2016 grad Richardson is taking on USC Gould School of Law
Academic Roundup COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES External learning components play key role in new on-campus Human Services degree program Beginning this school year, students were able to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Human Services by traditional methods at Indiana Tech’s main campus in Fort Wayne. Previously, this degree was obtainable only through the university’s adult and online education program, the College of Professional Studies. For assistant professor and program chair of human services Michael Dunne-Steece, giving his students ample opportunities to learn outside the classroom is extremely important when it comes to reinforcing his in-class curriculum. Recently, Dunne-Steece took his class for an observatory visit to Hubbard Hill Memory Care in Elkhart, Indiana, and to the Great Kids Make Great Communities Annual Conference on Youth in Fort Wayne. “The goal of these outings is for students to gain insight into the field of human services. There is so much more to the field than what comes to mind, and these outings inspire our students and light a fire of passion,” Dunne-Steece said. Broadly defined, those who enter the human services field seek to improve the overall quality of life of various populations through the prevention and remediation of problems. “Specialists in community and social services are in demand all across the country, and new opportunities are emerging for them all the time,” Dunne-Steece said. “For compassionate individuals who are called to use their natural talents to help others, this degree will show them how to use their positive energy in ways that can be life-changing.”
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The populations human services professionals work with most commonly are children and families, the elderly, immigrants, veterans, the homeless and people with disabilities, criminal records, addictions or mental illnesses. As such, Indiana Tech has constructed a robust curriculum that addresses topics in the areas of addiction, gerontology, social policy, public communication, crisis management and case management. “The landscape of the human services industry has changed drastically in recent years, so we have revised our curriculum to make sure our students are best-prepared for the current challenges and expectations they will face,” Dunne-Steece said. “More importantly, I want those who graduate from our program to take pride in and feel empowered by the career paths they choose. They are important and they matter. Who wouldn’t want to get paid to do what they love, all while showing compassion and giving back to the community?” Later this school year, Dunne-Steece hopes to take classes to the Center for Non-Violence and get them behind the scenes to speak with judges in the Allen County court system.
When Indiana Tech stopped offering a paralegal degree in 2012, Idontea Richardson didn’t know what she was going to do. That’s when Kim Spielman, associate professor of criminal justice and pre-law, intervened. “He called me into his office to explain what was happening with the paralegal program, but then he encouraged me to join the pre-law program, instead,” Idontea said. Four years later, Idontea graduated with honors from Indiana Tech’s pre-law program and was named the university’s most outstanding pre-law/criminal justice student for 2016. “I knew the transition to the pre-law program would not be easy, but professor Spielman gave me ease because he said he believed in me and he knew I would do fine,” Idontea said. “It’s because of him that I never gave up on my dream of becoming a corporate lawyer, business owner and future judge.”
Today, Idontea’s star is still on the rise. She is a first-year student at the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law, which is considered one of the nation’s best law schools. “Sometimes a professor has a student that inspires that professor by the student’s commitment to achieve; Ms. Richardson was such a student for me,” professor Spielman said. “It has been one of my best experiences in teaching to watch her grow from a shy, uncertain first year student to the confident, accomplished and mature young lady she has become.”
