IUPUI
UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE
NEWS
Vol. 2, Issue 2, 2015
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DEAN’S PERSPECTIVE I am happy to acknowledge my friend Tonja Eagan who has written her thoughts about mentoring later in this issue of UC News. As an IUPUI student, Tonja planted the seeds for a peer mentoring program, traces of which can still be seen today in our Bepko Learning Center. Early in her career, Tonja found a few good people to serve as her mentors, and she has continued to reach out to others in her long and successful career as a nonprofit leader and philanthropist. She reminds us that the types of mentors we need evolve over time, and that we should be open to different types of mentors. Additionally, mentoring does not have to take long periods of time. Above all, mentoring is good for our spiritual selves, as well as our careers and family lives, and is an important way that we can remain connected with and honor the wisdom earned by those around us. I’m grateful to Tonja for her devotion to mentoring, and for raising awareness on the IUPUI campus decades ago that mentoring is a very important key to student success. KATHY E. JOHNSON, PH.D. DEAN, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE ASSOCIATE VICE CHANCELLOR FOR UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION
University College News is a monthly e-publication that brings readers in-depth stories about academic programs and successes of IUPUI University College. Its partnerships with other IUPUI schools and departments help University College build stronger learning outcomes. The News is sent to the IUPUI campus community, friends of University College, and Indiana businesses. University College is the academic unit at IUPUI that provides a common gateway to the academic programs available to entering students. University College coordinates existing university resources and develops new initiatives to promote academic excellence and enhance student persistence. It provides a setting where faculty, staff, and students share in the responsibility for making IUPUI a supportive and challenging environment for learning. University College News magazine is a recipient of the Hermes Creative Awards
CONTACT EMAIL hbennett@iupui.edu ADDRESS IUPUI University College 815 West Michigan Street Suite 3140E Indianapolis, IN 46202 TELEPHONE 317-274-5036
and MarCom Awards. These awards are for projects that possess creative concepts, exceptional writing and design, and emerging technology.
DEAN, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE: KATHY E. JOHNSON
IUPUI
UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE
NEWS
EXECUTIVE EDITOR: HARRIETT BENNETT COPY EDITOR: LYNN TRAPP WRITERS: JEREMY PRATHER, HOPE MCGOWEN, JO FOX DESIGNERS: DEREK DALTON, ARIANA CASALE, ROB CHASTAIN, BRIANA METZGER PHOTOGRAPHERS: JEREMY PRATHER, CLAIRE BRUMBACK CONTRIBUTORS: JUSTIN RICE, DENISE SAYASIT, O’NEAL SHYNE, TONJA EAGAN
Vol. 2, Issue 2, 2015
University College News 1
FEATURES 4 Inspire Read how mentors for all seasons is good business.
PERSONALIT UNIVERSITY COL Personality Traits INTROVERTED | EXTROVERTED
5 Innovate Take a look at the many personality traits of a mentor.
energy expression is mainly in the internal world
energy expression is mainly in the external world
55%
FEELING | THINKING
person makes decisions mainly through emotion
60% 45%
INTUITION | SENSING
attention is focused on impressions, patterns of information
60% 2 Table of Contents
person makes decisions mainly through logic
attention is focused on physical reality, based on the 5 senses
40% JUDGING | PERCEIVING
prefers a planned and orderly way of life
85%
prefers a flexible and spontaneous way of life
6-11 The Many Faces of Mentoring Famous leaders throughout history are often mentored before they themselves become mentors to others. Gandhi was mentored by an Indian leader and peaceful protester who helped begin the Independence Movement. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was mentored by the president of Morehouse College. Tom Hanks found a mentor in his drama teacher, and Oprah Winfrey was mentored by her fourth grade teacher. Even President Bill Clinton was mentored in his younger years, though by someone less expected – his high school band director.
Many times, mentors start out as mentees, learning and growing through relationships with their mentors. Finally, they take those experiences and continue the legacy through mentoring others. Read on to find out more about where mentors begin, what challenges they may face, and how even the most unexpected individual can prove to be a great mentor.
2014-2015 IUPUI Bepko Learning Center Mentors
12-17 Invigorate Get the latest news on University College staff and events.
University College News 3
INSPIRE Early in my career I needed mentoring as a young supervisor and found a few people with experience to teach me and guide me. After my undergraduate and graduate student years at IUPUI passed and I had three decades of work experience under my belt, I was feeling stagnation in my life and yearned to expand my horizons. I had a renaissance period where I reached out to professionals and elders whom I respected and who, as my mentors, could help me grow, because after years of hard work to “get to the top,” it dawned on me as a middle-aged woman that I will never reach a pinnacle of knowledge and success. I realized that leaders are lifelong learners and a journey of growth and development spans a lifetime. Recruiting a variety of mentors transformed my work, leadership, and life. The types of mentors we need evolve with the seasons of life. The mentors who helped me through college and my early career are not the same ones who today guide me through mid-life and an executive career. Mentors are people whom I respect for “walking the talk.” Learning why they make certain decisions and how they navigate life gives me valuable nuggets of wisdom only mentors can provide. I feel enriched and inspired through interactions with my mentors.
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Mentors for All Seasons is Good Business By Tonja L. Eagan, M.P.A., CFRE
Presently, I have a mentor who is 95 years old and helps me see life with her hindsight so I know how to live well. I have a mentor who is a different ethnicity and 20 years younger than me who engages me in intergenerational and racial conversations. I have a few mentors who are topnotch nonprofit leaders from whom I gain support and insight into my work. I have another mentor, now a widow, who was happily married for 35 years. She advises me on being a wife and stepmother. My next goal is to find a mentor who can guide me on living a healthier lifestyle. Essentially, to learn is to grow and to continually grow is to become our best selves. Mentorship is based on a relationship and occurs in a variety of formats. Some mentoring sessions are a spontaneous phone call when I have a quick but critical decision to make. Other sessions are luncheons where I bring issues and questions to share and then listen. Other sessions are email or text exchanges. For every season of life, we need mentors to navigate life’s journey, not only because it is good “business” but also because it is good for our spirit, souls, and success as we embrace mentoring’s influence on our thinking and decisions and experiences. As a CEO and leader in the nonprofit sector for 25 years, I am transformed by mentoring.
Tonja L. Eagan, CEO of Social Health Association of Indiana, Inc.
INNOVATE PERSONALITY TRAITS OF UNIVERSITY COLLEGE MENTORS INTROVERTED | EXTROVERTED energy expression is mainly in the internal world
energy expression is mainly in the external world
55%
FEELING | THINKING
person makes decisions mainly through emotion
60% 45%
INTUITION | SENSING
attention is focused on impressions, patterns of information
person makes decisions mainly through logic
attention is focused on physical reality, based on the 5 senses
40% JUDGING | PERCEIVING
prefers a planned and orderly way of life
prefers a flexible and spontaneous way of life
85%
60% 40%
15%
Source: Data gathered from 53 mentors in the IUPUI Bepko Learning Center in spring of 2015. Mentors submitted results based on the Jung Typology Test™.
Innovate 5
STR
OF M
Justin Rice
Bepko Learning Center Mentor & Recitation Leader
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RUGGLES
MENTORING By Hope McGowen
You always hear great things about mentoring from those who have been mentored. The company president tells everyone about the mentor that changed her life and led her to where she is today, or your cousin tells you how he wouldn’t have landed his job without help from a mentor throughout his internship. And mentors themselves tell how beautiful and rewarding it is to mentor. But what happens when mentoring isn’t so beautiful and the myth is shattered? Nothing is perfect all the time. Justin Rice, a Bepko Learning Center mentor, reveals some of the struggles associated with mentoring. Rice is a mentor and recitation leader for Biology K103, in which he guides classes through the course and focuses on helping struggling students push through academic roadblocks. According to Rice, one particularly challenging aspect of mentoring always stands out. “The hardest part of the actual mentoring process itself is working with students who are giving it 100 percent effort but [they] are not getting the results they want,” he says. “And that’s frustrating for both of us.” It can be emotionally draining. Last semester, Rice had a student who did not do well on the first test. In the next class after the exam, she took her frustrations out on him. “She lashed out at me in front of the whole class,” he recalls, attacking his handling of the class as well as his leadership and mentoring skills. “I’d never had that happen before,” Rice says. “It surprised me. In that moment, I tried to play it off like it didn’t really
bother me,” but it did bother him. This sort of thing happens to mentors much more than they let on. When it does happen, Rice realizes that students are frustrated more with the class material and their performance than with him specifically. He explains, “K103 is a really hard class. A lot of times when students lash out or have some problem with the way you’re doing things, it’s more just them being frustrated with the class as a whole.” This leads to the next struggle that mentors have, and that’s figuring out what to do to help your mentee overcome obstacles. It can be tricky. Determining what mentees need, what their learning style is, is tough, also. Rice explains, “I had one class where we did a review game as an activity. And they hated it.” It turned out that these students simply wanted the physical act of writing the information down to remember it. He had to change gears and move the class away from what he thought was something fun to simply filling out review worksheets instead. These challenges bring with them a gratification that contributes not only to the positive perception of being a mentor but also to the actual task of mentoring. “There’s a personal growth that takes place when you mentor,” Rice acknowledges, for both the mentor and the mentee. Despite the difficulties that come with the position, Rice still recommends being a mentor. He enjoys the struggle. He enjoys getting students past the struggle. “It’s very rewarding when they finally get there.”
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Denise Sayasit
Bepko Learning Center Mentor & Coordinator
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ROOTS GROW DEEP By Jeremy Prather
Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a land full of green, sprawling trees overtaking a glorious jungle. Tigers prowl among the underbrush and mountains outline the horizon through a deep fog that threatens rain at any moment. The smell of damp mud hangs thick in the air. Now open your eyes and witness the asphalt streets, the snow falling lightly on your head, and the sounds of students shuffling to their early classes. You are back in Indianapolis now.
her program as quickly as possible, making as few ties as possible. But, once she became a mentor, her roots began to develop. “Through mentoring, I started to become more active on campus . . . and pretty soon it snuck up on me, and all of a sudden, I was involved! If I hadn’t gotten involved, I don’t think I would have been able to do a lot of the things I’ve been able to do, or speak to the people I needed to speak to in regard to figuring out different [career] avenues I could take.”
So what does the urban jungle have to do with the actual jungle? Roots. Roots are the ties that connect an individual to culture, culture grows people, and people spread their experiences with others. Mentoring can be thought of like a root in education— an individual connects with a university culture, they grow from their learning and environment, and they spread their knowledge and experiences with others who continue the cycle.
Once her education and development became thoroughly entwined with IUPUI, Sayasit began to spread what she had learned with others. She says, “Like wellness coaching, mentoring is figuring out how to be a better you. The underlying theme is looking at yourself and figuring out what’s going to become of that [person].”
I sat down with past Bepko mentor, student coordinator, and graduate of IUPUI, Denise Sayasit, to talk about how her roots formed as a mentor and how she uses those experiences in her life today. Sayasit graduated from the school of Physical Education and Tourism Management at IUPUI in 2013 and is currently enrolled in the graduate program in kinesiology where she is learning the skills needed to work in the field of wellness coaching. When she started her undergraduate studies as a nontraditional student, Sayasit felt that she would just get through
Bepko also allowed Saysit to become more connected to her cultural roots as well. Through a scholarship, she was able to study abroad in her father’s homeland, Laos, where she got the opportunity to learn about Laotian culture and give back through service as well as the chance to lay her father’s ashes to rest at home. Through her experiences made possible by Bepko, Sayasit has continued the cycle of growth and learning as she applies the skills she has learned to her future aspirations. She says, “Mentoring allows you to give back to the students that are here, and hopefully you’ll inspire some of the students . . . to rise to the challenge, or find their way, or come out of their shell a little bit, which is always my goal. I’m molding the minds of IUPUI.”
The Many Faces of Mentoring 9
QUIET MYTH By Jeremy Prather
O’Neal Shyne
Bepko Learning Center Mentor & Coordinator
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When we think of introverts, we don’t always think of leaders. Instead, the picture of a lonelylooking, bespectacled figure reading a book at the coffee shop might come to mind. Or you might think of the student who never volunteers an answer and speaks quietly when called upon. But, maybe we need to reevaluate our image of a leader. Some of the world’s most famous leaders who accomplished great things were introverts: Abraham Lincoln, Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, J.K. Rowling, Warren Buffett, and Eleanor Roosevelt among others. They weren’t always the loudest; instead, they were the most thoughtful. According to Adam Grant, lauded author and professor of psychology at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, introverted leaders in the business world often deliver better outcomes than extroverts because when they are managing employees,
they are much more likely to let them run with their ideas. So what does all of this have to do with mentoring? As the classroom becomes more business-like—focusing on outcome-based strategies, a hyper-emphasis on job placement, and ever increasing costs to attend—it becomes more important to value those less tangible qualities that actually create a more complete and fully functioning member of society – and this is what mentoring does. Among other things, it recognizes what quiet people, who we may sometimes ignore, have to offer and also gives leadership opportunities to those who aren’t the most extroverted. Overall, mentoring helps develop and produce a better student. It focuses more on helping students grow rather than forcing them to attain, creating a brighter future for college graduates and those who hire them.
An example comes in the form of O’Neal Shyne, an admittedly quiet, but extremely affable, Bepko mentor and student coordinator. Shyne knew that being a Bepko mentor would force him out of his comfort zone and help him gain experience in a way that would be applicable to his career goals. He says, “I decided to become a mentor because I knew that I would probably need those skills when I become a health care professional. I figured that’s something I should try because it will probably help me in the long run, and it has.” Shyne mentioned that mentoring also gave him the chance to be a leader at IUPUI. After working as a mentor, he took a student coordinator position at Bepko through which most of his leadership skills have been derived. He states, “I’m going to need to be more extroverted as a professional, especially if I’m going to be a nurse practitioner.
So I’m going to need those skills. This place has helped me to become more organized, more professional, and taught me planning [strategies] which are all skills of a manager.” In the end, the greatest effect comes from those who have been mentors to us. Who we become depends on the influences of those who came before. According to Shyne, “[Mentors] are kind of like an outline of what I want to be in the future. . . .Someone I look up to when I need help. Someone I want to be like in 10 years: successful, stable, having a family and a job – stuff like that. Someone I aspire to be like.” Thanks to Shyne’s willingness to leave his comfort zone and step forward as a leader, other students now see his example and hopefully will follow in his quiet footsteps.
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INVIGORATE Events & Staff News By Jo Fox
IUPUI Charters Chapter of Chi Alpha Epsilon National Honor Society
DEAP director Eric Williams with Eta Alpha chapter inaugural inductees.
The Diversity Enrichment and Achievement Program (DEAP) in IUPUI’s University College, Division of Undergraduate Education, collaborated with Chi Alpha Epsilon to charter the IUPUI Eta Alpha chapter in December 2014. Eric D. Williams, director of the Diversity Enrichment and Achievement Program, stated that “Chi Alpha Epsilon was formed to promote high academic standards, to foster increased communication among its members, and to honor academic excellence achieved by students.” The chapter’s first president, Efrain Alvarado, stated that since Eta Alpha is a new honor society chapter
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on campus, his “goal is to get the name of Chi Alpha Epsilon out there and let it be known to students what [the chapter’s] purpose is, which is to recognize underrepresented students who have obtained a 3.0 cumulative GPA and have shown a past history of earning a 3.0 from each previous semester.… More importantly, I want people to recognize that there are many students of color who are achieving in school!” The chapter inducted 11 charter members at a pinning ceremony held during a luncheon at Taylor Hall. According to Williams, normally the pinning ceremony occurs upon confirmation of a new
chapter, but it was “right before finals and the holiday break, and we didn’t want to rush it.” Many family members and friends came from as far away as East Chicago for the pinning ceremony. To make it even more special, Williams had students select a friend or family member to do the pinning. One grandfather stated, “It was an honor to be the one chosen to pin my granddaughter—it was a surprise,” while a mother stated, “It meant the world to me….It made my heart melt.” Chi Alpha Epsilon was founded by Elbert M. Saddler from West Chester University in 1989.
Creating a Deeper Respect The theme of the University College faculty-staff retreat was “Social Class on Campus,” taken from the book of the same title written by Dr. Will Barratt who was the presenter for the day.
The retreat’s concluding discussion focused on putting ideas into practice based on what is known. Points from the groups were:
Barratt asked faculty and staff to work in groups and conducted several interpersonal exercises to begin to identify and break down social class. Comments made by various groups included, “It was a privilege to listen to these stories”…“The group felt exposed”…“Listening to each other created a deeper respect for people, [their] talents, and struggles.”
• Look at students who have not registered for an upcoming semester and send them to the resources as a one-stop shop.
As a student-focused exercise, Barratt asked groups to name the social class of the majority of IUPUI’s students. Answers included “striving,” “underachievers,” “nontraditional balances,” and “aspiring struggles.” It was discussed that there is a need to elicit from students their individual stories.
• Making connections is social capital.
Dr. Nicole McDonald from the Lumina Foundation was the keynote speaker. In her presentation, themed “Embedding the Promise,” McDonald noted that the Lumina Foundation’s goal is to use evidence-based facts to support student pathways in pursuing post-secondary education.
• Talking and helping students with so much information becomes information overload or “info gap.” Pointing students in “a” direction such as websites is not “pointing” at all.
McDonald indicated that IUPUI does a great job with data on under-represented students. However, she believes there are “info gaps” that may affect students, making it difficult for them to access resources, expressing her belief that oftentimes the way we do things does not best support our students. McDonald suggested that there is concern for how to take an individual’s unique circumstance and find a fit for that student irrespective of the labels put on them.
• Get the word out about what we are and what we can do for students.
• Be aware: Talk and listen. • More intentional conversations with students. • Focus on language used with students; explain acronyms. • “They” versus “us.”
• Interact with students on a social level to create relationships. • Make known and explain little things that students don’t see because of culture. • Create opportunities to network; there is a need to get students together to make friends and become engaged with the campus.
• Listen. Build relationships. Identify groups. • Micro issues: What are high impact practices for our campus? • Educate and provide processes for “secret” rules of going to college. • The success myth: Work hard, be intelligent, and you will receive immediate gratification. Help students understand there is more to the story. • Help students to know what they don’t know by being proactive in providing services for them. • Do what we can before we make requests of students. Ask them to share backgrounds, inform them of scholarships available, and study abroad opportunities.
When asked how he felt the day went, Barratt commented, “Wonderfully well. Everyone made sense of the topic in their own way.”
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Four Faculty Awarded by Gateway to Graduation Teaching Academy
Kate Thedwall & Scott Wallace Four University College faculty received the bronze Gateway to Graduation Teaching Academy award this spring. The recipients of the award were Mary Ann Frank, School of Engineering and Technology; Ken Wendeln, Kelley School of Business; and Steve Overby and Scott Wallace, School of Liberal Arts. Kate Thedwall, director of the Gateway to Graduation program and teaching academy, presented the awards at a University College faculty assembly along with Kathy E. Johnson, dean of University College. The Gateway to Graduation Teaching Academy is a program which recognizes and supports faculty in their teaching efforts, professional development, and university commitment. Depending on the school in which they teach, some faculty can use the awards as documented evidence of engaging in professional development related to teaching or as a component of a promotion dossier. Johnson has supported the program since its inception, stating, “I am proud of this leadership program, and I believe it provides an outstanding opportunity for faculty at all ranks to engage in professional development that ultimately will translate into deeper student learning.” There are three levels of awards: bronze, silver, and gold. To be eligible for the bronze award, faculty members are required to submit a philosophy of
L to R: Steve Overby, Kate Thedwall, Ken Wendeln, & Mary Ann Frank teaching statement and attend four professional development workshops, seminars, webinars, or symposiums. The professional development opportunities are available through the teaching academy, the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Center for Service and Learning, the Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development (Medicine), or a faculty development event approved by the academy’s director. Frank, School of Engineering and Technology, teaches courses within the Department of Interior Design and has been with the Gateway to Graduation program for almost two years. She commented, “Gateway is a way of…support[ing]…faculty teaching freshman and making it a success while being with likeminded people.” Wendeln is a clinical associate professor in the Kelley School of Business and has been involved in the development of the program since its inception 13 years ago. Thedwall notes that Wendeln is “the numbers person for the program.” He reports, “Prior to the establishment of [this] program, the graduation rate was 22 percent and is now 44 percent, while the retention rate was 44 percent and is now 72 percent!” According to Thedwall, the overall intention of the program is to “improve retention from the inside out.” Course grades of D or F or course withdrawals (DFWs) are also tracked and researched, and Thedwall notes that “DFW rates
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are down 29 percent.” Overby, who teaches in the School of Liberal Arts, Department of Communication Studies, also has been involved in the Gateway to Graduation program since its inception, as well as being involved in the Upward Bound program and the Center for Service Learning on IUPUI’s campus. He states, “There are plenty of programs available to everyone at IUPUI,” and he tries to be involved in as many as his schedule will allow. . . .You can meet a cross-section of wonderful people in academia.” Wallace is a faculty member in the Department of Political Science in the School of Liberal Arts. He has been teaching Gateway to Graduation courses since he started at IUPUI in 2008 and has been helping to coordinate courses for the program for almost as long. Wallace is energized by the program because he has the opportunity “to meet so many students who come from varying backgrounds.” He tries to help reinforce what the students will “need in life.” Frank comments that “Gateway has tremendous leadership support in Kate,” a sentiment reiterated by all four award recipients who attest to the generous amount of time, effort, and energy that Thedwall devotes to the program. Thedwall states, “Gateway serves faculty who teach first-time freshmen in [their]
general education courses. [The program] has 58 courses which are taught by 450 [program] faculty. Each course has a coordinator. The course coordinators meet once a month to discuss best practices” in critical thinking, information literacy, technology, iPad community of practice, academy integration, and classroom civility. “They also participate in professional development as well as enhance and revise courses and policies for the program’s continuous improvement.” Thedwall also noted that “Gateway to Graduation is one of few organizations on campus that supports [all]… faculty to go to conferences.” Additionally, it is very involved in a variety of programs from suicide prevention and sexual assault to research to hosting a spring symposium. It also piloted the first clicker project on campus and the Principles of Undergraduate Learning (PUL) project. Gateway to Graduation started as an ad hoc committee 20 years ago. It represents a collaboration of effort from academic departments with high enrollments of firsttime freshmen. Besides its relationship to University College, Gateway to Graduation is a key partner with the Office of Information Management and Institutional Research, the Division of Student Life, the Diversity Inquiry Group, and the Office of Enrollment Management.
Eric D. Williams Receives IUPUI Martin Luther King, Jr. Award The theme for the event was “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution.” The keynote speaker for the event was Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, an awardwinning journalist, educator, hip-hop generation intellectual, and Ebony Power 100 honoree. Hill is a distinguished professor of African American studies at Morehouse College in Atlanta, and host of the nationally syndicated television show Old World with Black Enterprise, as well as being a regular commentator for CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News Channel. Hill spoke of framing the message of the 1960s within the context of today.
Eric D. Williams, director of the Diversity Enrichment and Achievement Program (DEAP). Eric D. Williams, director of the Diversity Enrichment and Achievement Program (DEAP) in University College, received the “Advocacy of the Dream Award” at the forty-sixth annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Dinner in January of this year. The award is given to an individual who, as a faculty or staff member at IUPUI, promotes the same ideals of freedom and equality presented in King’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech. The recipient of the award is chosen based on the support given black students on and off campus; a series of questions about their job, students, and IUPUI; and what the students served say about how the recipient has helped them.
In the award presentation, Williams was recognized for the “unparalleled volumes of work he does for the students on [IUPUI’s] campus,” which, it was stated, is motivated by his desire to be personally connected to each student in DEAP. From this, it was noted that his greatest reward is “seeing a positive transformation in the young lives” he touches. When asked how he felt about receiving the award, Williams commented, “I was very humbled and appreciative and especially appreciative because it came from the students whom we serve….The truest validation one can have is the impressions and opinions from students.”
Williams stated, “The legacy has to do with more than [King’s] speech. It is a call to action for the United States that all men are created equal. The United States promised equality, and it hasn’t happened.” For Williams, Hill’s speech was more than a vision of equality and equity. He felt that it raised the question, What does the “dream” speech mean in 2015? For him, the overarching take away from the address was, “Wake up! This is a call to action, to take responsibility, and a revolution of injustice and equality.” A DEAP student who attended the dinner, Diamond Richmond felt the evening was “inspirational.” She stated, “Dr. Hill was a powerful speaker. I had never heard anyone like him before. It was the highlight of the evening.” Richmond also felt it was a wonderful award for Williams, saying, “[He] has come into DEAP and helped us out…He is very open.” Another DEAP student, LaBradford Robinson, said, “The evening was great. People in the community and IUPUI came together to recognize things and look at things in a different
light.” He also commented, “This semester [Williams] has done a lot. [He’s] looked out for who we are and has been very helpful in expanding DEAP and getting the department more involved on campus.” Both Richmond and Robinson commented how great it was that Williams received this award the first semester after he had returned to IUPUI from receiving his doctorate at Indiana University Bloomington. Williams was with IUPUI from 2007-2010 and returned in June 2014 as director of the Diversity Enrichment and Achievement Program. DEAP is a program which helps ensure collegiate success through connecting, affirming, guiding, and engaging students and is open to all IUPUI students who can benefit from intrusive support with [their] academic journey. Williams began his work with DEAP as an advisor during the Summer Bridge experience, and his goal is to expand the DEAP program to its highest potential and reach a 100 percent graduation rate. He has also been an advisor for Student Support Services and coordinator of the Student African American Brotherhood. As an undergraduate, Williams was president of his chapter of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity and an active member of the Black Student Union. IUPUI has been hosting the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Dinner since 1969, which is noted to be one of the longest-running events across the country to honor King, the slain civil rights leader. This year’s dinner event was hosted by the IUPUI Black Student Union at the Indiana Roof Ballroom.
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Belonging, Transitioning, Planning
This year’s theme for the third annual First-Year Seminar Idea Exchange hosted by University College was “Belonging, Transitioning, Planning.” The First-Year Seminar Idea Exchange is a professional development opportunity open to instructors, advisors, librarians, and other ranked professional staff who teach, or
are interested in teaching, a firstyear seminar. David Sabol from the planning committee noted, “It’s a great networking event,” especially “for those who directly design the first-year seminar curriculum.” The yearly exchange is an energized idea-sharing seminar that allows attendees the opportunity to reflect, discuss, and share best practices and
create innovative approaches to teaching. Sabol, a faculty member for English in the School of Liberal Arts and University College, commented, “It’s a time for faculty and staff to come together to brainstorm ideas.” He believes it is a great way to gain perspectives and theoretical methods for teaching in the most inspiring and intriguing way possible, and added, “Last year’s participants
took away a great deal of new information to help them rethink and re-energize their courses.”
The breakfast has been held annually since 1998 and is a way for University College to show appreciation for all that the auxiliary units do behind the scenes to support the mission of University College in its work with students. Harriett Bennett, division of undergraduate education executive director of administration in the Offices of Development, Operations, External Affairs, and Human Resources, stated, “Without the expert support of these
units, University College and the division would not be able to carry out its mission for the IUPUI campus and to help undergraduates succeed.”
This year’s idea exchange was sponsored by the First-Year Seminar Faculty Learning Community and IUPUI University College in the Division of Undergraduate Education.
Breakfast of Champions University College recently hosted its annual appreciation breakfast for campus auxiliary units. Auxiliary units attending were Campus Facility Services (CFS) from zones two and four, the IUPUI campus police department, mail services, key shop, parking and transportation services, and the University Architects Office (UAO). CFS staff includes HVAC technicians, electricians, painters, grounds maintenance, woodworkers, plumbers, and housekeeping,
and their administrative offices. Sponsorships for the event came from various restaurants and food vendors in the Indianapolis area: Dunkin’ Donuts (in Avon on East US Highway 36), Einstein Bros. Bagels (in Speedway on Crawfordsville Road), Starbucks Circle Tower (on Monument Circle, downtown Indianapolis), and IHOP, the International House of Pancakes (West 38th Street).
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This was one of the most well attended breakfasts on record, feeding nearly 100 employees. Arrangements were made for University College to donate remaining food to the Ruth Lilly Women and Children’s Center in Indianapolis which is sponsored by the Salvation Army.
New Employee & Service Anniversary TERREL BROWN Student Success Advisor Academic and Career Development Joint Advisor with 21st Century Scholars University College
5 YEARS JILL VANDERWALL Career Consultant Academic and Career Development University College
Please consider helping a University College student today! Giving is available through the University College donor website: http://uc.iupui.edu/Donors.aspx Yale Pratt Mentoring Fund
Emerging Generations Scholarship
I37P021019 — This fund suppor ts scholarships to freshman
I38P021025 — This scholarship is for first-generation students
students enrolled in University College who are of a nontraditional
in either their first or second year when they are first selected
age (25–35). Preference is given to recipients with an incurred
to receive the scholarship, have at least a 2.3 GPA, and write
handicap such as blindness, deafness, or cerebral palsy, and who
an essay as part of the application process. After receiving the
are African-American.
scholarship, students must participate in University College–
William M. Plater and Partners Printing International Scholars
sanctioned retention efforts and maintain a 2.7 GPA.
I37P021035 — This fund supports undergraduate scholarships.
The University College Moving Forward Scholarship
The scholarship will be given to IUPUI students who are studying
I32P021119 — This scholarship is open only to University College
abroad. The use of this gif t will be authorized by Universit y
students in good academic standing (cumulative GPA above 2.0)
College for the reasonable and customar y requirements of
with 12–48 credit hours earned by the end of the spring semester
authorized expenditures.
at IUPUI. Each applicant must submit a letter of recommendation,
Scott E. Evenbeck Emergency Fund I3 8P02103 3 — Gif t s will b e used to suppor t undergraduate
transcript, and completion of the essay question (describe a substantial problem or adversity you have overcome).
students. The recipients are students in University College who have demonstrated an unexpected financial hardship during the course of an academic year in which he or she is enrolled in classes at IUPUI. The Indiana University Foundation solicits tax-deductible private contributions for the benefit of Indiana University and is registered to solicit charitable contributions in all states requiring registration. For our full disclosure statement, see http://go.iu.edu/89n.
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