Faculty Update

Professor McGrade earns university’s first internal Diversity Vanguard Award

As part of this year’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Breakfast, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion implemented two new awards to celebrate individuals within the university and external organizations who advance initiatives that support diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion at Indiana Tech.

Dr. Susan McGrade, Indiana Tech professor of English, earned the first internal DVA while Donnevin Wolfe of Big Brothers, Big Sisters won the first external award.

Dr. McGrade has served the Indiana Tech community through her prioritization of diversity within her role, as well as her initiative in creating supportive spaces for diverse students.

She introduced African American literature to Indiana Tech’s curriculum over 15 years ago. Since then, Dr. McGrade has worked to diversify the university’s teaching staff and expose students to new cultures through numerous study-abroad trips. She is the yearly host of the annual African American Read-In and has served as faculty advisor for the university’s National Society of Black Engineers chapter for over 10 years.

“I’ve been invested in this work for some time now, so it is nice to receive

acknowledgement for my efforts,” Dr. McGrade said. “I’d like to thank the institution, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and those who nominated me for the award.”

Dr. Anne Gull named dean of Indiana Tech College of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Anne M. Gull has been selected as the next dean of Indiana Tech’s College of Arts and Sciences. She will begin her service at the university on July 6, 2020.

Dr. Gull’s appointment was the culmination of a nationwide search for the next leader of the university’s College of Arts and Sciences. She will succeed Dr. Oliver Evans, who has served as interim dean of the college since 2018.

Dr. Gull brings nearly 25 years of experience as a teacher and academic administrator in higher education to her role at Indiana Tech. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from St. Francis College in Fort Wayne (now the University of Saint Francis), and her Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Purdue University. She began her teaching career at Pikeville College in Pikeville, Kentucky, before moving to St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, IN. During her time at St. Joseph’s, she rose to the rank of full professor and served as division coordinator for the Natural Science and Mathematics Division of the college.

“Our team’s interactions with Dr. Gull during the search process made it clear to us that our next dean is an extraordinary person and an outstanding leader,” said Dr. Tom Kaplan, Indiana Tech vice president for academic affairs. “I am confident that Dr. Gull will be a great addition to our academic leadership team. All of us at Indiana Tech are excited to welcome her to the Warrior family.”

“I am excited to be returning to higher education

and to be able to focus on curriculum development at Indiana Tech,” Dr. Gull said. “ I look forward to bringing the College of Arts and Sciences together to continue to meet the needs of our students.”

Shull presents at ILA’s annual conference Courtney Shull, associate dean for the College of Arts and Sciences, presented “A Qualitative Case Study to Understand Change Agent Effectiveness in K-12 Education in Liberia” in October at the International Leadership Association’s 21st annual global conference in Ottawa, Ontario.

Tech’s Top Picks

For this issue’s “Tech’s Top Picks,” Indiana Tech Magazine asked faculty and staff: “Who is your favorite superhero and why?” Well, Warrior Nation, your interest was certainly piqued by this question. Here are some of your super responses.

Tony Stark is my favorite superhero. He’s Iron Man, so that makes him a pretty obvious choice. But it’s his humanity that makes him my favorite superhero. He makes mistakes, but he takes responsibility and learns from them. Under all the fame and fortune, the suits and fancy cars, Tony is a human who hurts like everyone else. In “Iron Man 3,” we see the toll that his experiences as an Avenger had on his mental health—that’s the first time I had ever seen a superhero depicted with anxiety and other mental health issues. He’s not shown as being any less of a hero or person because of his struggles. His story has an important message that often gets overlooked: that it’s okay to have scars—emotional or physical— from your experiences because it’s proof that you made it through, that you’re still you. He may just be a fictional character, but his story reaches beyond fiction and is inspiring to people in real life. —Caitlynn Conno, Enrollment Assistant The original She-Ra from the 1980s cartoon: She is brave, selfless and largely non-violent, using her intelligence to outwit the bad guys. Her magical horse, Swift Wind, was a significant selling point for me, too. My childhood was marked by running around the house in the costume, mask and sword in hand. —Jennifer Mahocker, Administrative Assistant, College of Arts and Sciences

Robin: Yes, the Boy Wonder! He is great support staff (like me) and is the comic relief (like me?). Who else could pull off the red, green and yellow color combination (not me!)? —Abby Teders, Executive/Payroll Assistant

Faith Herbert, also known by her alter ego Zephyr: A plus-size, blonde, nerd girl who is amazingly confident, relentlessly optimistic, effortlessly kind and whip-smart. —Stephanie Ahlborn, ETL Data Integrations Analyst Developer

The Hulk: I appreciate that he is super smart and gets excited talking about calculations. I like that as a human, he uses his skills to help people and try to make the world better, even if it’s one person at a time. He embraces a part of himself that he doesn’t start out liking because it reminds him of something he did that failed spectacularly. Embracing it lets him use that as an asset. I see his character as a reminder that a weakness can be a strength when seen with a different perspective. Plus, you know, smashing stuff is fun. —Jessica Peña, Financial Analyst/ Risk Manager Underdog: I see myself as a classic underdog— ‘look at me no one expects much.’ But, like Underdog, I am humble and loveable. Have no fear, Underdog is here! —Courtney C. Shull, Associate Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Study Abroad Coordinator

Sustainability initiatives gaining momentum on Indiana Tech campus

Every year, Indiana Tech students proudly cheer on the Orange and Black, the colors worn by our university’s high-achieving Warrior athletic teams. Now, there is another team on campus—a green one— that has gained a great amount of student support in a short amount of time.

After resting dormant for some time, Indiana Tech’s Green Team was resurrected this school year by Dr. Carrie Duke, assistant professor of English, and Amy Shank, assistant professor of biology. The group expects to be approved as a university-recognized student organization in the near future.

“Professor Shank asked her students if they wanted to start the club and Colleen McCurtis really stepped up and did a fabulous job of promoting the idea and encouraging other students to join,” Duke said. “Colleen is such a great leader for the club because she’s energetic, organized and passionate about the environment.”

McCurtis, a junior biomedical engineering student from Inkster, Michigan, is the club’s president. Her recruitment efforts have helped the Green Team expand to 29 members, and they are still generating interest from students, staff and faculty.

“I hope students learn how to live an eco-friendlier lifestyle, whether they join the club or not. Some people are skeptical about how even the little changes they make can help change the world; we would like to show them,” Colleen said. “We want to provide our campus and surrounding community with educational, interactive and fun environmentally-beneficial opportunities and activities. Promoting sustainable and green practices, working with and volunteering for other environmentally-focused businesses/ initiatives and experiencing nature—firsthand—are some of our main goals.”

Firsthand experience with nature is what some members of the Green Team got on a late-October afternoon when they helped out on a Residence Life initiative to plant four red maple trees (generously donated by Vision Scapes of Fort Wayne) behind the Indiana Tech sign on the southwest end of campus. Residential assistants Nicholas Brandt (junior energy engineering major) and Chandler Updike (senior mechanical engineering major) both share a fervor for sustainability and conservation and organized the studentled push toward environmental consciousness.

While time constraints keep Brandt from being a member of the Green Team, he is a strong advocate for the success of this group.

“It is undeniably crucial that we see a student-sponsored initiative for environmental stewardship,” Brandt said. “It is my hope that members of the Green Team will enjoy themselves by doing what they love: promoting a sustainable future for the environment. Along the way, they will likely forge some unexpected friendships and have some unforgettable experiences. In the instance of our tree planting in October, they also will have the satisfaction of a physical legacy on campus!”

According to Duke, who was a horticulturist for 10 years before becoming an English teacher, the Green Team plans to get involved in community-wide initiatives, such

as volunteering for the Little River Wetlands Project, and doing neighborhood clean-ups. Other initiatives involve the promotion of recycling and composting, reducing energy use on campus and participating in fun activities like hiking and exploring nature at local parks.

The Green Team was created by Indiana Tech’s Sustainability Council, which was founded nearly 10 years ago to bring faculty, staff and students together to consider programs, policies and projects related to conservation of energy and other resources.

The council is chaired by Melissa Lavin, psychology lecturer, and includes Duke; Shank; Julie Good, associate professor of biology; Mark Hunsberger, director of procurement; Joe Myers, maintenance technician; John Renie, associate professor of mechanical engineering; Jennifer Ross, executive operations director; Brad Shank, associate professor of business administration; and Bonnie Wilkins, director and associate professor of health information management.

Over the past three years, the Sustainability Council has been instrumental in:

à Having 90% of Indiana Tech’s dorms retrofitted to LED lighting. This saves the university thousands of dollars per year.

à Working with Tech Fresh (Indiana Tech’s dining service) to eliminate the use of styrofoam and styrene disposal dishware in favor of sustainable dishware choices like bamboo, cornstarch and ceramic dishware.

à Having user-friendly filtered water fountains installed on campus, which has diverted thousands of plastic bottles from the waste stream.

à Helping the university switch to using copy paper that is comprised of 30% recycled paper.

à Promoting battery recycling by placing recycling bins on the main campus and at Warrior Park.

à Properly disposing of approximately 1,400 traditional lightbulbs that had been replaced by LED lighting. Indianapolis’ Lighting Resources takes crushed traditional lightbulbs, which are considered hazardous waste, and processes them to make them safe for disposal.

In 2017, the Sustainability Council was recognized for its waste reduction efforts when it was presented with the 3R award for non-profits by the Allen County Solid Waste Management District. Its mission has hardly stopped since then.

“In the past year, the council has hosted numerous events that promote sustainability around our campus and within the community. Some of these events have included recycling workshops and demonstrations, neighborhood clean-ups, cardboard box recycling during student move-in and documentary and movie nights,” Lavin said.

For more information about Indiana Tech’s Sustainability Council and its achievements, visit sustainability.indianatech.edu.