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Letter from the President
Letter from Our President
It was wonderful to have so many alumni, students, family members and friends together on campus during Homecoming and Family Weekend this year. From a personal perspective, Maria and I enjoy catching up with the many alumni we’ve come to know as friends these past few years. For the university, it’s also an excellent opportunity to welcome our newest students, and their family members, into the Warrior community. Those who joined us for this special event had the chance to see and experience firsthand some of the many new things happening around our university, including those featured in this issue of Indiana Tech Magazine. On page 16, as part of our full homecoming coverage, you can learn more about the latest facilities to open at the Warrior Park athletic complex: the new track and field stadium and multi-purpose athletic building. As part of the ribbon-cutting celebration for the new facilities, alum Jack Balko ’58 made a special donation of an early model of his patented ACCUTRACK race timing and photo finish system. Read more about Jack and his support of Tech on page 20. Indiana Tech continues to see strong interest from students in living on our beautiful campus. Responding to this demand, we opened the new Summit Hall in August. See photos and learn more about its unique features, including groundfloor dining and retail space, on page 24. With the opening of the new Summit Hall, the original Kalbfleisch Hall, dedicated in 1963 in honor of Tech founder and first president John Kalbfleisch, closed. Of course, we continue to honor President Kalbfleisch—the former Warrior Row C residence was rechristened in his name this fall. Learn more about the newly named Kalbfleisch Hall on page 11. perhaps envy-inducing) photos from their time in Italy on page 38. Our study-abroad students have also been sharing updates on their experiences on a special blog created to document their time there in words, pictures and video; make sure to visit academics.indianatech.edu/beyond/studyabroad/florence-2019 to see it all. Made possible in part through the generosity of Indiana Tech alum Blaise Alexander and his wife Gabriela, the Florence trip is one example of the significant impact that our alumni, friends and community members have on our current students. I’m grateful for the many ways that each of our alums supports our students and our university. On page 40, you can learn more about another alum who has made a difference in both his career and his generosity towards his alma mater, Stanley Puskarz ’58. As higher education continues to evolve, Indiana Tech consistently works to stay connected, not only to the needs of students, but to employers as well. An important part of our work in this area is the development of corporate partnerships, which enable us to keep our degree programs relevant and compelling, while also helping employers in attracting, developing and retaining the talent they need to succeed. Learn more about our work in this area on page 8. With the close of the traditional undergraduate fall semester and our late fall online class sessions soon to come, it will not be long before we’re looking ahead to the start of the new year. I wish each of you the best for the coming holiday season and the new year, and offer you my sincerest thanks for all you do as Warriors! Warm regards,
As part of our mission to prepare students for active participation, career advancement and leadership in the global 21st century society, Indiana Tech has been expanding opportunities for students to study abroad. This fall, a group of Tech students has spent the semester living and studying in Florence, Italy. You can read about the program and see a range of beautiful (and
Karl W. Einolf, Ph.D. President
Volume 17, Issue 1 Karl W. Einolf, Ph.D. President
Institutional Advancement Dan Grigg Vice President for Institutional Advancement Tracina Smith Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement Dave Stevens Senior Director of Institutional Advancement Mary Lasits Senior Director of Institutional Advancement Matthew Brown Director of Alumni Relations Kayla Paz Director of Advancement Services Karma Bradley Campaign Coordinator Erin Johnson Grants Manager Megan Drake Administrative Assistant and Gift Processor
Marketing Brian Engelhart Vice President for Marketing and Communication Matt Bair Director of Marketing and Communication Julie Farison Creative Director Brook Barile Graphic Designer Sarah Suraci Graphic Designer Joel Kuhn, BS ’12 Web Developer Bethany Lowe UX/UI Designer Jennifer Murphy Director of Marketing, College of Professional Studies Amber Owens Social Media Manager Randy Smith Photo and Video Producer
Indiana Tech online: IndianaTech.edu
Please send comments, news and feature story ideas to: Indiana Tech attn: Marketing 1600 E. Washington Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46803 phone: 260.422.5561 or 800.937.2448, ext. 2250 email: Marketing@IndianaTech.edu The editors reserve the right to edit articles for length and clarity. Articles may be reproduced with permission and proper attribution. Our Mission: Indiana Tech provides learners a professional education; prepares them for active participation, career advancement and leadership in the global 21st century society; and motivates them toward a life of significance and worth.
By the Numbers
CAREER CENTER
The goal of Indiana Tech’s Career Center is to prepare students and alumni for professional and personal success. Through personal advising and a wealth of additional resources, the Career Center helps clients with self-assessment, resume building, networking, interviewing, salary negotiations and more. It’s a free service to students and a lifetime benefit for alumni. And, the Career Center features online support that is available 24/7.
In this issue of Indiana Tech Magazine, our By the Numbers feature highlights the work of the Career Center during the 2018-19 academic year.
To contact Indiana Tech’s Career Center, visit careercenter.indianatech.edu.
1,255
students utilized the Indiana Career Explorer for assessments that help them evaluate their values, interests, personalities and skill sets, and ultimately, assist them in their career decision-making.*
* A RECORD FOR THE DEPARTMENT
1
Career Lab was implemented to assist with resume development and review, job search basics, LinkedIn reviews and more.
4.6 100 %
The highest average score, to date, for student mock interview preparedness, as rated by employerpartners who conducted the interview (on a 5-point Likert Scale). of students who completed a mock interview indicated “it was a good use of their time.”
175
students completed a mock interview one-on-one with one of our employer-partners.
351
students participated in professional dress days.
239
students participated in etiquette events.
140
students participated in the best resume competition.
7% increase
The rise in the number of students who enrolled in the Pre-Internship Seminar, which is comprised of instructive coursework a student must complete prior to beginning an internship.
1,456
number of appointments with students.*
Around the Regions
A WIN FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED
For nearly 90 years, Indiana Tech has provided working adults with the skills and knowledge necessary to make positive and immediate impacts within their workplace. The relationships the university has with employers are key components in its strategy to partner with businesses of all kinds to educate and train up their workforces. In today’s economy, where jobs are plentiful and unemployment is low in most regions, this is especially important to employers as they look for ways to recruit and retain excellent talent.
a 100% paid-for education in this area. When we’re at recruiting events and job fairs, that is untouchable. It helps with recruiting of new employees, and it helps with retention of our existing employees.”
“We’re in a unique position to be able to partner with employers that have training or higher education needs,” said Steve Herendeen, vice president for enrollment management at Indiana Tech. “Because of the history that we have working with employers, we are able to customize programming to fit an organization’s specific needs.”
Today, that means working with companies like Heartland, a Global Payments Company. The national company has a call center in southern Indiana, where 800-plus employees can earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in management from Indiana Tech, and it’s 100% paid for by their employer.
“Heartland University is a unique program,”
said Chris Hargett, director of operations and employee engagement at Heartland. “There are no other companies, to my knowledge, that do Another company that offers employees a similar benefit is Samtec, a national electronics manufacturing company with locations in southern Indiana. Employees at Samtec can pursue their degree of choice, as long as it fits within the company’s business model. Samtec pays for 100% of the cost.
Why do companies like Heartland and Samtec choose to invest in their workforce at this level?
“We care about our associates and we care
about the community, so continuing education is a win-win for both,” said Cathy Fields, HR generalist and recruiter at Samtec. “Indiana Tech’s willingness to offer on-site classes for our associates gives them back their family time, and that ties in with our culture here at Samtec, and a happy work-life balance.”
In addition to offering specialized degree tracks and on-site classes for employers, the university can also work with organizations to offer customized training and development programs. For example, faculty and leaders from Indiana Tech developed a series of workshops for one of Indiana’s largest hospital systems. Parkview Health employees who participate in the series will take a deep dive into the content and skills necessary to prepare business proposals that support and advance the hospital system’s initiatives. While not credit-bearing, those who participate in the program receive handson experience and support building business proposals that are relevant to their roles at Parkview Health.
“An Indiana Tech alum who works at Parkview Health reached out to us with a need for this highly customized training,” said Dr. Kathleen Hanold Watland, dean of Indiana Tech’s College of Business. “We worked with the hospital system to develop a needs assessment, followed by a proposal for how Indiana Tech could help address their training needs. We’re looking forward to beginning this training with them in early 2020.”
Indiana Tech specializes in meeting employers wherever they are in their training process, from offering associate degree programs all the way through a Ph.D. in Global Leadership. This includes graduate-level certificate programs with credits that feed directly into a master’s degree.
“Our degree programs are industry-focused and designed with employers’ needs in mind,” said Herendeen. “In fact, many of our corporate relationships are the result of alumni ties. Our graduates are out in the workforce, and they come back to us when they’re in need of training for their employees. They know what we do, because we did it for them.
“Companies choose to work with us for a number of reasons, not the least of which is our flexibility and adaptability,” said Herendeen. “More than that, we can offer our corporate partners something that other universities cannot, and that’s a relationship with a personal admissions representative who is going to be there for them— and for their employees—every step of the way.”
