped him adjust in his new country.

While Bogard has only two relatives in Ethiopia who went to college — and he is the only one in his immediate biological family — it was an expectation for his adoptive parents.

Now, he is a junior at Indiana State University’s nursing program, an academic journey only made possible by two scholarships: the Warren M. Anderson Scholarship, which covers most of his tuition, and the Sycamore Alumni Legacy of Change Endowment (SALCE) Scholarship.

The scholarships have helped reduce his financial struggles and minimize his debt. They have made it possible for him to continue his studies and balance a part-time job at Walmart.

BY DIANNE FRANCES D. POWELL

“I don’t know where I would be right now without this help,” he said. “They are making my career more achievable. I don’t think I will be a nurse without these scholarships. Studying nursing costs a lot. Getting these scholarships reduced that amount.”

ISU is keeping college education affordable, but 76 percent of its students still require financial assistance to make earning a college degree a reality. Scholarships supported by Indiana State’s donors make a big impact on the students’ future trajectory.

Bogard always knew his future involved caring for the sick after witnessing his biological mother’s illness at a young age and, later, his biological father’s illness. He has always wanted to be able to care for them and provide for their needs. While his biological parents are his inspiration, his mother in the United States helped him understand his calling.

“I did not know the word ‘nursing’ growing up,” he said. “It was my mom here who brought up that word.”

As a kid growing up in Ethiopia, Bogard never dreamed that he would ever be able to get a college education in the U.S., and says he is grateful for the opportunity. He started at ISU as a cross-country athlete. He ran for the Sycamores for three semesters before deciding to focus on his studies. On campus, he is involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Student Nurses Association, and the African Student Union.

“College is important,” Bogard said. “It gives you knowledge and experience before you go out in the real world. It gives you the time to grow.”

Generous donors have helped give him that opportunity.

CAMPAIGN PRIORITY: FACULTY EXCELLENCE

Endowed positions help recruit and retain talent, making long-term impact on student success

One of the priorities of the Be So Bold campaign is Faculty Excellence though endowed faculty positions, deans, and department chairs.

Terry Daugherty, Dean of the Scott College of Business, said there’s a common misperception about such endowments.

Namely, that the money goes directly into the pocket of a professor as salary. Not so.

“It doesn’t replace the salary itself,” Daugherty said. “Sometimes those exist. But they are very rare and usually at medical schools stemming from hundred-million dollar gifts.”

The recipient has the discretion to use the money for research, hiring an assistant, purchasing data, attending a conference, or leading a study abroad program.

Carolyn Steinbaugh

The knowledge and research transfers to the classroom.

“Endowed professorships are a way that the university can invest in student success,” Daugherty said. “An outstanding faculty member will impact thousands of students over their career. They’ll contribute significant amounts of thought leadership and research that brings notoriety, increases the reputation and brand of the university, and engages with the community.

“That’s why I view it as a way to ensure long-term success, because you’re able to recruit and retain and reward outstanding individuals.”

There is also prestige to occupying an endowed professorship. And it impacts how outsiders view an institution.

“The prestige of a university, and especially a college, is often judged by the number of professorships you have,” Daugherty said. “Because what that says, indirectly, to the outside community is, you have high-quality professors who are supported by named endowments. It’s an indirect measure of quality.”

Daugherty said endowed professorships don’t always last in perpetuity. The recipient usually has an evaluation period during which they report on how the money was used.

An example is the Dr. Robert and Carolyn Steinbaugh Endowed Professor of Business. The $1 million estate gift from Carolyn Steinbaugh honors her late husband Dr. Robert Steinbaugh. from 1957 to 1984. He retired in 1991 and passed away in 2014.

“I hope to give faculty a chance for research or expanding their own knowledge and studies where, without additional financial resources, they may not be able to,” Carolyn Steinbaugh said when making the commitment last year.

Daugherty said it’s understandable that many donors prefer to give money for scholarships. But he hopes the long-term vision of ensuring highquality faculty isn’t overlooked.

“As a university, if we’re able to retain outstanding faculty members, reward and recognize those who are contributing in a way that makes a significant impact, it’s going to transform the lives of students for generations,” Daugherty said. “That’s something that’s oftentimes not understood.”

Robert Steinbaugh taught management and finance at ISU and served as a department chair Terry Daugherty

CAMPAIGN PRIORITY: EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Recent grad publishes research with faculty mentor from distinctive ISU programs

BY DIANNE FRANCES D. POWELL

Not all recent college graduates can call themselves published scholars, but Indiana State University alumna Mallory Wilson can.

Wilson, who graduated from ISU in May, is coauthor of a journal article in Phytotaxa where she, along with lead author Dr. Jeffery R. Stone, Professor of Environmental Geosciences at ISU, and fellow co-author Dr. Elena Jovanovska, a postdoctoral researcher in Switzerland, report their discovery of five new diatom species from lakes Malawi and Tanganyika in Africa.

When they began, they were investigating one diatom — single-celled algae — but after looking through all of the samples, they ended up discovering more.

“We went through the whole process of how to describe species, how to locate them, how to use scientific language to explain what separates them from everything else,” Wilson said. “The whole process was really exciting.” Wilson graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and minors in Physics and Language Studies. She is now a Chemistry Ph.D. student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a longterm goal of working in academia.

It is just one example of the Be So Bold campaign’s priority of experiential learning for students. It is also a hallmark of an ISU education. Generous donors make it possible.

Wilson and Stone recently submitted a second paper to Phytotaxa where they are seeking to describe and name 25 more new species as a result of the same research project from lakes Malawi and Tanganyika.

Wilson credits the experiential learning opportunities at ISU for helping her realize her love for research and for setting her on the path to excel in a Ph.D. program.

It all started during her freshman year, when Wilson was awarded The Sycamore Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), an award that carries a stipend and allows students to participate in hands-on research alongside faculty.

She met Stone through the program and it began a four-year experiential learning mentorship with a professor at the top of the field. Later, she continued to conduct research under Stone’s direction in the Summer Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE) Program, a 10-week intensive summer research experience for ISU undergraduates.

When she wasn’t in class, Wilson spent countless hours in the paleolimnology lab in the Science Building conducting research and working as a lab technician.

SURF and SURE are among the experiential learning opportunities available to students at ISU. These experiences help them grow and learn outside the classroom through first-hand experiences. Other opportunities include facultyled trips, study abroad, community engagement, and internships.

what I wanted to do,” Wilson said. “Going into the lab and spending time in the microscope and spending time with the people there, learning what it takes to run a lab, learning how to balance everything while also doing my research, showed me just how important research was to me and how much I wanted to continue on that path.

“If I hadn’t been in Dr. Stone’s lab, I probably wouldn’t be able to know the real path that I wanted to go on. … It prepared me in a lot of different ways. When I went into my interview process at UW Madison, they definitely noticed the special experiences I had at ISU with the SURF and the SURE.

“Having those experiences made me an attractive candidate for the program. I can tell that they were really impressed by it. I feel that without my experience doing research with Dr. Stone, I probably wouldn’t be here at all. I’m really grateful for it.”

Now, Wilson plans to use her curiosity, ISU education, and other talents to lay the foundation for future scientific breakthroughs.

“The area of chemistry I want to go into is related to pathology and human health,” she said. “I don’t think I’m going to become the person who cures cancer, but I’d like to be someone who helps along the way. … I just know that I want to be part of a movement to help improve the world.”

CAMPAIGN PRIORITY: SYCAMORE ATHLETICS

New locker rooms at Hulman Center would be ‘game changers’ for Sycamore basketball

Over the past few years, Hulman Center at Indiana State University has been transformed, first by a $50-million state-funded renovation and then by new video boards made possible by a $2 million donation from the Hulman-George family.

There is, however, another project left to fund: updated locker rooms.

“The locker rooms at Hulman Center are game changers,” said Sherard Clinkscales, ISU’s Director of Athletics. “Completing that will put the bow on the Hulman Center from an athletic perspective.”

As part of the Be So Bold fundraising campaign that will benefit ISU and its students in myriad ways, the Sycamore athletic department is seeking $2 million for updated locker rooms, coaches’ offices, a film room, and athletic training space at Hulman Center.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RATIO ARCHITECTS

A vision for the project has been developed by RATIO Architects.

Making it happen would help keep the men’s and women’s basketball programs competitive in the Missouri Valley Conference and NCAA Division I athletics.

ISU basketball player Cooper Neese said a locker room is more than just a room.

“As a player, it’s a big part of the recruiting process to showcase the culture of the team and make someone want to be there and be a part of what is being built,” Neese said.

Said basketball player Mya Glanton: “It is not only important to me and my teammates, but to all the future Lady Sycamores to have a facility we’d be proud to call home.”

Men’s basketball coach Josh Schertz said consistent success requires the ability to recruit and retain top student-athletes.

“Without that there is no chance of sustained success,” Schertz said, “and so our mission statement is quite simply to develop and care for our players at the highest level possible. That is the path to recruiting and retaining the type of talent and the type of character required to build a championship caliber program.

“This new locker room will help us achieve both of those objectives as it will not only enhance our current student-athletes’ quality of life, but it will make us all the more attractive to potential recruits who visit our campus.

“College athletics has never been more competitive, we need to work together to create any edge we can get and this remodeled locker room will be an absolute game changer for our basketball program.”

Women’s basketball coach Chad Killinger said the recent renovations and new video boards make Hulman Center one of the best facilities in the MVC.

“Being able to upgrade the locker rooms will put it over the top,” he said, “as far as the amenities that will benefit our student-athletes and allow us to recruit and retain quality individuals.

“We spend a great deal of time in that facility during the season and being able to take care of the young women in our program with these additional improvements will allow us to continue to serve them in the best way possible.”

Dreiser Hall opened for classes at the start of the fall semester after an $18.4-million renovation funded by the state.

Built in 1950, Dreiser has been transformed into a more modern facility for higher education. It is home to student media, including television and radio studios and The Statesman. It is also home to ISU’s Theater Department and an upgraded 100-seat theater.

Interaction spaces were added on all floors, and additional glass improved natural light and views of campus.

There’s a new northwest entrance near Dede Fountain.

A new, larger elevator was installed that will go to all floors. ADA improvements were made in the theater, restrooms, and throughout the building.

Hannig Construction of Terre Haute was the general contractor.

Grace Krawiec in the new television studio and Gavin Cook in the new radio studio at renovated Dreiser Hall.