Richter’s Notes
Take a stroll Mark Richter, vice president of Institutional Advancement. I invite you to take a stroll through campus. You’ll see a high-performing university. That’s for sure. But most of all, I hope you experience a unique sense of place and of purpose.
In physics, momentum is seen as a force achieved through motion. In sports, momentum is often used to describe a period when almost everything goes right. At Indiana Tech, elements of both definitions can be found everywhere.
A place that strives for constant improvement and never loses sight of its goals. A place where students live and learn and develop a sense of community. A place where respect, honesty and accountability are celebrated. A place that is purposefully changing lives.
We’ve chosen Momentum as the name for the fundraising campaign that we launched at Homecoming a few weeks ago. It conveys in one word our strong commitment to doing things right and moving forward. The goal does not change. We’re working hard at preparing students for useful, productive and meaningful lives.
Indiana Tech is growing and attracting more students— outstanding students—every year. Courses and activities are being added as the university responds to their needs and interests. Our excellent faculty is committed to the success of each and every student. Beautiful buildings and green space join together, by design, to create a campus that evokes profoundly positive emotions.
I hope you’ll take the time to visit campus and see first-hand the learning that’s taking place here. Take a stroll around campus. While you’re here, please stop by my office so we can get acquainted. I’d be happy to show you around.
In short, your school is gathering momentum. It’s moving forward at an increasing pace.
I invite you to be part of the momentum that’s growing stronger every day at Indiana Tech. If I can be of service, do let me know. My office is on the first floor of Abbott Center. My telephone number is 800-937-2448, extension 2346, and my e-mail address is mrichter@indianatech.edu. I look forward to talking with you!
alumni news ► Richard Leong, BSME 1972, has joined NATCO Group as senior vice president, European operations. NATCO Group Inc. is a leading provider of process equipment, systems and services used in the production of oil and gas. ► Joseph Knecht, BSEE 1980, is now vice president, quality and continuous improvement, at WCI Steel in Warren, Ohio. Knecht is working to engage employees in WCI Steel’s steelmaking, hot rolling and finishing facilities to identify process improvements that will result in greater efficiency, improved yields, reduced cycle times, more consistent quality, lower costs and increased levels of customer service. He holds two patents in melting technology and has published in industry journals. He has been a member of the American Society for Metals, Instrumentation Society of America, International Titanium Association,
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Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and International Society for Six-Sigma Professionals. Knecht and his wife, Jill, are the parents of two daughters and one son, and reside in Canfield, Ohio. ► Belinda Edwards, BSCIS 1991, is employed by The MITRE Corporation as lead information systems engineer. She is featured in the June/July 2008 issue of Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology. Her e-mail address is techbe@comcast.net. ► Sharon Dinges, BSEE 1992, has been with Trane, Inc. for 15 years, and is currently a Control Systems Applications Engineer, located in the Twin Cities. She has been elected as Committee Secretary for ASHRAE’s SSPC135 — BACnet (Building Automation Control network). ► Anna Markey, BSBA 1994, works
for Blue Cross Blue Shield of AZ as an executive secretary. ► Deepankar Thakur, BSIME 1999, is the body shop dimensional engineer for Lordstown Car Assembly (which makes the Chevy Cobalt and Pontiac G5), located in Warren, Ohio. He was awarded the “People Make Quality Happen” plant team award for 2003. Thakur currently lives in Streetsboro, Ohio, and his e-mail address is thakurda1@gmail.com. ► Dr. Darrell Bowman, MBA 2000, is a professor at the University of Indianapolis. He wrote a paper titled, “Technical Problem-Solving: A Practical Approach to an Old Model,” that is to be published in the October/November issue of Information Management Journal. Bowman resides in Brownsburg, Indiana, and can be reached at dbowman@uindy.edu.
TRENDS
► James McKain, BSIME 2001, recently became the father of Ella Grace. He and his wife, Amber, also have a 3-year-old daughter, Adylyn. ► Lolita Campbell, MBA 2002, recently graduated from United Way of Central Indiana’s comprehensive leadership development program, Leadership United. ► Jill (Bartoszek) Foxworthy, MBA 2006, was recently promoted from business development analyst for General Electric to senior accounting analyst for the Lighting Business in Fort Wayne. She lives in Fort Wayne and can be contacted at JEFoxworthy@Verizon.net. ► Michael Vorndran, BSBA 2006, is now a contract specialist with the Indiana Air National Guard. He retired from the U.S. Air Force active duty in December 2007 with 24 years of service. Vorndran lives in Fort Wayne. ► Brian Van Gheem, MSM/MBA 2007, is the senior operations engineer for Midwest ISO. His e-mail is bvangheem@ midwestiso.org. ► Gerald Eke, MSE 2007, has opened a new company in Fort Wayne called Envision Optimal Performance (EOP). The company offers engineering services to equipment manufacturers in the automotive and electronic industries. The firm’s Web site is www.eopengineering.com. ► Rebecca Mark, MBA with Marketing concentration 2003, has opened her own business, Body Type Fashions. The clothes designed for different body types can be found at stores.ebay.com/BodyType-Fashions or at the Andersonville Galleria, 5247 N. Clark Street in Chicago. Indianapolis Student Wins Alumni Scholarship The Alumni Board of Directors has chosen Beverly Austin, a student at the In-
Fall 2008
dianapolis campus, to receive this year’s Legacy 2001 Scholarship. Austin, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration, will receive a scholarship for $2,534. The Legacy 2001 Scholarship is awarded each year to a student in the College of Professional Studies who is unemployed or whose employer does not offer a tuition reimbursement program. Austin was recommended by Professor Jim Schaffer and was chosen based on her academic achievements as well as her extensive community involvement and service to others. 2008 Alumni Volunteer of the Year Award Each year during Homecoming, Indiana Tech honors a graduate who has gone out of his or her way to serve Indiana Tech and our students. This year’s recipient is Gary Hall, BSELE 1960. Hall is a retired employee of Magnavox and a longtime member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. He trains and mentors student callers for the university’s annual Phonathon and is a loyal supporter of Warrior athletics. He is a member of the Warrior Club Advisory Council and rarely misses an athletic game. New Awards Honor Young Alumni At the Homecoming banquet, Indiana Tech introduced two new awards that will honor young alumni each year: The G.O.L.D. Alumni Award was created to honor an outstanding graduate of the last decade. The 2008 recipient is Jason Crandal, BSACC 1999. Crandal is a member of the Indiana Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors, chairman of the TWIST Golf Tournament Committee and a member of the Alumni Scholarship Committee. The CPS Alumni of the Year Award was created to honor an outstanding graduate of the College of Professional Studies. The recipient of this year’s award is Katie Mettler, BSBA 2000, MBA/MSM 2007. Mettler resides in Fort Wayne and is employed as the compliance officer at Crossroads. She is a member of the Indiana Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors, a member of the board’s
Programming Committee and has spent countless hours organizing fundraising and alumni events for the university. 2008 Indiana Tech Athletic Hall of Fame Honors Warrior Greats The 2008 Athletic Hall of Fame banquet, sponsored by Wells Fargo, was held at Don Hall’s Guesthouse in Fort Wayne, on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 6 p.m. Roger Newton, athletic director, announced the 2008 inductees: ►► Nancy Rehm (inducted posthumously,
represented by parents Tom and Audrey Rehm) ►► Heather Keller — Softball 1999–2003 ►►Jan Johnson — Soccer, Basketball, and Softball 1997–2001 ►►Andrew Dix — Soccer 1997–2001 ►►Jim Whisler — Soccer 1996–2000 ►► Michael Priest — Basketball 1981–1985 ►►Tracy Robinson — Basketball 1986–1989 ►►Tyler Ryan — Baseball 1999–2004 ►►Jesse Hoover — Baseball 2000–2004 (Tech’s first professional baseball draftee, who plays in the New York minor league system) Coach Kirk Kavanaugh and the 1981–1982 women’s basketball team were honored for their achievements on and off the court. Honored team members were Tammy Leach, Rhonda (Unverferth) Osterhage, Kathie (Wilder) Frazee, Joan (Wenning) Gilliland, Lori (Hoffman) McVaigh, Danielle (Poinsatte) Harber, Lori Nonemaker, Nancy Rehm, Julie (Teeple) Blauvelt, Laura Aldridge, and managers Ann (Wynk) De Roo and Toni Mason. Dr. Arthur Snyder presented Track & Field National Champion rings to Alissa McKaig for winning the Indoor 5,000 Meter Run and both the Outdoor 5,000 and 10,000 Meter Runs in NAIA National Record times. Rod Waters received a ring for winning the 110 Meter High Hurdles at the NAIA National meet. The dinner and awards ceremony were followed by casino games, music and an auction including Indianapolis Colts tickets, an autographed Larry Bird Jersey, and a weeklong Aruba getaway.
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