March 3, 2023
Dear Colleague:
I write to share a few highlights from today’s meeting of the Board of Trustees.
During the meeting, the Board learned more about our commitment to providing high-impact practices to our students.
Professors Anita Gnezda and Mary Konkle spoke about the importance of our Indiana Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority (IN-LSAMP) program, and professor John McKillip discussed the success of Fine Focus, the first—and only—international journal dedicated to undergraduate microbiology research.
Our IN-LSAMP program and Fine Focus exemplify the types of high-impact practices we regularly offer our students. These experiences help to engage students so that they retain, persist, and graduate. These experiences also prepare our students for professional opportunities after they graduate.
The Board also received a presentation from dean John Emert about the strengths of our Honors College. Dean Emert shared recent achievements, including a 50 percent increase in funded Emens Leadership Scholars, a new transfer pathway for Ivy Tech graduates, and the creation of a new philanthropic pedagogy initiative. I want to thank Dean Emert for his service as dean of the college, a position from which he will retire in May.
In other business, Alan Finn, vice president for business affairs, and Becca Rice, vice president for governmental relations and industry engagement, updated the Board about our planning for fiscal year 2024. I am optimistic that we will receive an increase in our operating appropriations for the next biennium, and I look forward to presenting our budget requests to the Senate Appropriations Committee on March 7. I am hopeful that the General Assembly will also approve our principal capital request of $81.6 million, which we will invest in renovations and improvements to our College of Architecture and Planning, the Hargraves Music Building, and our Arts and Communication Building.
With respect to our facilities, the Board also received an update about our ongoing campus construction projects. Jim Lowe, associate vice president for facilities planning and management, shared with the Board that construction of our new Brown Family Amphitheater will conclude this Spring. The final phase of the East Mall is expected to be completed this Summer, and the final phase of the Cooper Science Building renovation will be completed in Spring 2024.
Finally, the Board heard presentations about several other strategic initiatives.
Darrell Clark, Associate Vice President for People and Culture, provided an assessment of our affirmative action goals. Rashida Willard, Associate Vice President for Inclusive Excellence, then spoke about our most recent annual diversity report and our progress in implementing our Inclusive Excellence Plan.
Following their presentation, the Board learned more about our University’s work sustaining a campus culture that prioritizes freedom of expression.
Associate Provost Kristen McCauliff and Paaige Turner, Dean of the College of Communication, Information, and Media, were joined by Kevonna Tyler, Assistant General Counsel-public access officer and freedom of expression coordinator, for an update about the ongoing efforts of our Freedom of Expression Committee.
Our University recently co-hosted a conference with the Liberty Fund. The purpose of this conference was to ensure that members of our leadership team who participated in the program were familiar with FOE issues in relation to higher education.
The Board also learned about on-campus initiatives underway to ensure that this important work is shared by all members of our University community. These initiatives include creating a training presentation and website containing FOE resources; hosting our annual Constitution Day celebration; and forming key partnerships with student and public media, as well as Bracken Library and the Division of Marketing and Communications.
At the end of the Board meeting, I made a few comments. If you would like to read my remarks, please visit the website.
It is a privilege to serve with you, and I am grateful for your encouragement and support.
I wish everyone a safe and, where possible, restful Spring Break.
