Huber for ICI

By Mia Lehmkuhl OPINION EDITOR

Independent Colleges of Indiana has recently announced that Associate Dean for the College of Health Sciences and Chair of the School of Occupational Therapy at the University of Indianapolis Kate DeCleene Huber is a member of the third cohort of its Leadership Academy.

ICI is an organization that is “the collective voice for excellence and choice in higher education for all students,” and represents 29 private, non-profit, regionally-accredited colleges and universities, according to ICI’s website. UIndy is one of those 29. Some other universities included in the member list are Butler University, Depauw University, Franklin College, Indiana Wesleyan University and the University of Notre Dame.

program are from campuses all over the state. They are not all faculty, and from the academic side, there are people from the Student Affairs side [and] from more of the finance side, with a variety of different backgrounds. It helps provide that foundation and expanding knowledge of issues facing higher education,” Huber said.

ICI Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Laura Bridges said that Indiana’s private colleges are leaning into the future and must prepare emerging leaders at every level.

DECLEENE HUBER

“And one of the things that ICI is doing and has received support to do is work with individuals that have been identified as future leaders and bring them together for approximately one-year leadership experience, where you learn about all the different dimensions of a [higher education] institution,” Huber said.

ICI was founded in 1948 as the Associated Colleges of Indiana with the intent to serve as a fundraising organization for Indiana independent colleges, according to their “About” page. According to the ICI, the Leadership Academy, founded in 1970, specializes in the talent development needs of faculty and staff members of private college campuses. The institute selects participants who are identified by their college as someone “whose leadership will be critical to the future of the institution” according to the ICI website.

“The people who are part of the he wants to do it more than anything.”

Over the course of the year-long program, participants will gain an understanding of their college in a more holistic way “within the context of the state and federal higher education landscape” and are trained to view their institution through multiple lenses, according to ICI.

President and CEO of ICI Kurt D. Dykstra said that the institute is eager to launch its third cohort of the Leadership Academy that will extend an opportunity to even more leaders at its member institutions according to ICI news.

Huber said she hopes that what she gains out of the program will come back and benefit or help UIndy in some way, as many institutions are facing similar challenges across higher education. She said institutions working together on solutions to challenges helps with problem solving, and that the educational component of the institute can help provide a greater depth of knowledge on many different dimensions of campus.

“[The ICI] does an incredible job representing and supporting independent colleges of Indiana, from resources to education, opportunities, because in our case, private colleges sometimes are smaller. But when you bring all 29 independent colleges together, it's a much greater force …,” Huber said.

Since he was young, he has always valued an education, Shabazz said. His time outside of the classroom has been spent working on the campaign, but he also wants to keep his running for mayor out of the classroom.

“I don't talk about mayor stuff during class,” Shabazz said. “I like to keep the walls separate now… The day after I filed I came to tell my students…, I said ‘I am running for mayor of Indianapolis.

No one talks about it here because this is for school [and] for work.’”

Bailey said that Shabazz’s involvement with education can play a large role in the impact he can make in the community, which he has already started to do on the education side.

“He's plugged into the community, he's a part of the community. He teaches at multiple schools…,” Bailey said. “He's a self-made man, he's earned his way through what he's doing as a longtime journalist. And so he really knows how to dig his fingers into what’s going on and understand what the problem is. He's well in touch with the Ten Point Coalition… He's worked closely with them. I think he has a real heart for the city, so he's there downtown all the time. I think those are his best qualities.”

Shabazz said he appreciates the fact that at UIndy he can always look to a friend if he needs help. He hopes the UIndy community and those beyond campus will come to live in Indianapolis because they want to, not just out of obligation.

“[The] particular interests of university communities, particularly students, is [that] you come here to get a quality education. I want you to have a quality lifestyle,” Shabazz said. “Actually, I prefer you to move here after you graduate or after you travel for a little while. Come back here, settle down, raise a family, but you can't do that unless the roads are paved and the streets are safe…. So, whether you're [at] Ivy Tech, Butler [or] UIndy, I want you to come here, live here, work, play here. I want to make life as easy for you as humanly possible to do all that stuff.”