MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS | SPRING 2020
Dr. Robert Badeau’s new health science laboratory is a manifestation of how Indiana Tech is creating impactful learning environments for its students. Actions like this put our university on solid footing when competing for students.
FEATURES
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18 SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES
22 TAKING THOUGHTFUL RISKS
34 FAREWELL DEBBIE, WELCOME JESSIE
Students, faculty and staff are joining together to make a difference on campus and in the community.
Indiana Tech’s willingness to innovate has it poised to move into the future with confidence.
AD Debbie Warren announces her retirement; current Warrior coach Jessie Biggs chosen to take her place.
INSIDE TECH 04 Letter from the President
Dr. Einolf shares an update on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the university, students, faculty and staff.
26 When Outside-the-Box Thinking Goes Right
Across the University
Learn what happened when Fort Wayne’s top health care provider reached out to our College of Business for professional development education.
06 Student Origins
28 Academic Roundups
By the Numbers
In this issue, By the Numbers explores the places our students— present and past—hail from.
Learn how each of our colleges is motivating our students toward lives of signifcance and worth. Warrior Athletics
08 Around the Regions
36 Fall Sports Wrap-ups
Indiana Tech says “hello” to Bowling Green, Kentucky; relocates to new digs in Elkhart.
Men’s soccer program rebounds from a 1-4 start to construct a historic 17-win season.
10 Tech Happenings
Path of a Warrior
A thought leader in the areas of diversity and inclusion, Dr. Maurice Stinnett will be the university’s commencement speaker for 2020.
38 From Alumni Board
14 A Few Words With…
After spending the week teaching students about the intense world of cybersecurity, what does Darryl Togashi do in his down time? 16 Faculty Update
New dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Anne Gull, will start her role on July 6. 17 Tech’s Top Picks
In this issue, we ask faculty and staff, “Who is your favorite superhero and why?”
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President Alan Elliott
Alan Elliott is eager to give back to the school that has given him so much during his life. 40 Alumni Spotlight
Tech grad Harvey Smith recounts his trek to becoming an engineer on the Apollo moon mission in his book “Cold Beans Out of a Can.”
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42 Be a Road Warrior
You can represent the Warrior Nation while you are out on the open road with a newly-designed Indiana Tech license plate! 44 In Memoriam
21 Warm and Inviting
Get a look inside Central Grounds, Indiana Tech’s new coffeehouse on the first floor of Summit Hall.
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Health science students make use of their new state-of-the-art 1,500-square-foot laboratory, which was opened in the Zollner Engineering Center late in 2019.
ON THE COVER:
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Letter from our President Just as this issue of Indiana Tech Magazine was being completed, the coronavirus pandemic began affecting the United States in a serious manner. Here at the university, the leadership team and I made the difficult but appropriate decision to move our traditional undergraduate classes completely online for the remainder of spring semester. In an effort to protect their health and do our part to slow the spread of the virus, students were asked to move out of their residence halls by March 29. For those unable to do so, we have made arrangements for them to stay, and have continued to provide them with access to dining services, wifi, computer labs and other key services and facilities. At the same time, we moved all College of Professional Studies (CPS) in-person classes online through the end of undergraduate and graduate session seven. CPS classes that were already online—which represent the majority of those we offer—remain unaffected. In short, though we have moved all of our classes online, the university remains open and continues to work with students to meet their educational goals. We also made the decision to postpone our spring commencement ceremonies, originally scheduled for May 8 and 9. We will now celebrate our 2020 commencement for both graduate and undergraduate students on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 10:30 a.m., at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. This will take place during homecoming weekend, and I hope to see many of our alums and friends with us that day as we celebrate the life-changing accomplishments of our students who have earned their college degrees. As planning progresses in the coming weeks and months, you can stay up to date on commencement activities at https://commencement.indianatech.edu. I’m deeply grateful to our dedicated faculty and staff, who have been putting in extra effort to keep our students engaged, connected and on track for academic success during this challenging time. Indiana Tech has long prided itself on providing personal attention to every student, in pursuit of our mission to prepare them for careers in the global 21st century society, and lives of significance and worth. The passionate commitment of our entire team to this mission has never been more apparent than it is right now.
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I also greatly appreciate the many alumni, families and friends of Indiana Tech who have reached out to us to check in on our well-being, and with offers of assistance should we require it. With your support and the commitment of our team, I am confident we will continue to serve students well during this time. Indiana Tech will remain a strong and thriving institution. It is with this in mind that we decided to proceed with this issue of our magazine. In it, you will find much to learn and celebrate, from the opening of new CPS locations to the continued success of our cyber defense team, the Cyber Warriors, who won its sixth straight state championship this spring. You’ll also find a feature on new programs here at Indiana Tech, and how we go about developing new offerings to continually meet the ever-changing needs and interests of students and employers alike. Our cover image for this issue shows an example of this, our new health science program. Along with our new biology program, health science can play a role in preparing students to enter health professions that are only more relevant and needed today. Due to the fast-changing nature of the coronavirus situation, we have created a dedicated web page for regular updates to the entire Indiana Tech community. For the latest information on impacts on classes, event schedules and much more, please visit www. indianatech.edu/coronavirus. Please know that Maria and I keep all of you in the Indiana Tech family in our thoughts and prayers during this challenging time. We know this will have a significant impact on many in our community, and we are here to help in any way we can. Stay well, Warriors.
Warm regards,
Karl W. Einolf, Ph.D. President
Indiana Tech welcomed 97 high school seniors who have been admitted to our university for Select IT on Feb. 16 and 17. These two-day events are held twice a year to give prospective students an indepth look at Indiana Tech and, ultimately, select it as their university. In the photo is Elly Leitelt from Grand Rapids, Michigan. She selected IT and will start pursuit of a computer science degree this fall at Indiana Tech.
Volume 17, Issue 2 Karl W. Einolf, Ph.D. President
Institutional Advancement Dan Grigg Vice President for Institutional Advancement Dave Stevens Senior Director of Institutional Advancement Mary Lasits Senior Director of Institutional Advancement Matthew Brown Director of Alumni Relations Kayla Paz Director of Advancement Services Karma Bradley Executive Administrative Assistant and Campaign Coordinator Erin Johnson Grants Manager
Marketing Brian Engelhart Vice President for Marketing and Communication Matt Bair Director of Marketing and Communication Julie Farison Creative Director Brook Barile Graphic Designer Sarah Suraci Graphic Designer Joel Kuhn, BS ’12 Web Developer Bethany Lowe UX/UI Designer Jennifer Murphy Director of Marketing, College of Professional Studies Amber Owens Social Media Manager Randy Smith Photo and Video Producer
Indiana Tech online: IndianaTech.edu
Please send comments, news and feature story ideas to: Indiana Tech attn: Marketing 1600 E. Washington Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46803 phone: 260.422.5561 or 800.937.2448, ext. 2250 email: Marketing@IndianaTech.edu The editors reserve the right to edit articles for length and clarity. Articles may be reproduced with permission and proper attribution. Our Mission: Indiana Tech provides learners a professional education; prepares them for active participation, career advancement and leadership in the global 21st century society; and motivates them toward a life of significance and worth.
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ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY By the Numbers
OUR STUDENTS’ ORIGINS Throughout its 90-year history, Indiana Tech has taken great pride in being a university that has welcomed learners from all parts of the world. Our By the Numbers feature explores the places our students—present and past—hail from.
Argentina Bahamas Bangladesh Barbados Bermuda Bolivia Brazil Canada Chad Colombia Congo Democratic Republic of the
Congo Costa Rica Croatia
Czech Republic Dominican Republic Ecuador Ethiopia Finland Gabon Germany Ghana Guatemala Haiti Honduras India Iraq Italy Jamaica
REPRESENTING ALL 50 STATES, AND THEN SOME! Combined, our students and alumni come from all 50 states and three U.S. territories.*
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Republic of Korea Kuwait Libya Malaysia Mexico Myanmar Namibia New Zealand Niger Nigeria Pakistan Peru Portugal Saudi Arabia Senegal
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Guam* Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky
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CURRENT STUDENTS
The world has come to Indiana! Among our current student body, in both the traditional undergraduate and CPS graduate/ undergraduate programs, students come from 57 countries.
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Spain Sweden Switzerland Tanzania Thailand Trinidad & Tobago Turkey Uganda United Kingdom United States Venezuela Vietnam Zimbabwe
Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio
Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico* Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands* Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Our alumni—from both our traditional undergraduate and CPS graduate/ undergraduate programs—hail from all over the world. Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Bolivia Brazil Canada China Colombia Costa Rica Cuba
Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador France Germany Greece Guatemala Hong Kong India Indonesia Iran
Iraq Ireland Israel Jamaica Japan Jordan Republic of Korea Kuwait Lebanon Liberia Libya
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Luxembourg Malaysia Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Panama
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ALUMNI
Peru Philippines Portugal Qatar Saudi Arabia Serbia Singapore South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sweden
Syria Thailand Trinidad & Tobago Turkey Uganda United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Venezuela
HOME COUNTRIES OF ALUMNI HOME COUNTRIES OF BOTH CURRENT STUDENTS AND ALUMNI HOME COUNTRIES OF CURRENT STUDENTS
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ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY Around the Regions
BOWLING GREEN
Indiana Tech Opens Bowling Green Location, Celebrates Re-Investment in Elkhart Indiana Tech’s College of Professional Studies continues to grow and evolve to meet the needs of adult students. Earlier this year, the university celebrated the grand opening of its newest location in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Soon after, the Elkhart location hosted a grand “re-opening” event at its new location off Highway 17 and Middlebury Street in Elkhart. The opening of Bowling Green marks Indiana Tech’s third location in the state of Kentucky, and its 18th location outside the Fort Wayne campus. The 4,000-square-foot facility features office, classroom, computer lab and corporate meeting space. It overlooks the Bowling Green Ballpark, home of the Bowling Green Hot Rods, a Class A baseball team affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Bowling Green admissions team hosted the grand opening
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event with excellent support from the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce. Members of the community, representatives from the Chamber, elected officials and area business owners attended the ribbon cutting ceremony. One particular highlight was when student Christy Biggs spoke about her experience thus far with Indiana Tech. She said she was inspired to return to school when she learned about the flexible online class schedule, along with her employer’s corporate scholarship program with Indiana Tech. As a mid-sized community, Bowling Green is an excellent fit for Indiana Tech’s model of providing flexible education options coupled with personalized service for working adults.
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Indiana Tech spreads its military recruiting reach in state and in the southeast Indiana Tech’s Military and Veteran Services team continues to expand its reach on a national level.
“Through the convenience and quality of our College of Professional Studies, Indiana Tech has had great success in helping busy working adults achieve their academic goals,” said Indiana Tech President Karl Einolf. “We are pleased to bring our career-enhancing degree programs to Bowling Green and we look forward to working with students and employers here for many years to come.”
the community. Students, alumni and representatives from area businesses enjoyed a short ribbon cutting ceremony followed by networking, tours and delicious food. The new Elkhart location features state-of-the art office, computer lab and classroom space, as well as a meeting room that is available for the community to use.
Soon after the opening of Bowling Green, another location celebrated a milestone of its own. Indiana Tech opened a location in Elkhart, Indiana in 2003. Since that time, the university’s needs outgrew the location on Middlebury Street and in the late fall of 2019, the Elkhart team moved to a newly updated location just down the road off Highway 17.
“Indiana Tech has enjoyed a longstanding presence in northern Indiana,” said Steve Herendeen, director of enrollment management at the university. “The region’s efforts to strengthen its communities and workforce align well with our university’s mission. Our new location will enable us to continue to meet the needs of our students and community partners in this area of the state, as we have for nearly 20 years.”
In early February, Indiana Tech teamed up with the Greater Elkhart and Goshen chambers of commerce to host a grand re-opening event for
Sharla Stevens recently joined the team as a recruiting specialist serving the central Indiana region, and Derrick Dawson is a new recruiting specialist serving Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and other southeastern states. Sharla’s office will be at the Indianapolis campus. Derrick will work out of Jacksonville, Florida, but will spend a great deal of his time traveling and serving the military population throughout the southeast region.
A. Sharla Stevens B. Derrick Dawson
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ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY Tech Happenings
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration highlights community service Indiana Tech’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion hosted its second annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration on main campus. This year, the celebration included a Day of Service, during which Tech students, faculty, staff and community members volunteered at the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission and at NeighborLink. The Rescue Mission provides restorative care to men, women and children experiencing a homeless crisis; the organization serves Fort Wayne, Allen County and nine surrounding counties in Northeast Indiana. NeighborLink works to build bridges between needs and resources by assisting volunteers as they give back to the community. Tech volunteers worked with senior citizens,
persons who are differently-abled, and lowincome families as part of the day of service. Returning this year as part of the MLK Day celebration was the Community Celebration Breakfast. This sold-out event was attended by over 150 community leaders, Indiana Tech faculty, staff and students, and alumni. The breakfast included a keynote address by Dr. Maurice Stinnett, vice president of diversity and inclusion at BSE Global, the owner of the Brooklyn Nets and their home arena, the Barclays Center. You can read more about Dr. Stinnett, who will serve as Indiana Tech’s featured speaker during its Oct. 3 commencement ceremony, on page 12.
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B A. Senior industrial and manufacturing engineering major Cierra Gates served as the emcee for Indiana Tech’s second annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration in January. B. Keynote speaker for the event was Dr. Maurice Stinnett, vice president of diversity and inclusion for BSE Global, the owner of the Brooklyn Nets and the Barclays Center.
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Pep band lays down sweet tracks at Sweetwater recording studios The Warrior Pep Band recently had the opportunity to visit and record several songs at Sweetwater, the world’s leading music technology and instrument retailer that calls Fort Wayne home. Sweetwater’s state-of-the-art facilities
Thank-A-Giver Day celebrates Tech friends and donors The Indiana Tech community recently celebrated Thank-A-Giver Day to honor the many ways that Warrior alumni, friends, faculty and staff give back to the university. Scholarships for deserving students, strong academic programs and excellent learning facilities are just a few of the many areas made possible by those who contribute their time, treasure and talent to Tech students. Visit Giving.IndianaTech.edu/Tag-Day to see the thank you video showing the energy and appreciation found around Indiana Tech, not just on Thank-A-Giver Day, but every day!
include performance venues and recording studios, where the pep band performed six songs: the national anthem, the Indiana Tech fight song, Hey Baby, Boogie Wonderland, Uptown Funk and 25 or 6 to 4. Tech boosters can listen to the recordings and see photos of the pep band in action at https://indianatechwarriors. com/news/2019/12/5/warrior-pep-band-visitssweetwater.aspx.
Tech earns Military Friendly designation Once again this year, Indiana Tech was recognized as a Military Friendly® School by VIQTORY, a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business that has been connecting the military community to civilian opportunity since 2001. The university received Gold status overall and was ranked in the top 10 among military-friendly graduate degree programs. The Military Friendly® Schools list is created each year based on extensive research using public data sources for more than 8,800 schools nationwide, input from student veterans and responses to a proprietary, datadriven survey from participating institutions. Indiana Tech’s Military and Veteran Services team has a proud tradition of supporting members of the military and veterans, as well as military spouses. Every member of the team has served in a branch of the U.S. military. They have an intricate knowledge of military education benefits and they’re dedicated to serving the military student population.
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ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY Tech Happenings, continued Dr. Maurice Stinnett will be university’s commencement speaker for 2020 Dr. Maurice A. Stinnett will be the featured speaker for Indiana Tech’s commencement ceremony, which is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne. Dr. Stinnett is an experienced leader and expert in the areas of diversity, inclusion and equity across nonprofit, education and corporate sectors. He recently served as the keynote speaker at Indiana Tech’s 2020 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration event. Dr. Stinnett serves as the inaugural vice president of diversity and inclusion for BSE Global, which owns and operates stateof-the-art venues such as the Barclays Center, and premier sports franchises including the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. In his role at BSE Global, he creates innovative programming tailored for inclusion and cultural competence and provides leadership and support across BSE’s brands. Dr. Stinnett was the first black man appointed vice president of
diversity and inclusion for an NBA team. Dr. Stinnett’s experience includes roles in higher education and nonprofit leadership. He previously served as vice president of engagement and chief diversity officer at Cleveland State University, where he successfully led the institution’s response to a university crisis that received national attention and ignited debates regarding the distinction between free speech and hate speech. Prior to joining CSU, his experience included serving as dean of students at Central State University; as the senior director of community engagement and education at CentroNia, a multicultural, bilingual education nonprofit; and as chairman for the World Leadership Program, a White House initiative under the Obama administration that sought to spark learning and dialogue between graduate students and universities in the Middle East and the United States. Dr. Stinnett is an energetic presenter who is a fierce advocate for equity and inclusion. He has been recognized for his work by various organizations, including receiving the Robinson Trailblazer Award from Rev. Jesse Jackson’s
Dr. Maurice Stinnett will be the featured speaker for Indiana Tech’s commencement ceremony, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020.
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Rainbow PUSH Coalition and being named to the “The Responsible 100” corporate leaders list by City & State New York. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Central State University, a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a Master of Education and Doctor of Education and Organizational Leadership from Columbia University. “On behalf of the entire Indiana Tech community, I’m proud to welcome Dr. Stinnett as our 2020 commencement speaker,” Indiana Tech president Karl Einolf said. “Dr. Stinnett is an impactful leader whose work and experiences are a clear demonstration to all of our students of what it means to live a life of significance and worth. His story and commitment to community will be an inspiration to each of our graduates.” Indiana Tech’s commencement ceremony is free and open to all Indiana Tech students, families, alumni and the public—no tickets are required. The ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. For more information, please visit https://commencement.indianatech.edu.
New Max’s Bistro a hit with students and community alike The opening of spring semester on the Fort Wayne campus brought with it an opening of a different kind—the grand opening of Max’s Bistro in the street-level retail section of the new Summit Hall residence on Washington Boulevard. Max’s has been a popular stop for students, neighbors and other members of the Fort Wayne community ever since, offering
made-to-order pub-style food including burgers, wings, flatbread pizzas, appetizers, soups, salads and more. Max’s accepts Indiana Tech student dining plans, cash and credit cards. The bistro was named in honor of Maximus, Indiana Tech’s warrior mascot. Central Grounds coffee shop will also be a new option in the Summit Hall retail space when students return to campus in the fall. Central Grounds will feature coffee from Fort Wayne’s own artisanal coffee company, Utopian Coffee. Indiana Tech’s first on-campus convenience store, Market C, opened in Summit Hall this past fall.
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ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY A Few Words With...
DARRYL TOGASHI In the last issue of Indiana Tech Magazine, we introduced you to Darryl Togashi, who was hired last summer as director of Indiana Tech’s cybersecurity program, and told you about his plan for taking the program to new heights.
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We dive a bit deeper with professor Togashi in this issue. And, as one would expect from someone with a passion for and an expertise of cybersecurity, professor Togashi is a pretty complex guy.
INDIANA TECH MAGAZINE: How long have you been an information technology professional? PROFESSOR TOGASHI: I’ve worked in the industry for over 20 years, from cabling networks and building servers to managing international teams and projects—working my way from the bottom up so to speak. I’ve been teaching since 2005, and in the last four years, I have become more focused on cybersecurity. That has allowed me to become a member of the Indiana Governor’s Council on Cybersecurity and an Infragard Member in the education sector for Indiana. I am also the National Collegiate Cyber Defense competition director for our state.
I love making complex things simple and passing that on to others. I feel that teaching is one of the best platforms to do this.
INDIANA TECH MAGAZINE: What appeals to you about cybersecurity? PROFESSOR TOGASHI: I like puzzles and figuring out things. Cybersecurity has several components that allow me to use them and stop the bad people. We have some very smart students here at Indiana Tech, and seeing them build their knowledge and working on what-if scenarios really motivates me to do more for them in cybersecurity and their careers. INDIANA TECH MAGAZINE: How did you find your way to higher education? PROFESSOR TOGASHI: I had applied for some jobs and some master’s programs at the same time. I was in an interview, discussing an opportunity that I didn’t feel was a good fit for me, but as I was about to turn away, we began talking about my training experience. They were looking for adjunct faculty who could train others. Thus started my entry into higher education. I love making complex things simple and passing that on to others. I feel that teaching is one of the best platforms to do this. INDIANA TECH MAGAZINE: It appears your two children picked up on your fascination with being analytical and solving puzzles. PROFESSOR TOGASHI: Yes, that is an accurate assessment. My wife and I have been married for 30 years and we have two sons. Our oldest graduated from Indiana University and is working in research for an oncology organization. Our youngest will graduate from Bloomington this
spring. He is studying game and interactive media design. They are sharp young men and we are very proud of them. INDIANA TECH MAGAZINE: So, you spend most of your week teaching students about the intense world of cybersecurity while pushing our degree program toward national status. What does professor Togashi do to unwind? PROFESSOR TOGASHI: My hobbies, when I get a chance to do them, are woodworking and playing instruments and composing music. INDIANA TECH MAGAZINE: Really? What kind of woodworking are we talking about? PROFESSOR TOGASHI: Basic “fixing” and building small projects—dog ramps, wood swings, etc.— although I’ve started learning Japanese joinery. I am designing a modified version of a Leonardo da Vinci bridge and I am hoping to use some Japanese joints in the modified design. I enjoy making designs and seeing them come alive. INDIANA TECH MAGAZINE: And, composing music, how did this begin? PROFESSOR TOGASHI: I started playing the violin under the Suzuki method teaching philosophy in grade school and I attended the Interlochen Music Camp in Traverse City, Michigan, while I was in junior high. I toured Europe with the Sounds of
Hope playing the viola, and I have played in rock and roll bands as a keyboardist, guitarist, violinist and backup vocalist. Overall, I play about 10 instruments—four of them fluently. INDIANA TECH MAGAZINE: Do you create original music? PROFESSOR TOGASHI: Yes, I’ve composed several songs—soft rock guitar songs, classical piano pieces and electronic music. Most of my compositions are for personal use, but I have created pieces for use at demonstrations and Tae Kwon Do events. INDIANA TECH MAGAZINE: So, who do you like to listen to? PROFESSOR TOGASHI: I don’t really listen to music unless I am composing or arranging a musical project. However, I do like the works of Beethoven, Bach, Vivaldi, Jim Croce, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Edgar Winter and Emerson Lake and Palmer. Those artists, and a few others, have inspired me as a musician. INDIANA TECH MAGAZINE: Is there a reason why you do not listen to music all the time? PROFESSOR TOGASHI: It’s like an artist looking at a painting. I would see, hear and feel it in a different way. My focus would turn to the music instead of what I’m doing. Indiana Tech Magazine
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ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY Faculty Update 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.
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.”
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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.”
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. 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.
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
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
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
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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.
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fter 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
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as volunteering for the Little River Wetlands in favor of sustainable dishware choices like Project, and doing neighborhood clean-ups. Other bamboo, cornstarch and ceramic dishware. initiatives involve the promotion of recycling à Having user-friendly filtered water and composting, reducing energy use on campus fountains installed on campus, which has and participating in fun activities like hiking and diverted thousands of plastic bottles from the exploring nature at local parks. waste stream. The Green Team was created by Indiana Tech’s à Helping the university switch to using copy Sustainability Council, which was founded nearly paper that is comprised of 30% recycled paper. 10 years ago to bring faculty, staff and students together to consider programs, policies and à Promoting battery recycling by placing projects related to conservation of energy and recycling bins on the main campus and at other resources. Warrior Park. 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
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.
ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY
Something is brewing at Washington and Schick Central Grounds, Indiana Tech’s new coffeehouse, was set to open this spring on the first floor of Summit Hall, but COVID-19 had other plans. Nevertheless, Warriors will have a warm and inviting atmosphere to hit the books or meet up with friends when they return to campus in the fall. Indiana Tech has partnered with Utopian Coffee as its supplier for Central Grounds. Utopian Coffee is a local coffee roaster that has a social justice impact with coffee growers throughout the world. In addition, Central Grounds will feature a menu of pastries, including fresh-made cinnamon rolls, caramel rolls, muffins, smoothies and protein shakes. On display inside Central Grounds are coffee mugs from community partners, employers of graduates and hosts of internships for our students. If you are interested in having your company’s mug displayed in Central Grounds, please contact Amy Trosper in the Career Center at ALTrosper@indianatech.edu. Indiana Tech Magazine
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Positioned Well for the Future WHEN YOU ASK DR. TOM KAPLAN, VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS, AND DR. SCOTT LIEBHAUSER, ASSOCIATE VPAA, ABOUT THE FUTURE OF INDIANA TECH, THE ENERGY IN THE ROOM RATCHETS UP AND THE CONVERSATION BECOMES MORE ANIMATED.
THEIR REVERENCE FOR THE
THEIR DESIRE TO APPLY
ENTREPRENEURIAL CULTURE
RUBBER TO ROAD IS
THEY HAVE INHERITED AT
UNSTOPPABLE.
INDIANA TECH AND THE LEADERS WHO HAVE HELPED CREATE IT IS UNMISTAKABLE.
THEIR OPTIMISM FOR INDIANA TECH IS PALPABLE.
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Launched in 2018, our health science degree program has become a successful draw for students to our university. It’s another way that Indiana Tech is meeting the needs of today’s marketplace.
“T
here is an openness to try things here that is very rare. Having been at a handful of other institutions, our willingness to innovate is far greater than most institutions,” said Dr. Kaplan, who worked at three other universities prior to coming to Indiana Tech in 2018. “Frankly, Indiana Tech has thrived over the past couple of decades because it has embraced the nontraditional. We did things that we probably shouldn’t have been able to do in the competitive marketplace of early online ed, but leadership had a big-growth mindset and was willing to take risks.” “Thoughtful risks,” added Dr. Liebhauser, who also has been with Indiana Tech for nearly two years. “Organizations afraid to take risks never advance, and the fact that we are not afraid to take risks, I think, is a huge advantage moving into the future.” As a result, Indiana Tech finds itself in a much better position than some other universities to deal with the challenges all of higher ed is facing these days. So, from the perspective of the Office of Academic Affairs, this is what is Indiana Tech is doing very well:
WE MEET THE NEEDS OF THE MARKET Part of taking thoughtful risks is making sure bad ideas don’t get “false momentum,” as Dr. Kaplan puts it. Indiana Tech can’t afford to waste energy on bad ideas. It also can’t bring programs to market that are not going to draw students.
“When looking at a new program proposal, we have to identify what need we are trying to fill and whether that need exists. If it does, what is the best way to meet the need? This is where you need to do market research into the needs of industry and students. And can we create a compelling offering in the landscape of competition that will bring in students,” Dr. Kaplan explained. “If a program can go through that assessment and positively answer those questions, guess what, we push it through. It doesn’t take five years. We push it and we see what happens, and I think that’s actually one of our strengths,” Dr. Liebhauser said. “If you look at our LAMPRO partnership, that’s a big risk, but it’s also something that if you get the right people together, now you’ve got a major success story in the making.” LAMPRO stands for Latin America Magister Program, a group of academics and entrepreneurs based in Santiago, Chile, who have a deep understanding of South American higher education and confidence in their ability to recruit students there. LAMPRO began marketing Indiana Tech’s Master of Business Administration degree in Chile this spring; the first student application arrived the first week of March. “We feel very optimistic about this relationship because LAMPRO has a really strong marketing presence in South America that would be difficult for any other U.S. institution to recreate on its own,” Dr. Kaplan said. “And, LAMPRO will have strong products—our accredited degree programs—to attract students. These are our degree programs—programs that our faculty have built and believe in, translated to be delivered Indiana Tech Magazine
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bilingually and restructured to respond to the needs of students of that region.” What’s more, LAMPRO’s market research suggests that demand for an accredited American MBA, especially one that is accessible online, is highly desired in Chile and other South American countries. Indiana Tech is an early mover into these markets where few universities have been able to gain a foothold. The fact that our MBA is accredited by the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE) should make our degrees even more alluring. Another way Indiana Tech makes sure it is giving students relevant programming is by maintaining close relationships with the business community. Through frequent interactions in the community, we are able to identify prevailing industry trends and stay on top of the skills our students need to succeed. “In the College of Business, we’re out interviewing leaders at places like Sweetwater, Brotherhood Mutual, Parkview and other firms to find out what they are looking for from new hires,” Dr. Liebhauser said. “That gathering of intel is something Indiana Tech is doing very well, because when we connect our students to their first big career, we want them to be well prepared for what they’re walking into.” In addition to the LAMPRO collaboration, the College of Business soon will introduce
undergraduate and graduate degrees in analytics, as well as “a multitude of projects in the pipeline,” Dr. Liebhauser said. “These are projects that are going to be fruitful one day and it’s going to be great to see.”
WE ARE GOOD AT OUTSIDETHE-BOX THINKING Much like the university did years ago when it first dipped its toe in the online education marketplace, Indiana Tech is finding new ways to create quality and convenient educational experiences that meet student needs, wherever they are. At the beginning of the school year, the College of Engineering launched an associate degree program in electrical engineering technology that is delivered fully online, bucking a notion that engineering coursework—specifically lab work— isn’t effective in the online format. It’s the first program of its kind in the region to be offered fully online. The new program will prepare students for a wide range of technical careers, while providing employers with exceptionally qualified, highly sought staff for key positions in advanced manufacturing, engineering, electrical, computer systems, electronic and related operations. To reinforce the learning experience, students are given sophisticated electronics lab kits so they can perform lab work at home. Indiana Tech will also hold regular, in-person immersion events on its main campus in Fort Wayne that will provide students with additional access to hands-on learning, team project work, career services and networking opportunities. “We are sending students a $600 lab in a box, so they are able to do all the experiments,” Dr. Kaplan said. “We’re not telling our students ‘just go here and read these articles.’ We’re actually giving them the ability to experiment and build things in the vision of the faculty who built the program.” In offering immersion events for this online degree program, the College of Engineering is borrowing a learning component that has become an integral part of our Ph.D. in Global Leadership student experience.
Students of Indiana Tech’s electrical engineering technology degree program get $600 worth of laboratory equipment that allows them to do experiments at home.
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“On paper, those may look like completely different types of education—how could one help the other?” Kaplan asked. “Well, a good idea is a good idea, and if it can be modified to meet another program’s need, that’s how they help each other. Every student wants to put what they are learning into practice.”
Beginning next school year, the College of Engineering will offer associate and bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering technology (see the College of Engineering Academic Roundup on page 30). Like the EET program, students will be able to achieve the associate degree fully online, complemented by on-campus immersion opportunities. In addition, Indiana Tech continues to partner with businesses of all kinds to educate and train their workforces. In January, four faculty members from the College of Business successfully designed and delivered a three-day professional development workshop to 23 Parkview Health employees at the request of the Fort Wayne-based health system (read more about this initiative on page 26). And, as an ongoing strategy, the university continues to pursue educational partnerships with employers and industry groups through its College of Professional Studies. “We have a long history of working with employers to customize programming that fits their specific needs,” said Steve Herendeen, Indiana Tech vice president for enrollment management. “Not only do employers look at these partnerships as a way to improve their workforce, they see them as a benefit they can offer to attract and retain excellent talent.”
WE MAKE SURE OUR NEW HIRES ARE COMPATIBLE WITH OUR CULTURE Students learn early at Indiana Tech that experience is increasingly becoming more of an entry-level expectation when it comes time to search for that first big job. As such, everyone here works hard to equip students with the skills and tools that will allow them to bring immediate value to an organization. This culture permeates through the recruiting and admissions process and is reinforced by the internship opportunities secured for our students by Indiana Tech’s Career Center. It’s strongest reinforcement, however, comes from the careerfocused, hands-on curriculum developed and delivered by our faculty. “With every faculty hire, we are looking to fill those spots with people who are both great teachers and experienced professionals,” Dr. Kaplan said. “We have many newer hires who were brought here explicitly to be program builders, and that’s more than just being a great teacher. These are people who get up in the morning wanting to build something fantastic—
Indiana Tech’s new biology degree program includes a unique combination of biology, chemistry, physics, math and social sciences coursework, supplemented with science communication, leadership and professional development opportunities to produce exceptionally well-rounded students.
they want to recruit students, they want to take care of their students, they want to be out in the community looking for internships, they want to build projects into their classes. “So those are the kinds of questions we ask — ‘Is this the type of job you want and how can you make our team ?’ “We focus a lot of our energy on making sure if somebody comes in, they’re going to be a team player who cares about our students and cares about working with other faculty. We want hardchargers who are going to take hold and go after it,” Dr. Liebhauser said. “That’s a huge part of what we’re doing. There’s no stagnancy in any of our approaches. It’s all very forward looking.”
WE ARE CREATING IMPACTFUL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR OUR STUDENTS Late in 2019, nearly 1,600 square feet of dedicated state-of-the-art laboratory space was unveiled within the Zollner Engineering Center for students in our new health science degree program. There, they can focus on clinical science work related to human health. “Students will be looking at biopsies, performing diagnostic testing and learning anatomy and physiology to prepare for jobs in a hospital health care setting,” said Dr. Robert Badeau, director of Indiana Tech’s health science program.
And, within the next couple years, the university plans to renovate the remainder of the 40,000-square-foot engineering building and significantly expand the Zollner Engineering Center. The updated and expanded spaces will include new labs and classrooms for current and new programs, updated equipment and modernized student engagement spaces to better facilitate collaborative learning. Some of the new labs planned for the Zollner Engineering Center include: • Cybersecurity/networking complex • Engineering innovation design lab • Robotics lab • Power and controls lab • Fluid mechanics lab • Digital forensics lab • Biomedical engineering lab • Organic/analytical chemistry lab “This is not just renovating an existing building. Every room in the Zollner Engineering Center will have a story and a purpose tied to the future of our current and new programs,” Dr. Kaplan said. It comes at a great time as the rapidly changing employment landscape for careers in STEM fields will rely on technology skills and demands that did not exist a decade ago. This project will significantly enhance Indiana Tech’s ability to provide students with powerful experiential learning opportunities that will prepare them for successful careers after graduation. Indiana Tech Magazine
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This is What Outside-the-Box Thinking Looks Like Indiana Tech’s proven ability to evolve with the times—to stay ahead of them even— is unmatched. Our agility ensures our students are prepared for tomorrow’s jobs in our rapidly evolving world and workplace. “That’s the way we’ve always done it” is not in our vocabulary. “Tech Yeah” is.
In
the fall of 2019, Indiana Tech’s agility and its ability to evolve were put to the test when Fort Wayne’s leading health system reached out in need of some specific professional development for a leadership group within its organization. You know Indiana Tech accepted the challenge. It’s the Warrior way. Does this story have a happy ending? “Tech Yeah” it does!
Presenting to their strengths, Liebhauser focused on the basics of building a proposal, Brown focused on integrating financial data into the presentation and Lugar Brettin showed how to pull everything together to develop a compelling pitch. The sessions were conducted in the Keene Building’s Corporate Engagement Center on three consecutive Wednesdays in January. In all, 23 Elite Team members went through 15 hours of training, culminating in an overwhelming success.
Parkview Health isn’t Fort Wayne’s leading health system “It was a very well-planned and well-executed collaboration,” and one of the region’s most recognized brands because of luck. said Michal Havison, Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Instead, this organization has made its ascent by harnessing director. “The goal was achieved: to help our leaders tell a the power of and empowering those who compelling story that will lead to the bring great ideas, strategic importance and allocation of budget and resources. The Indiana Tech value to the organization—leaders Scott, Lisa and Staci provided the depth, it has assembled to comprise its Elite Team. staff was able to breadth and application of business case Members of this internal think-tank development that one needs to make bridge the learning come from all across the system from all prudent investment decisions, and they gap that Parkview was kept the classroom energized with topics departments and, because of that, many of them lack the tools to build effective and stories to support the three half-days feeling as it pertains business proposals for their ideas. of curriculum.” to business plans Parkview recognized this and reached out Anne Badowski, Enterprise Project to several universities for help. and presentations. Portfolio Management coordinator, added, Dr. Kathleen Watland, dean of Indiana “The collaboration was fantastic. The Tech’s College of Business, assembled Dr. Scott Liebhauser, Indiana Tech staff was able to bridge the learning gap that associate vice president for academic affairs; Dr. Staci Lugar Parkview was feeling as it pertains to business plans and Brettin, associate professor of marketing and management; and presentations. The staff provided the Harvard Business Review Lisa Brown, associate professor of accounting, to work with the guide information in a very relatable way.” health system to develop a needs assessment. From there, the “You’re dealing with medical professionals and community trio developed and presented a stellar proposal, which earned partners, you want the relationship to grow and cultivate — them the opportunity to teach Parkview’s Elite Team. so we all took this collaboration very seriously. Even though it “They wanted us to base our training off the Harvard Business was only three half-days of instruction, we’ve been working on Review’s ‘Guide to Building Your Business Case,’ ” Liebhauser this for about six months,” Liebhauser said. “We were a little said. “Staci, Lisa and I did an in-depth study of the publication bit nervous getting ready for these sessions, but in the end we and broke the material into three pieces that we delivered over were very pleased with the results. We got excellent feedback three half-day sessions.” and everything came together even better than expected.”
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On the final day, the Elite Team members gave presentations in front of their colleagues before earning certificates during a lunch presentation hosted by President Karl W. Einolf. “When they presented, all of their colleagues took it very seriously as if it was an actual proposal in the system. Some received very tough questions, almost like a dissertation defense,” Liebhauser said. “As a result, they are now equipped to present in a real proposal situation.” For Marita Dwight-Smith, director of Francine’s Friends, Parkview’s mobile mammography unit and Elite Team member, the time at Indiana Tech was time well spent. “The instructors were very engaged and passionate about their topics,” she said. “They understood the Parkview mission and vision, and knew how to assist so our presentations would fully align with Parkview’s business plan. I left with a completed presentation I feel confident about.” More members from Parkview’s Elite Team will participate in the training later this year. Liebhauser knows Indiana Tech will be ready to meet their needs, as well as the needs of future corporate partners. “We have a template now, so we could present this material to any organization. Plus, we have the experience to tailor the content to cover whatever material a company identifies, whether it be related to management, leadership or presentation skills,” Liebhauser said.
Lugar Brettin is also excited about the potential of this initiative and she is happy dean Watland added her to the team. “Dr. Watland has created an opportunity where we can continue to evolve in ways that allow us to use our education, our instructional design and our creativity in the classroom, not only for our in-class student learners, but also for learners outside the university,” she said. “It demonstrates that we at Tech are capable of growing and advancing knowledge of our community members in really important ways.” “Experience has taught me that partnering with organizations provides value to everyone involved; without question, we found that was the case in this instance,” Dr. Watland said. “We are honored to be chosen by Parkview as its academic partner. Parkview serves the community with its focus on health— Indiana Tech serves the community with a focus on organizational health.”
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Academic Roundup COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES Wireman’s COMM 4500 class plays content creator for local chamber This semester, seven of Alicia Wireman’s COMM 4500 Contemporary Media Studies students are getting real-world experience in a collaboration with the DeKalb Chamber Partnership. The DCP’s focus is to drive economic growth in DeKalb County (just north of Fort Wayne) and promote the 200 businesses which comprise its membership, which includes Indiana Tech. The DCP has tasked Wireman’s students with creating promotional content about chamber businesses that have been assigned to them. Participating students and business owners are working together to identify what type of content best tells each business’ story. When completed, the DCP will use the content on its website and social media channels to promote its members. “One of our foundational pillars is education, so we frequently seek to partner with and invest in education whenever possible,” said Shannon Carpenter, DCP executive director. “This is a great opportunity to partner with students and give them real-world project experience on writing for and working with businesses.”
Warriors learn art from veteran local artist Brandon Furniss is an accomplished artist based in Fort Wayne who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Indiana University and a Master of Fine Arts from Kent State University, both with a concentration in ceramics. Furniss is also a prolific art educator, who Indiana Tech students have the good fortune of learning from. He has been an adjunct professor at Tech since 2018, teaching art appreciation and art history, and he leverages his local relationships to enhance the learning experience for his students. “I am a passionate supporter of education and the arts. I’m always encouraging the search for knowledge and exploration of life,” Furniss said.
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Furniss plans a field trip to the Fort Wayne Museum of Art near the end of every semester. He works with the curator to pull artwork that will correspond to his lectures and give students a good representation of modern art. Students are then required to write a brief summary about a work they were drawn to. “It’s a fun day; students are able to interact with art and culture and explore first-hand what they have been learning in the classroom,” Furniss said. “I also love to include the process of making art in my courses—and that has been well-received. Many of the students have shown great interest.”
Growth of annual criminal justice career fair is a win-win for students and regional agencies In 2012, Indiana Tech’s criminal justice department held its first career fair, attracting a dozen regional agencies and a modest amount of student traffic. Since then, this event has grown by leaps and bounds and has turned into a must-attend for several criminal justice agencies in the tri-state area. In fact, upward of 40 agencies and 200 students packed the Seitz Conference Center for last November’s event. Representatives from the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Indiana State Police, Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources and police departments from Fort Wayne, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Louisville, among others, were in attendance. “A lot of these law enforcement agencies have limited budgets and they have to really pick and choose which career fairs they travel to,” said Dominic Lombardo, associate professor and director of criminal justice and pre-law at Indiana Tech. “We have a lot of regulars every year; they tell me they keep coming back because they feel they get the most bang for their buck at this one. They are very impressed with our students and some of our students are working for these agencies.” “The Indiana State Police continues to come to Indiana Tech’s career fair because it has a great CJ program with professors who pride themselves in preparing students for the workforce,” said Indiana State Police Sergeant Roosevelt L. Williams. “Upon completion of their CJ coursework, Indiana Tech graduates are mentally and physically prepared to enter into the workforce.” Just recently, Morriston, Indiana, senior Lucas Flanagan completed an internship with the Indiana
State Police, while Indianapolis junior Reggie Ellington began one with ISP. Monroeville, Indiana’s Isaac Saxton was hired by Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources. “I learned about ISP’s internship program at the career fair,” Flanagan said. “I applied, I ended up getting it and I’ve gotten to know many of the troopers in the Fort Wayne district. It was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone in the criminal justice major.” For Thomas Rhoades, Parkview Health’s chief of police and corporate director of public safety and emergency management, the career fair gives him a chance to share his hospital’s unique law enforcement needs with everyone at the event. As a result, he’s brought many Warriors into his workforce. “We have hired a number of Indiana Tech graduates as public safety officers, police officers and interns,” Rhoades said. “Of the ones we have hired, we are impressed with their level of enthusiasm for the job, and their willingness and desire to serve.” In addition to the law enforcement agencies, a record five law schools were represented at November’s career fair, as well. “The presence of numerous law schools provides an opportunity for students interested in a law degree to compare law schools,” said Kim Spielman, associate professor of criminal science. “Additionally, my conversations with the admissions representatives will hopefully result in more 3+3 relationships.”
pre-law students are able to attend selected law schools after completion of their junior year at Indiana Tech, provided they meet program criteria. Currently, Tech pre-law graduates Hannah Duschl and Tyler Lantzsch are pursuing juris doctorates at the University of Toledo College of Law, while Joselyne Bobos, a member of the Class of 2020, has been accepted at Toledo and Marquette University Law School. For Lombardo, preparing for the career fair seems to begin earlier and earlier each year. In fact, he is already putting the wheels in motion for this year’s event, which is Wednesday, Nov. 18. “This is a very important event for us every year—one that we take very seriously,” Lombardo said. “We want this to remain a yearly destination for the region’s top agencies and schools so that our outstanding criminal justice and prelaw students continue to get the best opportunities to network and learn about careers in the field.”
As part of Indiana Tech’s cooperative 3+3 Program, Indiana Tech Magazine
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Academic Roundup
Heck passes SHRM-CP exam Cecilia Heck passed the Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) examination in February, making her the first Indiana Tech international student and fifth Warrior in the past 12 months to pass the prestigious exam. The SHRM-CP is a competency-based certification exam administered by SHRM, which is considered the industry-leader in HR professional development and is the world’s largest HR membership organization. Heck, a native of Heinsberg, Germany, is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration concentrating in HR at Indiana Tech. In 2019, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Tech with a double concentration in HR and management. Heck is also a standout on the women’s golf team.
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
Lugar Brettin’s marketing class helps Blacksnakes take flight When it comes to getting A-10 fighter planes off the ground, the Indiana Air National Guard’s 122nd Fighter Wing (also known as the Blacksnakes) is quite proficient. Developing marketing initiatives that can soar with the eagles? That’s another story. That mission—through a collaboration that began in the fall between Dr. Staci Lugar Brettin and Major Holly Shelton—fell into the hands of Indiana Tech’s BA 2500 Marketing classmates. Shelton, the labor management representative at the Fort Wayne-based 122nd Fighter Wing, tasked Lugar Brettin’s class with assessing the marketing strategies of the Blacksnakes and making recommendations for the future. “We were completely blown away with the results,” Major Shelton said. “We had so many creative ideas coming from them; a website overhaul and even a brand design were presented for us. They studied our social media marketing and provided everything from a posting schedule to detailed comparisons that showed what makes an effective post and how ours were lacking. “They challenged my staff to find more creative ways to market to our target audiences and provided numerous ideas on how to do that within our limited government budget. This has been a great partnership—we get just as much
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out of the experience as the students get in having the opportunity to counsel and assess a real-world business.” Ebony Butler, a sophomore digital graphics and design major from Alabaster, Alabama, worked on a team that helped the Blacksnakes improve its visual presence on the social media platform Instagram. “This experience has gotten me to use my skills for real-world problem solving, making me think outside of a traditional classroom setting,”
Butler said. “It has given me confidence in my own capabilities…it took my graphic design eye, communication skills, critical thinking and much more to accomplish this project and do it well.” Major Shelton’s ideas for the next collaboration with a Lugar Brettin marketing class involve initiatives that will appeal to and attract applicants—from enhancing the appearance of the 122nd Fighter Wing facility to developing dynamic ways to best showcase the unit’s career opportunities.
Econ class research helps City of Fort Wayne This year, nearly 130 students from Dr. Joshua Long’s economics classes are participating in research that is helping Fort Wayne leaders make important decisions for the future. In the fall, three Fort Wayne City Council members worked with Indiana Tech students to analyze data related to tax phase-ins and tax deferrals in cities similar in size to Fort Wayne. The result was a proposed change of the tax abatement process that was expected to create a businessfavorable system without an added cost to the taxpayers.
“I worked in a group with four other people and we conducted research on Grand Rapids, Michigan,” said Lapel, Indiana’s Emily Eppert, who is pursuing a B.S. in business administration concentrating in management. “In the process, I learned a lot about economic development and working with a group on a project much bigger than ourselves. It was a very rewarding experience.” This semester, Long’s students are working with the city’s Redevelopment/ Economic Development Department to help quantify the economic impact sports—both professional and recreational—has on a community. This will provide data to inform decisions regarding whether a community should invest in services that help attract and retain sporting events and teams to our region.
Bond between local fashion programs is getting stronger Over the past two years, Kayla Crecelius, program lead for Indiana Tech’s Fashion Marketing & Management program, and Meaghan Sholl, director of Carroll High School’s fashion program, have worked to bridge the 10.6-mile gap that lay between their schools. The result has been a winwin for all students involved.
Carroll’s winning team, FrostBite, was comprised of Cecelia Austin, Arianna Curtis, Juan Larranaga, Rebecca Lavin and Lia Wirges. Members of Crecelius’ class included Fatimah Alsalman, Mona Alshamrani, Domino Daugherty, Heaven Harris, Jalynn King, Jacey McLaughlin, Emily Oler, Kim Siercks and Dawson Williams.
It began with Tech sponsoring Carroll’s annual (and spectacular) fashion and culinary showcase and transitioned to Crecelius being invited to join the school’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) advisory board.
Sophomores Oler, from Warsaw, Indiana, and McLaughlin, from Fort Wayne, worked with the winning team.
“Meaghan has been a great resource for our program,” Crecelius said. “And, being on Carroll’s CTE board has been a great experience. Not only have I been able to provide guidance and advice for the Carroll program, but it has also helped me to understand the skills and experience of incoming freshmen, and how to build upon those skills.” During the fall semester, Crecelius’ FMM 2010 Visual Merchandising and Promotions class planned a field trip to Indiana Tech for Sholl’s high school class, during which her students split up into teams and took part in a design challenge. Each team had to identify a theme and create a complete and cohesive display to showcase elements and principles of design, aesthetics and trends. The winning team’s work was displayed in Tech’s Cunningham Business Center. “We discussed and planned this trip for several weeks to prepare the best opportunity and experience for the Carroll students,” Crecelius said. “My students took it very seriously—they wanted to be mentors for the challenge and share the knowledge they had learned so far in class.”
“We mentored them not only on the fashion and marketing things, but also on general questions about Indiana Tech. Overall, I loved the experience and would love to do it again.” “Overall, I got a lot out of this experience and I learned how to help direct someone else’s creative process without completely disregarding their thoughts and ideas,” said McLaughlin, who attended Carroll High School. “Kayla had a great hands-on project for my students to work on with her students while we visited,” Sholl said about her high-schoolers’ experiences at Tech. “They enjoyed speaking to current students and gaining their perspective on staying local and hearing how they planned on using their degree. “Most think this is a degree that’s only available at large schools in big cities, but many of my students were really happy and encouraged to see that Fort Wayne has a program. Our collaboration with Tech has brought new ideas into our classroom, helped my students network with others who are interested in the field they want to pursue and has given both students and parents peace of mind knowing they can pursue their dream career and still stay close to home.” Indiana Tech Magazine
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Academic Roundup COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Indiana Tech adds Mechanical Engineering Technology degrees for 2020-21 school year Beginning fall semester of 2020, students will be able to pursue a bachelor’s or an associate degree in mechanical engineering technology at Indiana Tech. Courses for both will be available at Indiana Tech’s main campus in Fort Wayne, but the associate will also be obtainable online. “Our mechanical engineering technology program is going to appeal to students who are seeking a more hands-on application of mechanical engineering skills,” said Dave Aschliman, dean of the College of Engineering. “MET programs are popular with students at other universities, so we expect this will be an impactful addition for us.” According to Craig Welch, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and MET program lead, graduates from the program will be able to fill application-based engineering positions such as design engineer, project engineer and engineering technician. “Mechanical engineering technology coursework is going to give students a broader understanding of manufacturing processes, automation and the application of design principles. They are going to become familiar with tools and equipment commonly used in the field,” Welch said. Fourteen new courses are being developed to accommodate the new degree program and will complement Tech’s existing mechanical engineering degree. Course topics will include mechanical instrumentation and controls, machining, fluid mechanics and hydraulics, applied kinematics and dynamics of machinery and applied thermodynamics heat transfer.
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For students pursuing an associate in MET online, they can expect to receive lab equipment at their home. This type of learning model was initiated last year when Indiana Tech began offering an associate in electrical engineering technology. In addition, the EET model includes hosting immersion weekends on campus so students can work with College of Engineering professors and gain additional, reinforcing experience in our labs. The MET program will feature the same kinds of immersion opportunities. “The mechanical engineering and MET programs will provide students with a broad range of engineering skills—from theory to application,” Aschliman said. “The launch of the MET program improves our options available to students. This will be good for students and employers.”
A
As the College of Engineering prepares to launch its MET program, it also announced it will no longer offer a degree in energy engineering after this academic year. “There is an insufficient number of students interested in an energy engineering degree to support the continuation of the program here at Indiana Tech,” Welch said. “However, for students interested in an emphasis on energy engineering, Indiana Tech will offer an energy engineering minor.” This minor is available to all engineering students but may be of particular interest to mechanical engineering or mechanical engineering technology majors.
B A. Craig Welch, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and MET program lead B. Dave Aschliman, dean of Indiana Tech’s College of Engineering
w
CYBER WARRIORS 2019-20 ROSTER
Ethan Anderson /TEAM CAPTAIN
Cameron Fyfe
SENIOR / COMPUTER ENGINEERING MAJOR
JUNIOR / CYBERSECURITY MAJOR ROLE: NETWORKING SPECIALIST
ROLE: LINUX PRACTICE LEAD
AND HMI SPECIALIST
The beat goes on for the Cyber Warriors, powerhouses in collegiate cybersecurity Indiana Tech’s cyber defense team, the Cyber Warriors, won its sixth consecutive Indiana Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition in February. Indiana Tech has won 13 times in the 15 years the state competition has been held. This year’s competition was held at Indiana Tech. Also in the field was Purdue West Lafayette, which took second place for a fourth straight year, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Purdue Northwest, Purdue Global, Indiana University, Ivy Tech Valparaiso and Vincennes University. “I’m very proud of the team for pulling off another win in a tough competition. This was the most teams ever to compete at the Indiana State CCDC and the Purdue West Lafayette squad was stronger than ever this year,” said computer science professor and Cyber Warriors coach, Matt Hansen. “Our margin of victory over Purdue was the smallest ever.” From there, the Cyber Warriors participated in the CCDC Midwest Regional against state champion teams from Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. Indiana Tech
finished third at this competition to first-place DePaul and runner-up Baldwin Wallace. “Again, it’s a testament to what we have been able to build here at Indiana Tech,” Hansen said. “The guys on this team work hard in the classroom and in practice, and they know their stuff. Traditionally, that has translated into successful entry into the professional world after graduation. I’m just very proud to be a part of this program.” In cyber defense competitions, teams build and defend their mock production business infrastructure from professional “hackers,” who are given the challenge to take each team’s production systems offline and breach its security. While the teams work hard to fend off “hackers,” the competition judging staff will deploy additional network enhancements and upgrade challenges to teams. The staff is also responsible for judging team performance, keeping score for the contest and administering overall support for the event. You can learn more about Indiana Tech’s Cyber Warriors at techcyberwarriors.org.
Austin Begley SENIOR / COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJOR
Adam Swanson /TEAM LIEUTENANT
ROLE: LINUX SPECIALIST
SENIOR / SOFTWARE ENGINEERING MAJOR
Jakob Stadelmayer
ROLE: LINUX SPECIALIST, TEAM 1
SOPHOMORE / CYBERSECURITY MAJOR
Sam Boger
ROLE: LINUX SPECIALIST
JUNIOR / NETWORK ENGINEERING MAJOR ROLE: WINDOWS PRACTICE LEAD,
Jacob Chiarodo
NETWORKING SPECIALIST
SENIOR / COMPUTER ENGINEERING MAJOR
Alex Knipper
ROLE: WINDOWS AND HMI
SPECIALIST
SENIOR / COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJOR
Zak King
ROLE: WINDOWS AND
DOCUMENTATION SPECIALIST
FRESHMAN / CYBERSECURITY MAJOR
James Swank
ROLE: LINUX SPECIALIST
JUNIOR / CYBERSECURITY MAJOR ROLE: WINDOWS SPECIALIST
Matt Hansen /HEAD COACH Ian Springer /ASSISTANT COACH
Zach Hopkins SOPHOMORE / SOFTWARE ENGINEERING MAJOR ROLE: LINUX AND REVERSE
ENGINEERING SPECIALIST
Carson Sanderson SENIOR / CYBERSECURITY MAJOR ROLE: TECHNICAL
DOCUMENTATION AND TEAM MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST
Indiana Tech Magazine
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ATHLETIC ROUNDUP Sports News
A fond farewell to Athletic Director Debbie Warren Indiana Tech Director of Athletics Debbie Warren will retire from her position on June 5, and call it a career after more than 40 years of working in college athletics and administration. “It has been my absolute delight to be the Athletics Director at Indiana Tech,” Warren said. “It is a wonderful institution and I have been so fortunate to work with so many talented and caring professionals who are fantastic people.” “Debbie Warren is one of the best university administrators I’ve ever worked with,” said Indiana Tech President Dr. Karl W. Einolf. “She cares deeply about the success of students, both in the classroom and on the field of play. Under her leadership over the last five years, she has taken our athletics department to a new level of excellence. We will miss her.” Warren will leave Indiana Tech as one of the nation’s best athletics directors for 2020 as she was named one of 28 recipients of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Under Armour AD of the Year on March 3. She will be recognized on June 9 during NACDA’s 55th Annual Convention at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. Indiana Tech’s athletics department has reached new heights both on the field of play and in the academic realm since Warren came to the Summit City in the summer of 2015. Heading into the 2019-20 academic year: à Tech has claimed six national championships in men’s ice hockey, men’s indoor track and field, men’s outdoor track and field and women’s indoor track and field
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à 19 student-athletes have won individual national championships in the sports of women’s golf, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field and men’s wrestling à 28 teams have qualified for postseason play à 288 student-athletes have garnered AllAmerica Team honors Under Warren, 325 student-athletes earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete accolades, 17 individuals collected CoSIDA Academic All-America honors and four Warriors were named CoSIDA Academic All-America Team Members of the Year. The department has finished with a 3.0 GPA or better every year since 2015. Warren spearheaded the revival of one program, men’s volleyball, which started back up as a varsity program in 2020 following a 47-year hiatus from campus, and the start of women’s wrestling, which will begin its inaugural season in the 2020-21 campaign. She was a central figure in the planning and development of Warrior Park, the university’s new athletics complex, which came fully online during the summer of 2019. The $15 million project, built on the south side of Fort Wayne on the grounds of Donald Ross Golf Course, includes a state-of-the-art softball stadium and an outdoor track and field.
…but a familiar face fills her role Jessie Biggs was named Indiana Tech’s director of athletics on Feb. 25. Biggs will retain her role as head women’s basketball coach and assume her new role on June 6.
Warriors to three-straight Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) regular-season titles and four consecutive trips to the NAIA Division II National Championship.
“During Coach Biggs’ time at Indiana Tech, she’s been highly effective on the court and off, taking on administrative duties for the athletics department that have prepared her well for the athletics director role,” Einolf said. “Coach Biggs is a passionate, motivated and inspiring leader, and I am confident she is going to take our athletics programs to a new level of excellence.”
“I would like to thank Indiana Tech and the administration for this opportunity and their belief in me,” Biggs said. “Indiana Tech is a wonderful place to call home and I am excited to embrace a new role as Athletics Director. I look forward to building upon the great leadership and work that Debbie Warren has done for the athletics department.”
Biggs is in her eighth season as the head coach of the Warrior women’s basketball team and in her fifth year as the associate director of athletics for event management and senior woman administrator. Heading into the 2020 postseason, the Ottumwa, Iowa, native has compiled a 18182 record on the hardwood while leading the
Biggs earned her bachelor’s degree in Criminology with a minor in Athletic Coaching from the University of Northern Iowa in 2007 and her master’s degree in Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration from Western Illinois University in 2011. She lives in Fort Wayne with her wife, Kylene, and daughter, Olivia.
Sophomore Nelson selected to 2020 Red Cross Collegiate Leadership Program Indiana Tech sophomore Ellie Nelson was selected to the 2020 American Red Cross Collegiate Leadership Program. A member of the women’s soccer team, Nelson was one of 13 student-athletes selected from applicants across NAIA and NCCAA member institutions. As part of the 2020 Leadership Program, Nelson will receive a $2,000 scholarship and travel to the American Red Cross Headquarters in Washington, D.C., this summer for a twoweek internship program, where she will be coached and mentored by senior American Red Cross leaders and representatives from NAIA and NCCAA. Nelson is also in charge of organizing and marketing Red Cross blood drives and other activities at Indiana Tech and will continue that over her remaining two years at Tech. A native of St. Michael, Minnesota, she is majoring in biomedical engineering.
Indiana Tech Magazine
35
ATHLETIC ROUNDUP 2019 Fall Sports Wrap-ups
MEN’S SOCCER
WOMEN’S SOCCER
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
Record: 17-5-1 (second most wins in program history), 10-0-1 WHAC (1st/12), first regular season conference title in program history, won WHAC Tournament title for the second time in program history.
Record: 6-12-0, 2-9-0 WHAC (10th/12)
WHAC Championships: 3rd/10
Awards/Honors:
Awards/Honors:
à 14 WHAC All-Academic Team selections – Alexis Blackburn, Dani Blagojevic, Kelsey Combs, Sam Fifield, Karson Gardner, Hadley Hopkins, Sydney Lemelin, Lydia Miller, Dametrea Mixon, Marissa Pease, Kyndall Pursley, Kristen Roe, Lily Rothert and Kayla Saffran
à NAIA All-America Team selection – Jake Willison, 21st at NAIA National Championships
Hosted the NAIA National Championship Opening Round and fell in the championship match to No. 3-ranked University of Mobile. Finished the season ranked 21st in the NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. Awards/Honors: à 3 NAIA All-America Team selections – Noe Garcia, Luke Jones and Pep Casas à WHAC Coach of the Year – John Dunn à WHAC Offensive Player of the Year – Noe Garcia à 8 All-Conference selections – Noe Garcia, Pep Casas, Will Harris, Luke Jones, Angel de Jorge, Scott McCarthy, Jaxon Simerman and Jamie Tenorio à WHAC All-Newcomer Team – Maxwell Amoako à 16 WHAC All-Academic Team selections – Eloi Bassene, Austin Blanton, Darrell Clay, Leo Corso, Malte Dennert, Luiz Fialho de Oliveria, Daniel Gallardo, Jack Koshko, Roberto Maspons, James Ohms, Ivan Safranic, Daniel Sender, Jose Uvidia, Dean Ward, Hunter Williams and Kirklan Ziambao à United Soccer Coaches North Region Staff of the Year – John Dunn, Scott Brown, Jeff Wike and Facundo Rondan
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL Record: 26-10, 13-7 WHAC (T-4th/11), advanced to the WHAC Tournament Semifinals and fell to top-seeded Lawrence Tech; most wins in a season since 2011. Awards/Honors: à NAIA and AVCA All-America Team selection – Madeline MacDonald à AVCA Mideast Region Defender of the Year – Madeline MacDonald à WHAC Libero of the Year – Madeline MacDonald à 4 All-Conference selections – Madeline MacDonald, Olivia Niekamp, Havilyn Cummings and Jordan Aylward à 10 WHAC All-Academic Team selections – Jordan Aylward, Madysn Cardinal, Allison Cole, Reagan Hegg, Calista Helinski, Madeline MacDonald, Olivia Niekamp, Madison Park, Casey Smith and Raven Tomlinson
à WHAC Runner-up – Jake Willison à All-Conference selections – Jake Willison and Kudzanai Karawira à WHAC All-Academic Team selections – Logan Baugher, Brady Spanfellner and Kudzanai Karawira
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY WHAC Championships: 4th/10 Awards/Honors: à Kara Kline qualified for the NAIA National Championships and finished 146th à All-Conference selections – Kara Kline à WHAC All-Academic Team selections – Ashley Burnett, Alexis Lombardo, Hayley Newman and Megan Theismann
MEN’S GOLF WHAC Regular Standings: 6th/12 Awards/Honors: à All-Conference selection – Nick Kocks
WOMEN’S GOLF WHAC Regular Standings: 1st/12 (eighth conference title in program history and repeated as conference champions) Awards/Honors: à WHAC Individual Medalist – Carissa Graft à All-Conference selections – Carissa Graft, Kim Siercks, Victoria Raffle and Cecilia Heck
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Men’s soccer coaching staff named NAIA North Region Staff of the Year
A
The Indiana Tech men’s soccer coaching staff, comprised of head coach John Dunn and assistants Scott Brown, Jeffrey Wike and Facundo Rondan, were named the NAIA North Region Staff of the Year in December by the United Soccer Coaches.
B C
D
Dunn, in his second year at the helm of the Warriors, and his staff, all in their second or first year with the program, led Tech to a historic season in which they won the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) regular season and tournament titles and qualified for the NAIA National Championship for the first time since 2009. The team finished the season ranked 21st in the nation with a 17-5-1 record. After opening up the 2019 season, the 65th in program history, with a 1-4 record, Indiana Tech went on a tear, which included going 10-0-1 in conference play to grab its firstever regular-season title and winning its second-ever WHAC Tournament.
E
The Warriors were rewarded for their outstanding season as the university was chosen to be one of 15 three-team openinground sites for the national tournament.
F G
A. The WHAC-best women’s golf team B. The men’s soccer coaching staff, recognized by United Soccer Coaches as the NAIA North Region Staff of the Year C. The WHAC-best men’s soccer squad D. Madeline MacDonald E. Nick Kocks F. Kristen Roe G. Carissa Graft
After knocking off Vanguard of California, 2-0, in the opener, just No. 3-ranked University of Mobile stood in the way of Indiana Tech advancing to Irvine, California, the site of the final round of the NAIA National Championship tournament. Unfortunately, Mobile ended the Warriors’ magical season with a 2-0 win. The 2019 men’s soccer team accomplished something that only a few have done while wearing the kit for the Orange and Black. The Warriors finished the season with 17 wins, the second-most in program history, only outdone by the 1981 and 1983 teams that went 18-1-1 and 18-3, respectively.
Indiana Tech Magazine
37
PATH OF A WARRIOR From the Desk of Alan Elliott
HELPING TO SHAPE THE FUTURE Hello, my name is Alan Elliott. I graduated from Indiana Tech with a bachelor’s in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering in 2003 and an MBA in 2010. I am the university’s alumni board president. Presently, I am a global sourcing director for a garage door hardware company, but I have enjoyed a progressive and winding career path as a result of my education from Indiana Tech. After graduation, I began my career with a furniture company in Indianapolis, in supervision and management roles. In 2006, I was able to put my degree to use and get involved in engineering. I was happy to finally be able to take lessons from the classroom to the factory floor, and soon thereafter, I returned to Tech as a College of Professional Studies student.
Are you passionate about Indiana Tech? Our alumni association and board would love to have you join! Reach out to Matt Brown, director of alumni relations, at mjbrown@indianatech.edu for more information about how you can get involved.
In 2012, I began my current career path in a role I always wanted and had long considered my highest aspiration: plant manager. Since then, I have been allowed to learn and grow in multisite management, contract negotiation and direct sourcing, resulting in sums well over $100 million. The impact my Indiana Tech education and experiences had on my career cannot be overstated. Thanks to my MBA coursework and mentoring from some great connections I still value greatly, a job I had thought was my mountaintop became attainable about a year after I turned 30. I went to Indiana Tech with an inquisitive nature and mechanical aptitude. From there, the university helped me hone my process engineering skills so I could apply a logical, effective problemsolving process to a myriad of areas. Indiana Tech’s learning environment was one I could connect with and grow from, and with a continuous improvement mindset, effort and curiosity, some really cool experiences were made possible for me.
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That curiosity ultimately brought me back to Indiana Tech—first, for an MBA; second, for an adjunct teaching opportunity; and, finally, to give back to the school by working for the alumni board. Speaking from my alumni board role, I would like to encourage all Tech alumni with similar experiences in their career development to get involved with the university in some fashion. As alumni board president, I have the privilege of overseeing the board’s activities and watching how its committees impact both students and alumni. For instance, our student outreach committee—reinvigorated with a new chair and members—continually looks for ways to engage with students. Our alumni outreach committee hosts events and reaches out to alumni to bring them back to campus and see the great things going on at Tech. The thing is, you don’t need to be a full-time board member to be on one of our committees. If you are interested in joining, ask. And, joining a committee isn’t the only way to get involved with and give back to the university. You can: à Come back to campus for one of the many events Tech hosts and have a blast. Then, spread the word to others in your class so they can join in the fun. à Connect with our students—as a mentor or employer—to help them navigate the challenges in front of them and find their way. I hope you consider returning to Indiana Tech to reconnect with those who share your launch point and give something back to a university that gave us so much. Get on campus and see, firsthand, the passion of today’s students as they start their journey. I assure you it will light a fire inside you that will warm the sentimental spirit. I hope to see many old friends and lots of new faces at the next events. I look forward to connecting with you all soon. Go Warriors!
ALUMNI NOTES We love to feature updates from our Indiana Tech alumni. Did you get a new job? Were you promoted? Did you retire? Maybe you are celebrating a special anniversary or wedding, or are welcoming a child to the family. We want to celebrate with you! Email alumni notes you wish to share to mjbrown@indianatech.edu and you can see them featured in the magazine!
DAVID MIDDLETON, B.S. BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ‘07
JAMES FELTON III, CURRENTLY PURSUING A PH.D. IN GLOBAL LEADERSHIP
à Future Sales Inc. of Elkhart, Indiana, hired David to its sales team. David is a 20-year industry veteran who has held prominent positions in both purchasing and sales.
à James was announced to the position of vice president for equality and inclusion for The College of New Jersey where he will be working closely with campus constituents to identify, establish, assess and update goals, objectives and initiatives for diversity and inclusion for all students. He was recognized as the Top Chief Diversity Officer of the Year for 2019 by the International Association of Top Professionals.
KAFUBA DONZON, B.S. BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING ‘15 à Kafuba is the owner of iLove Home Care in Fort Wayne. Inspired by his grandmother and traditions from his native country of Ivory Coast, Africa, Kafuba started the in-home, non-medical service to promote better mental and physical health, lower-cost care and companionship for older individuals who may be chronically ill, recovering from surgery or are disabled. MICHAEL HOLLANDSWORTH, B.S. BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ‘10, MBA ‘12 à Michael has been recognized for five years of service to the Fort Wayne Police Department. Currently, he is assigned to the Fort Wayne Gang & Violent Crimes Task Force where he serves as a control tactics instructor and is a certified drug recognition expert.
KENDALL PROPHET, B.S. NETWORK ENGINEERING ‘10, M.S. ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT ‘13 à Kendall and his wife welcomed twin girls, Kenley Ella and Camille Olivia, into their family in December. MICHAEL BIVEN, B.S. IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ‘19 à Michael recently took a position with Indianapolis Public Transportation Corp. (Indygo) in its facilities department.
LESLEY ODOM, B.S. BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ‘08, MBA ‘10 à Lesley has been named community affairs manager for the South Bend, Indiana, and Southwest Michigan areas for Indiana Michigan Power. She is a 23-year veteran of I&M. ELIZABETH BIRK, MBA ‘18
A
à Elizabeth was promoted from banking center manager to officer of 1st Source Bank. She often leads financial wellness presentations at various companies across the Elkhart, Indiana, area and offers her time as an onsite mentor at Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
B
C
A. Kafuba Donzon; B. James Felton III; C.Lesley Odom
Keep us connected! Your stories are what make Indiana Tech proud—and we want to hear from you! Share your successes, update your information, learn about the Alumni Association and find ways to connect with your peers, friends and faculty members on our website at Alumni.IndianaTech.edu. You can also email your updates to Alumni@IndianaTech.edu. Indiana Tech Alumni Group
@IndianaTechAlum
Indiana Institute of Technology Indiana Tech Magazine
39
PATH OF A WARRIOR Alumni Spotlight
HARVEY A. SMITH COLD BEANS OUT OF A CAN A lawnmower, a broom, a rag, a wrench, a backpack. This list of everyday items may seem like a simple collection of things lying around the house. But to Harvey Smith, these items illustrate an extraordinary journey of personal and professional achievement that starts one stride behind a lawn mower in an airfield and ends with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin safely setting foot on the surface of the moon. Cold Beans Out of a Can is the story of one man’s unconventional path to
his childhood in rural Massachusetts, where, as a teenager, he trained as an air-
craft mechanic and pilot, to his role heading up fift y design engineers working on the life-support backpack that would accompany astronauts to the moon,
Smith’s story is a glimpse into the myriad details and heroic effort that went into America’s success in winning the race to the moon fift y years ago. In a style both folksy and informative, Smith describes how he started work-
What started out as a hobby and enjoyment for writing, his book, “Cold Beans Out of a Can,” was molded into his personal testimony about how hard work, self-made opportunity and diligence can shape the lengths any individual can go in this life. It is a story of confidence and diligence. It is one with a simple philosophy instilled in him by his grandmother at a young age: “If you work hard, you will always have a good job and you will do good.” ing on and flying airplanes at age fifteen, attending aircraft mechanics school
while pumping gas at night and subsisting primarily on beans out of a can. After graduation, Smith worked as an FAA-licensed aircraft mechanic, performing major structural repairs, engine overhauls, and airworthiness inspec-
tions, at one point sawing a glider in half and welding it back together. Later,
he went on to college, where he studied aeronautical engineering, landing a job at a high-tech startup specializing in jet-engine thrust, before finally going to work on the Apollo program at Hamilton Standard, a NASA subcontractor.
Along the way, Smith had plenty of adventures, both in the air and on the
ground, culminating in the controlled chaos of the Apollo program, where his
division succeeded in producing a life-support system that astronaut Rusty Schweickart would test for the first time in space and that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin would use just four months later, when Apollo 11 set down on the moon.
HARVEY A. SMITH holds a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Indiana Technical College (now Indiana Institute of Technology). He is the author of multiple articles on flying and space history, as well as a licensed aircraft mechanic and private pilot. He recently took glider/sailplane instruction, including soaring—gaining altitude in rising air as hawks do. Smith and his wife, Cecile Simone Morin Smith, have four grand-
SMITH
becoming an engineer and department head on the Apollo moon project. From
their machinery. All of this invigorated Harvey to the point that he never saw working on planes and their components as work. He got such an enjoyment out of it, it was never a chore. It was an opportunity to learn and to grow in what he loved.
Bert Marona, the manager at the West Brookfield (Massachusetts) Airfield, and other pilots took him under their wings and taught him all the ins and outs of the mechanics in aircraft. Although he started without any formal training in aeronautical mechanics, Harvey became incredibly knowledgeable and skilled at diagnostics and repair just by working alongside and asking all the right questions to those who did the jobs. From Teenage Aircraft Mechanic and Pilot
“I always knew exactly what I wanted to do. I had and made so many HARVEY A . SMITH opportunities by working hard. One Harvey’s book, job I had pumping gas, another in a “Cold Beans Out of print shop, and I saw opportunity in a Can,” is available it,” Harvey shared about his journey. on Amazon. “There was no shame in any job, because I was using it to pursue a career and to put myself through what is now the Connecticut Harvey had always been drawn to aircraft. His Aero School for Aircraft and Aircraft Engines family tree and social circle were peppered with starting at age fifteen without relying on my pilots. Aunts and uncles, friends, early bosses, parents. Which is where the title “Cold Beans Out all would talk to him about the things they’d of a Can” came from. I ate them every day for done with their planes, the battles they fought and the limits to which they were able to push three years to save money to meet my goals.” children and two great-grandchildren. They live in Massachusetts.
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to Apollo Engineer
TIME AT TECH “When I got to Indiana Tech in 1959, I took a student-worker position under Professor Bennet Kemp working in the wind tunnel on Saturdays and after school. I worked doing welding and model prep in the aeronautics lab and then started also working on various mechanical tasks in the mechanical engineering lab for Dr. Ivan Planck and professor Edmund Napier.” Like so many graduates, he relishes what that experience was and the small groups that were created. “My professors were good leaders over and above,” Harvey said. “Even back then, we had small class sizes which were the best for learning. We were hands-on and really built relationships with our professors. We could do anything. I finished my time designing a high-performance single-seat aircraft for my senior project with instructor Siegfried Brunnenkant. Siegfried was an enthusiastic instructor and Tech grad who had designed a flying wing for his senior project, a very advanced and complicated design at the time.” Harvey never let the school’s small size faze him. “It doesn’t matter where you come from, it matters whether you can do the job or not. There should be no intimidators about where students go or where they come from,” Harvey said. “I
worked my butt off on all things I have always done. And that is what got me places.”
good people out there that were willing to help. Most of those who helped me didn’t let me know until I was an adult.”
CAREER AFTER TECH
Harvey’s moment of truth came when astronaut Rusty Schweickart stepped out into space for the first time wearing the life support system that the Hamilton Team designed. Everything before that spacewalk was simulated in a controlled laboratory environment where he and his team knew everything that could be factored.
He used his degree in Aeronautical Engineering to work on projects for the United States Air Force, the United States Navy, the FAA and Naval Air Turbine Test Station. He then moved on to a position with Hamilton Standard’s Division of UAC in Connecticut as they acquired a contract with NASA’s Apollo Space Program.
A
A. In his book, Harvey discloses how aviation was a big part of his life at an early age. Above is an Aeronca 7AC Champion single-engine airplane like the one he soloed at the age of 16. B. Shown in this NASA/Hamilton Standard diagram is the Apollo 9 Portable Life Support System (PLSS), which was created to keep an astronaut cool, relatively comfortable and—most importantly—alive, in the vacuum of space while allowing them to be independent of the spacecraft’s life support system. The success of this backpack depended on rigorous simulations in various conditions, such as exposure to extreme heat and cold, impacts and vibrations, and zero-gravity environments. Ultimately, the success of the PLSS was a critical part of the Apollo Space Program.
B
“There was always a thought in the back of our minds of ‘did Armed with a slide rule, a wealth we get it all?’ And we did. Those of engineering experience and an astronauts are a different breed, unwavering confidence, he was they strap in knowing very well approached by the head of Space they are being put in harm’s System Mechanical Design to take way and they go anyway. I feel over the Apollo Backpack Design honored that I was able to work effort which was in trouble. From on it in my lifetime.” there, Harvey took the helm of more than 50 engineers from BEYOND THE BOOK all across the country to finish The heart of Harvey’s story is a the design of the Portable Life lesson in the benefits of a sound Support System that would keep work ethic and the payoff that a human being cool, relatively comes from believing in the comfortable and ultimately alive possibilities within oneself. in the vacuum of space. In the book, Harvey included a photograph of his slide rule that was used by him and all space program engineers and reflected, “Someday, people will laugh when they look at the tools we used to get there. But that was real for us. It is what we had to get a man onto the moon safely. We had to develop so many things from scratch, completely new to the world, even conceptually.” Looking back, Harvey credits all of those who helped him along the way: the pilots at the airfield who inspired him, his teachers and Indiana Tech professors who guided him, the supervisors who tested him and the astronauts who trusted him. From the earliest stages of his education, to the very culmination of his life’s work, Harvey beams knowing that, “there are a lot of
“Even when I had nothing, even when I was eating cold beans out of a can, I never thought of quitting,” Harvey said. “You might make mistakes, but if you never try, you’ll never get there.” Always curious, Harvey ponders what our next great achievement will be. “We have to wonder, what’s coming next? Interplanetary travel? The future is interesting; humans are always thinking. Same barrier as getting to the moon, there are goals and there are ways to get there. We just have to figure out how to answer the question of ‘how can I solve this problem?’ I remember when we first broke the sound barrier and how exciting that was. It’s human nature to explore, to push beyond and to figure things out. We will keep going.”
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TECH IN YOUR TOWN Alumni Hockey Tailgate A great night for giveaways, goals and good food! This year’s Alumni Hockey Tailgate, hosted by the Indiana Tech Alumni Association, was held at the SportONE Icehouse in Fort Wayne on Feb. 1. There, the Alumni Outreach Committee welcomed alumni and their families for a night of giveaways, goals and good food. We even had a handful of professors and staff on hand to join in on the fun! Alumni stretching back to 1960, up to just a year ago, and everywhere in between came out to join in the festivities. While some stayed upstairs for a bird’s-eye view of the hockey action down below, some braved the cold and got right up next to the ice to cheer our men on. Either way, what better way to top off the night than to see the Warriors take down Cleary University by a score of 11-1?
Warriors in the Sunshine State President and Mrs. Einolf visit alumni in Orlando and Naples, Florida. Late February found President and Mrs. Einolf meeting up with alumni in the Sunshine State as they made Tech in Your Town visits in Orlando and Naples. These events welcomed an array of alumni of different generations, and even a current CPS student, all unified in the foundational impacts their education at Indiana Tech has had and continues to have on their professional lives. Casual conversations of genuine inquiry, sage advice, fond memories, personal passions and professional achievements contributed to each evening’s warm ambiance. Dan Grigg, vice president for institional advancement, and Mary Lasits, senior director of institional advancement, were also in attendance at both events to share some of the visions and project updates on Indiana Tech’s campus as well as developments in new programs that are being offered to traditional, CPS and graduate students.
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Will You Be a Road Warrior? Take your Indiana Tech spirit on the road with a newlydesigned Indiana Tech license plate! If you are a resident in the state of Indiana, you are able to upgrade your vehicle’s license plate to an Indiana Tech plate for $40 — $25 of which will come back to Indiana Tech to help us continue to grow and provide high-quality learning experiences. If you already have an Indiana Tech license plate and it’s not expired, you can swap out your current plate for the new design for $9.50. Visit https://www.in.gov/bmv/2620. htm and look for the Indiana Tech license plate page to order your plate. While you are there, be sure to check out the motorcycle and RV plates, too! Call the Office of Institutional Advancement at 800.937.2448, ext. 3434, for more information.
Alumni Awards nominations Send the name of your nominee with a brief explanation of the candidate’s qualifications to alumni@indianatech.edu. If you are an Indiana Tech alum and you feel you qualify for an award, feel free to nominate yourself. Alumni Volunteer of the Year: This award was established in 2007 to recognize overall outstanding dedication and commitment to Indiana Tech. Recipients of this award have invested countless hours of volunteer time and support the university in a variety of ways, including financially. College of Professional Studies (CPS) Alumnus of the Year: This award was established in 2008 to honor an outstanding graduate of Indiana Tech’s College of Professional Studies who has remained committed to Indiana Tech following the completion of his or her degree. Graduate of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.) Alumnus of the Year: This award was created in 2008 to recognize both service to Indiana Tech and early professional achievements of a recent graduate of Indiana Tech’s traditional undergraduate program.
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IN MEMORIAM We have learned of the deaths of the following alumni and friends. If you would like to send a memorial gift to honor someone, please contact Dan Grigg at 800.937.2448, ext. 2440.
1940s James A. Weber Fort Wayne, IN Aeronautical Engineering, 1946 Jack F. Manrow Plantation, FL Mechanical Engineering, 1948 Robert F. Mathis Indianapolis, IN Aeronautical Engineering, 1948 Clarence L. Soest Fort Wayne, IN Mechanical Engineering, 1948 Robert L. Hatch Lilliwaup, WA Aeronautical Engineering, 1949 Robert J. Martini Warwick, RI Mechanical Engineering, 1949 Russell M. Osborne Owosso, MI Mechanical Engineering, 1949 Lee R. Rush Ocala, FL Civil Engineering, 1949 Wayne Troyer Saint Paul, MN Mechanical Engineering, 1949 Howard Mack Turner Mokena, IL Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, 1949
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James H. Williams Vinton, VA Civil Engineering, 1949
Francis R. Dunn Laramie, WY Mechanical Engineering, 1955
Donald E. Coulter Temple, TX Mechanical Engineering, 1959
1950s
Eugene F. File Virginia Beach, VA Electrical Engineering, 1956
Stanley J. Figon Dearborn, MI Aeronautical Engineering, 1959
George M. Nakasone Honolulu, HI Electrical Engineering, 1956
Glenn R. Hudson Ranger, GA Mechanical Engineering, 1959
Gordon T. Nelson Wasilla, AK Mechanical Engineering, 1956
William E. Kelley Bear Creek, PA Electrical Engineering, 1959
Maurice R. Poling Rock Island, IL Electrical Engineering, 1956
John Laslo Roanoke, VA Chemical Engineering, 1959
David B. Marshall Sachse, TX Electrical Engineering, 1957
Harold G. Ledbetter Livingston, TX Electrical Engineering, 1959
Thomas M. Mindock Lancaster, CA Chemical Engineering, 1957
Ralph E. Smith Buford, GA Mechanical Engineering, 1959
Roger Moody Wolfeboro, NH Civil Engineering, 1957
Stanley J. Smrdel Barberton, OH Electronic Engineering, 1959
Ronald Rockhill Fortville, IN Electronic Engineering, 1957
1960s
Ulrik D. Petersen Oklahoma City, OK Electrical Engineering, 1950 Gordon C. Bateman Brighton, MI Mechanical Engineering, 1951 Edmund C. Powell Hemet, CA Electrical Engineering, 1951 Bernard B. Zayon Flatwoods, KY Electrical Engineering, 1951 Melvin J. Louviere Irving, TX Electrical Engineering, 1953 Walter A. Shields Seminole, FL Civil Engineering, 1953 Joseph A. Gronda Windsor Locks, CT Aeronautical Engineering, 1954 William C. Hoegler Punta Gorda, FL Mechanical Engineering, 1954 Robert E. Dawley Kissimmee, FL Electrical Engineering, 1955
Robert E. Boyett Perry, FL Electronic Engineering, 1958 Athar A. Shamsi Trenton, NJ Chemical Engineering, 1958
Richard E. Couture Farmington, CT Mechanical Engineering, 1960 Oswaldo J. Guada Austin, TX Mechanical Engineering, 1960
1980s
2010s
Michael A. Ray Tarpon Springs, FL Mechanical Engineering, 1982
Jared Hamm Fishers, IN Business Administration, 2010
Moses N. Kazanjian Upper Saddle River, NJ Civil Engineering, 1960
Frank R. Whittington Houston, TX Mechanical Engineering, 1964
Donald G. White Valparaiso, IN Chemical Engineering, 1960
Lee A. Pontius Auburn, IN Mechanical Engineering, 1966
Edwin H. Lorah Ledyard, CT Electrical Engineering, 1961
William P. Simmermacher Apalachin, NY Electrical Engineering, 1966
Lowell D. Bayes Elkhart, IN Electrical Engineering, 1962
Martin J. Reilly Wichita Falls, TX Mechanical Engineering, 1967
Peter J. Eandi Kingwood, TX Mechanical Engineering, 1962
Levere F. Starner Leland, NC Civil Engineering, 1968
S. G. Ripple Plainview, NY Electrical Engineering, 1962
Robert M. Woods Port Orange, FL Mechanical Engineering, 1968
Jack C. Penn Duncan, OK Electrical Engineering, 1963
James J. McKain Fort Wayne, IN Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering, 2001
1970s
Jason A. Mozzone Columbia City, IN Business Administration, 2001
James Schutt Holland, MI Electrical Engineering, 1963 Gregory L. Harp Aurora, IL Mechanical Engineering, 1964 Richard J. Kroll Richfield Springs, NY Aeronautical Engineering, 1964
Dennis O. Taus Rochester Hills, MI Electrical Engineering, 1970 Robert H. Gunsaullus Tampa, FL Civil Engineering, 1972 Lawrence J. Wagner Defiance, OH Electrical Engineering, 1972 Raymond S. Eimerman Hot Springs Village, AR Mechanical Engineering, 1974
1990s James W. Amble Arlington, TX Business Administration, 1995
Chad A. Powell Marion, IN Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering, 2014
Martha M. Wilson Decatur, IN Business Administration, 1999
2000s
Kristina L. Smith Fort Wayne, IN Accounting, 2005 Mason Phonsavanh Fort Wayne, IN Network Management, 2006 Network Engineering, 2008 Mark E. Scheibelhut Auburn, IN Master of Business Administration, 2009
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FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Donald
In Memory of Don Steiner
Donald Robert Steiner passed away on Nov. 6, 2019, in Metamora, Indiana. An employee of Indiana Tech for 33 years, Don is survived by his wife Alice Steiner and his children Joyce Lynne Steiner (Kevin Leahy), Katharine Steiner Korn (Darren) and Robert James Steiner. Former Indiana Tech president, Donald Andorfer (1985-2003), submitted the following recollection of his friend to Indiana Tech Magazine a few days later.
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Andorfer; Don Steiner; Tom Scully, Indiana
Tech’s sixth president from 1977 to 1984; and Dr. William Shrader, dean of academics during the Scully administration
During all of my 25 years of service to Indiana Tech, Don Steiner was always there doing what he could to make life better for students. Over his 33 years of service to Tech, he held many titles, the last of which was vice president of facility services. His oversight included housing, security, buildings and grounds, communications (phone service and mail), dining hall, and for many years, dean of students. Don Steiner was an important part of the transition from the difficult years of the late 1960s and early 1970s when Tech was struggling to move to a new level. In 1977, a university comprised of less than 400 students, Indiana Tech’s Board of Trustees hired a new president, Tom Scully, in an attempt to improve a very difficult situation. As one would expect, a new leader was searching for new people to help turn things around. But Mr. Scully saw in Don Steiner someone who could help transition Indiana Tech from the past and accept his vision to move the school to a new future. He immediately appointed Don to be a part of his “Operating Committee” to move the college forward.
Many generations of students knew “Mr. Steiner,” since so much of his work dealt directly with the students. He worked with the radio club, the fraternities and other student groups. He maintained and helped supervise the destruction of all of the old structures built by Concordia Seminary— Crull and Siehler Halls, the gymnasium, the boiler plant, the maintenance shop, and Hanser and Schick Halls. But the best part for Don was that he was able to see the construction of Tech’s own campus with the building of the Schafer Center in 1989. Other new buildings would soon follow. Over Don’s long tenure with Indiana Tech, he affected students’ lives in many different ways. It might have been housing, the mail room, a part-time job or serving on the advisory board for the dining service. But he was always there attempting to make life better for students outside the classroom. I will remember him for his passion for Tech and its students. He was a man of faith, a wonderful husband to his wife, Alice, and a wonderful father to his three children, Joyce, Kathy and Robert. He was a loyal and trusted employee, and most of all, a long-time friend. — Don Andorfer
Rings Rememebered In the last issue of Indiana Tech Magazine — in the Remember This? feature — we showed you the design of the first class ring offered to students after the university moved to its current home from its original site in the 200 block of East Washington Blvd. Those designs appeared in the Sept. 20, 1957, issue of the Indiana Technician, the former newspaper of the university. We asked readers to send photos of all class ring variations that have been offered by Indiana Tech during its nearly 90 years of existence. Here is a collage of the best ones submitted.
THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO SUBMITTED PHOTOS Jerry Anderson Class of 1953
Joesph Moore Class of 1961
Greg Andorka Class of 1973
Ralph Mueller Class of 1958
Thomas G. Chamberlain Class of 1973
Robert Palmer Class of 1968
Walt Chrush Class of 1965
Bruce Singleton Class of 1966
William Farris Class of 1974
Robert Smith Class of 1972
Charles Kaduk Class of 1970
Christopher Snyder Class of 2005
George Hamm Class of 1963
Russell Stoss Class of 1970
Marty Hanagan Class of 1969
Theodore Wasielewski Class of 1967
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SAVE THESE DATES Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Saturday, Oct. 3 Time and location to be determined TWIST XXXI Golf Outing Sunday, Sept. 20 Chestnut Hills Golf Club Homecoming Thursday, Oct. 1 - Sunday, Oct. 4 Fort Wayne Commencement Ceremony Saturday, Oct. 3, 10:30 a.m. Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Fort Wayne
Remember This? Indiana Tech’s women’s basketball team made plenty of memories this season as it rolled to a 30-4 regularseason record and won Wolverine-Hoosier Conference regular-season and conference tournament titles for a second straight year. At the NAIA national championship tournament, the Warriors opened with a convincing 88-73 win over Olivet Nazarene University to run their winning streak to 19 games. However, Indiana Tech’s road ended there as the NAIA canceled the remainder of the tournament because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Matt Brown, director of alumni relations, wants to hear about your memories of competing for Warrior teams of the past. Regardless the year or the sport, send your pictures, stories and information to alumni@indianatech.edu. You may see your account in a future Indiana Tech Magazine. Go Warriors!
