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Welcome to the August 2025 edition of the Warrior Family Association e-newsletter. A special hello to the freshman parents and parents of transfer students. My name is Maria Einolf and I proudly serve as “First Mom” at Indiana Tech, as my husband, Dr. Karl Einolf, is president at the university. My hope is that this newsletter will be a valuable resource for you.
As I enter my ninth year as first mom at Indiana Tech, there is no place I would rather be than at this amazing university. I hope my love for Tech and the publication of these e-newsletters provide you with not only the events taking place on campus, but the feeling of being part of our Warrior family.
Students have moved in and attended the first week of classes. Our residence assistants and orientation eaders provided many activities over this last week to encourage students to engage with one another. Our Student Involvement Fair allowed students to get a glimpse into the many organizations that are available to them. Please encourage your student to get involved on campus with activities and organizations, as their engagement will not only make our community stronger, but it will be a wonderful way to become part of our Warrior family.
This is an exciting year at Indiana Tech with the launch of Warrior Wednesday. Students are attending classes on Monday/Thursday and/or Tuesday/Friday. This allows students to use Wednesdays to:
- Discuss coursework with a professor
- Devote time to a class project
- Job shadow at a local company
- Get career prep at our Career Center
- Spend more time in the laboratory
- Exercise
- Read
- And the list goes on!
Last week, President Einolf spoke with our faculty, staff and coaches during his kickoff presentation to start the academic year. He mentioned a few exciting things that I’d like to share with you:
- This year, we welcomed 591 new freshmen and transfer students to Indiana Tech that make up the one of the largest incoming classes in our history!
- We have a record number of residential students living on campus this year who are excited to be part of our thriving community. Last year, we added a new residence hall, Troder Hall, and for the second year in a row, it is completely filled.
- In addition to our traditional day academic program, Indiana Tech works with companies to educate and train their employees. We recently added a number of new corporate partners, including: Tesla, Target, USAA, Pepsico, Lennox, and Taco Bell. We learn a lot from these companies about what they expect our graduates to know – and that helps your student, too.
- Last year, Indiana Tech received a $21 million grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. to build Junction 36, a state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing and innovation center at the Electric Works campus near downtown Fort Wayne. We will start construction soon, and we look forward to the many programs we will offer there that will provide students with hands-on learning experiences and job opportunities.
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New Student Orientation and Move In
From Friday, Aug. 15, through Sunday, Aug. 17, Indiana Tech’s first-time new students learned about the Tech student experience, met with deans and faculty within their colleges and made connections with other students. These orientation days were essential in launching their Indiana Tech experience and acclimating them to the campus climate. Not to mention, there was a lot of fun.
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New Parents Website! The new Indiana Tech parent website is your personal connection to your student’s college experience. It’s designed to give you everything you need in one place—important dates, key campus contacts, helpful resources and the latest updates on events and programs. Whether you’re right here in Fort Wayne or supporting from miles away, this site helps you stay informed, engaged and confident as your Warrior learns, grows and achieves their goals—every step of the way.
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Opening Convocation Ceremony - Wednesday, Aug. 27 (all students)Indiana Tech’s Opening Convocation Ceremony will be held Wednesday, Aug. 27, at 11 a.m. in the Schaefer Center Gymnasium. The event includes a faculty and senior class procession, the announcement of the Leepoxy Faculty Award, a student address and a welcome from university leadership. Seniors will receive lapel pins, and both faculty/staff and students will pledge their commitment to the Warrior community. Free t-shirts and boxed lunches will be available afterward! View past pictures below:
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Important dates for spring semesterFind complete Indiana Tech academic calendars here. - Convocation Day: Wednesday, Aug.27
- Labor Day (No classes): Monday, Sept. 1
- Homecoming Weekend: Friday, Oct. 3 – Saturday, Oct. 4
- Midterms: Monday, Oct. 5 – Friday, Oct. 10
- Fall Break (No Classes): Saturday, Oct. 11 – Tuesday, Oct. 14
- Thanksgiving Break: Wednesday, Nov. 26 – Sunday, Nov. 30
- Last Day of Classes: Friday, Dec. 5, 2025
- Final Exams: Monday, Dec. 8 – Thursday, Dec. 11
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Dominic LombardoProgram Lead for Criminal Justice, Associate Professor
- As a retired officer from the Los Angeles Police Department, my experiences are often used to train the next generation of law enforcement officers in our Criminal Justice program.
- I have spent time in Cambodia and Thailand working undercover rescuing young girls from human sex trafficking.
- I am president of the Fort Wayne Police Merit Commission assisting the department in policy and officer promotional implementation.
- My off time is spent enjoying time with my four beautiful grandchildren.
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Lisa BrownAssociate Professor of Accounting
- I am a Certified Professional Accountant (CPA), which means I love numbers, and I am a life-long learner.
- I love all things "true crime:" so much that one of my family members took me to the UT Body Farm (officially the University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Facility), a facility where donated human bodies are studied to understand the process of decomposition.
- I love the ocean and sunshine, which is why Jeff took me to the beaches of Florida, Cancun and Aruba this year.
- I used to draw and paint. Someday, when I retire, I hope to reconnect with my artsy side.
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Zhaojun (David) LiProfessor of Practice Information Systems, Chair of Network Engineering, Information Systems
- I have four cats adopted from the animal shelter.
- I love outdoor activities, especially hiking.
- I have two daughters; both are attending IU Medical School in Indianapolis.
- I am the Cyber Warriors team coach.
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Final Thoughts from a Fellow MomOur family had a wonderful summer that included a week at the beach in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and a camping trip in the mountains of southwestern Pennsylvania. As you may have guessed, this is the secret to our happy marriage. I choose one family vacation as the beach person, and Karl chooses the other as the mountains person.
Our big news this summer is that our son, Thomas, got engaged! He asked Victoria to marry him at Point State Park in Pittsburgh. Our family and Victoria’s family were waiting at a restaurant nearby afterwards to celebrate with them. It was a fantastic night!
Thomas will enter his fourth year of a doctoral program at Columbia University in their Teacher’s College, and he continues to teach middle school math during the day at a private school in Manhattan. Victoria graduated with her master’s degree last spring, and now works for St. Peter’s University in New Jersey
Nicholas continues to live in Pittsburgh, and he still works at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center as a credentials coordinator. He loves biking, rock climbing and playing volleyball. He spent a few weekends this summer working at the camp we go to on vacation, where he runs programs for campers and plays his guitar
Karl and I are excited that the new school year has begun! You will find us on campus cheering our students on in their many different activities. Please feel free to say hello when you are on campus, and please reach out to me if there is anything I can do for you!
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