On the other hand, there are lessons she taught me without so many words. She taught me to be open minded, to explore other religions, other cultures, other lifestyles. She is, in large part, the reason I am so liberal, despite the fact that she sometimes finds it baffling.

She also taught me to be well spoken. Eloquent. And not afraid of putting things out there.

Somedays I think she regrets this life lesson- I find her shaking her head at me quite often. But I firmly believe that life’s too short to not speak up, to not live with a passion that demands getting things done.

(Confused? Don’t be. Read my Friday evening tirade HERE.)

http://www.indianastatesman.com/opinion/in-reference-to-miss-isu-no-woman-left-behind-1.2686452#.Trgv7hzUpZd

The irony is not lost on me that, when actually writing for the Statesman, I was constantly having to scale back my articles because I was forever being too wordy and talking too much. Now, having left the Statesman and graduated from ISU, I have successfully managed to talk for an entire page, by myself.

Saturday, Oct. 29, 16 young ladies competed in the 24th annual Miss ISU pageant.
The pageant, which was first held in 1958, has allowed ISU women to work in the community, as well as show off their attributes.
As stated in the Oct. 26 article in the Statesman, a requirement for eligible participants is they must raise at least $100 for the Children’s Miracle Network. Contestants also spread awareness for causes “close to [their] hearts,” Freda Luers, associate director of student activities, has said.
However, the most noticeable aspect of the pageant is what takes place during the competition itself. The women are asked to partake in a fitness and healthy lifestyle portion, where the girls are judged on their poise, physical health, confidence and charisma.
During the talent portion, the women sing, dance, play an instrument or recite poetry for 90 seconds. They then participate in the evening gown portion, where the contestants walk across the stage in formal dresses and are also judged for their confidence and stage presence.
Regardless of the stipulations or connotations tied to pageants, the contestants do collect at least $1,600 for charity—that’s always a positive.
However, we can’t ignore those stipulations or connotations. Even if community service is a part of the pageant, it’s overshadowed by vanity. Just like any other pageant, the ladies are still critiqued on their appearances.
Out of those 16 contestants, how many of them were overweight? How many of them were awkward? Too tall? Too short? How many under privileged? How many had self-esteem issues?
And how many of them could easily be classified as intelligent?
The problem with pageants of any kind is that they are usually exclusive, focusing on a cookie-cutter image of what a woman should be (in the eyes of the judges).
What ISU should encourage though is a competition for all walks of life. The university has begun to do that with the Miss Gay ISU and Miss Black ISU pageants, but what about everyone else? What about a competition that applauds the academic efforts of ISU’s women? What about a competition that praises women who have endured and overcame hardships?
ISU has an opportunity to break from the mold. It can be a university that encourages and rewards its students for what matters in the real world: brains and integrity.
Or it can continue to pay its students based on their surface value.

Oh where do I begin with this article?

Do I begin with the comic, which seems to portray the antiquated notion that women cannot be smart and attractive? The illustration that shows scholarship money awarded to a girl titled “most pretty”, a title I can only hope is a poor attempt at irony and not their own inferior grasp of the English language? Or the premise that the smart girl only likes pants, and apparently has received no merit scholarship?

Or is the better place to start with the downright poor journalism at play in this article? Not once is it mentioned that the Miss ISU pageant is not a search for the prettiest student to lavish money on, but a preliminary for the Miss America pageant, the single largest provider for scholarship money for women. IN THE WORLD. Further, the statement that these women are judged on beauty is unequivocally untrue. Unlike many pageants, (Miss USA), there is no award for being photogenic. For that matter, if the author had bothered to go to a MAO prelims, or you know, looked up any state program, they would have found that more often than not, the most beautiful girl doesn’t walk away with the crown.

OR do I start with the fact that the person who wrote this article OBVIOUSLY didn’t bother to GO to the program last Saturday?

“Out of those 16 contestants, how many of them were overweight? How many of them were awkward? Too tall? Too short? How many under privileged? How many had self-esteem issues?
And how many of them could easily be classified as intelligent?”

There were a RANGE of bodies up on the stage- tall, short, thin and yes, overweight. And, as a matter of fact, I can speak for at least two of the other comments: There was one student competing who would be classified as low income, which I can only assume is what the writer meant by “under privileged” and the first runner up? Yep, she’s on the Dean’s List and has been, every semester she’s attended ISU.

Or the fact that NO WHERE in the article does it mention the 10 minute interview the girls must engage in? A 10 minute interview that includes questions on current events, politics, a contestants platform, anything. AND that this accounts for 30% of a contestants score?

I’m glad Miss Gay ISU and Miss Ebony (It’s not called Miss Black ISU… You’d think the STUDENT newspaper would know that, wouldn’t you?) exist. That’s great. But they are truly PAGEANTS. The production is simply about the production, there is not further goal, no platform, no greater channels for helping the world. Nor do these programs do anything to aid in a young woman’s aspirations for higher education.

For those of you that don’t know, I was Miss ISU 2010. Yep, I’m sure it’s shocking after reading the article, to imagine this 5ft, rather curvy, completely literate (apparently more so than the author) girl, was indeed Miss ISU. Have you recovered from the shock? Ok, let’s move on.

I think there are intelligent arguments that can be made about the Miss America Organization. I think it struggles with relevance and image, and I think the program suffers from a generation gap- a contestants’ generational ideals are often different from the “wholesome” values the organization wants to portray. An illustration of this? Miss America is regularly on Fox News and a guest on The 500 Club. When contestants come from a generation that overwhelmingly believes in gay marriage and watches The Daily Show for news, who is Miss America speaking to?

Or if we are asking for smart women, why is the swimsuit portion still valid? While a time honored tradition, isn’t there a better way to demonstrate our pride in fitness?

But this article does not ask those valid questions. Instead, this article plays into what may be an even more dangerous stereotype for women. It says that women’s identity is multiple choice- we can choose to be smart or we can choose to be pretty. We choose to be identified by our race (Miss Ebony) or we can choose to be identified by our sexuality. But we cannot be all of the above. Because smart girls wouldn’t want to work on their interview skills right? Or showcase their talent, their enjoyment of performing? Nope. They have nothing to gain from participating in the MAO organization.

Do me a favor. Not impressed with me, my Presidential Medal I received at graduation from ISU for Service, Leadership and SCHOLARSHIP? Not impressed with the bevy of interviews I garnered as a senior, that I was so prepared for because of Miss ISU? Or, in a struggling economy, my ability to begin a career in public relations at a multi-city ad agency? Ok. I’m not offended. I’m not that impressive.

Google Kristin Chenoweth. She won several locals, just like Miss ISU, going on to compete in 2 MAO state programs, which led to an elite scholarship to further her voice training. That, one might say, contributed to her Tony wins.

Google Claire Buffie. Miss New York 2010. Indiana native. Besides sporting an incredibly impressive resume, (Did I mention she’s getting her masters at Georgetown? Most pretty. Yep.) but she is also the first contestant to have a platform of gay rights- “Straight Talk for Equality” it was called. Why is this important? Well for people who support gay rights, this intelligent, well spoken, admittedly gorgeous young woman, garnered NATIONAL news coverage for her work while Miss NY. She was interviewed several times on MSNBC, discussed on Saturday Night Live, marched for Gay Marriage on RHONY, and received an award from Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, also known as PFLAG, not to mentioning traveling to schools across NewYork to discuss bullying and harassment. Take that cookie cutter.

Google Kayla Martell. Google Kate Shindle. Google Kelly Lloyd. Google the amount of money ($45 million) that helps women go to college: law school, med school, business school.

Or perhaps, take the time to Google your own school’s program. Talk to contestants, win or lose, who’ve gained interview skills, poise and confidence from MAO. Get your facts straight and stop calling young women stupid.

If you stand by your ignorance- Pretty girls can’t be smart, Smart girls can’t be pretty, then what your ill-attempt at journalism serves to prove is that you are neither.

1999 R&D 100 Award Winner
Graduated Cum Laude, Indiana State University, 1984
The National Dean’s List, 1982-1983
Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, 1983
Indiana State University Collegiate Scholar, 1981-1982
Phi Eta Sigma, Freshman Honor Society, 1979
Top Ten Graduation Award Medal, 1978
Hoosier Scholar, the State of Indiana, 1978
Anderson Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Student, 1978
The Danforth “I Dare You” Award for Qualities of Leadership, 1978
B.P.O. Elks Teenager of the Month, June 1977
American Legion Hoosier Boy’s State Delegate, 1977
Junior High Graduation Awards: South Side Award, All A’s for Three Years, Most Outstanding Achievement in Science and Math, Outstanding Achievement in English, French, Health, and Instrumental Music, 1975
Daughters of American Revolution (DAR) History Medal, 1974
2nd Place Regional Science Fair at Ball State 1974
2nd Place Regional Science Fair at Ball State 1973

South Side Awards.

Reductions in state funding for public institutions of higher education have, in part, pushed universities to increase tuition to accommodate operational costs.

• Budget Committee presentation on higher education tuition in Indiana (PDF)>>
• Appendices (PDF) >>
• Ball State presentation to Budget Committee (3MB PDF) >>
• Indiana University presentation to Budget Committee (PDF) >>
• Ivy Tech Community College presentation to Budget Committee (PDF) >>
• Vincennes University presentation to Budget Committee (PDF) >>

State funding and repair and rehabilitation concerns

The Commission on Higher Education (CHE) recommends target tuition rate increases for each university to stay within or below. The target maximum recommendations for the 2011 and 2012 school year range from 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent.

Collectively, university officials explained the CHE’s recommendations were taken into account when decisions to raise tuition were made by university trustees. However the increases were necessary as a result of rising costs and a decrease in state funding.  All of Indiana’s public universities approved tuition rate increases above the CHE’s recommendations except for Ivy Tech Community College.

The 2011 state budget included funding for universities that reflected a 3.5 percent decrease in total higher education spending in FY12 and 3.1 percent total decrease in FY13 as compared to the as-passed budget of 2009. Of the state’s seven public institutions, five received an overall decrease in state appropriations in FY12 and FY13. (The two to receive an increase were Ivy Tech Community College: +4.4% in FY12, +4.9% in FY13; and the University of Southern Indiana: +1.4% in FY12, +3.7% in FY13.)

In addition, the legislature did not appropriate funds for the repair and rehabilitation of university buildings and infrastructure for FY12 and FY13. University officials recognized that in many cases, campus buildings were 30 or more years old and in need of repair, acknowledging that deferring necessary renovations would only increase the future fiscal burden and jeopardize the investments the state has already made in public institutions’ infrastructure.

Financial aid

Some budget committee members and university officials sparred over the application of financial aid, such as grants, scholarships and needs-based assistance, and how it influences the cost of higher education for Hoosier families. Some of the committee members express concern that while financial aid is traditionally available for both high-achieving students and students with financial need, middle class students and their families are left paying a greater share of tuition costs. However, the institutions have worked to raise private funding to increase access to aid for all students.

The need for innovation in higher education funding

University officials and lawmakers both agreed that the conventional model of funding public institutions in Indiana can be improved. Universities largely finance their operations through tuition collected from students and appropriations made by the state legislature. The state has decreased the base appropriations it has made to support higher education while at the same time diverting base funding to support the performance funding formula.

Budget committee members praised efforts taken by universities to continue cost cutting and to generate revenue.

The Budget Committee will continue to discuss tuition increases and solutions in future meetings.

Student scientist, Ashley Saulsberry

A few months ago I posted about a high school student, Frances, who had contacted me with an interest in WNS. Not long after, I started corresponding with another student, Ashley Saulsberry, in Tennessee. Ashley was also interested in WNS and what she could do to help. I connected Frances and Ashley, both of whom were working on school projects related to WNS. I also put Ashley in touch with a good friend and colleague of mine, Joy O’Keefe. Joy is an Assistant Professor and bat researcher at Indiana State University. Some of Joy’s work takes her to east Tennessee to work with Indiana bats in and around Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I had hoped that Ashley could get out in the field with Joy and see some of the work bat researchers are doing up close. Joy and Ashley worked together and were able to provide Ashley with an opportunity to spend several weeks in the field, doing an internship on one of Joy’s research projects. Here Joy talks about the excitement of working with this extremely bright and wonderful young scientist.

In January, I received an email from Ashley Saulsberry, a high school senior in middle Tennessee. Because of her concerns over the impacts of white-nose syndrome, Ashley expressed an interest in helping with bat research. I was intrigued by the prospect of taking on an intern who was so young, but already so committed to science that she was willing to volunteer to work with someone she’d never met. When we chatted by phone, I gave Ashley the usual list of admonitions about the dangers and stresses of field work, but she was undaunted and she committed to joining me in the field. Ashley decided she would like to assist on a project on the effects of prescribed fire on Indiana bat roost habitat in the southern Appalachian Mountains.

Ashley's whiteboard drawing of the Indiana bat roost tree

When Ashley arrived at our field house in the Great Smoky Mountains National Parkin early June, my graduate student, three technicians, and I were already immersed in field work. We were netting several nights a week and using radio telemetry to locate Indiana bat maternity roosts every day. Our field house was already cramped and Ashley had to bed down on an air mattress, but she did not complain. Ashley didn’t get much sleep the first few nights anyway, as we would roll in from netting around 3 am only to start tracking the next morning. On her second night with us, Ashley got to see her first Indiana bat – a very pregnant adult female captured on the Nantahala National Forest. As my technician Katherine activated the radio transmitter, she told Ashley to pay attention to the beep because it was a magic beep that would lead us to a roost tree. The next day, with my guidance, Ashley tracked the female, following the magic beep to a large dead pine along the lakeshore. This maternity tree really became Ashley’s tree, as she visited it with each of my technicians and was present for most of the emergence counts. The colony swelled from 40 to 75 bats, so each emergence count was more exciting than the one before it. When she left us near the end of June, Ashley immortalized the tree with a drawing on our white board.

With the WNS decontamination protocols and DNA/hair samples for every bat, running the table at a mistnet site has become a complex endeavor. Because Ashley did not have her rabies shots, taking down data and manning the table became her job when we netted for bats. All of us were impressed with her ability to multitask, keeping data and equipment straight when two or three people were calling out weights, forearm measurements, and times for new captures. Ashley enjoyed this aspect of the job, and I think she learned the importance of being diligent about data collection.

Joy O'Keefe inspecting a bat

For my crew and me, a novel part of having a young scientist in our midst was watching her interests emerge and evolve over the short time that she was with us. Ashley came to the mountains for bats, but I think she left realizing that she was even more fascinated with things that creep and crawl. There was no invertebrate, reptile, or amphibian that did not excite her. On a rainy night when we couldn’t net for bats, Ashley was thrilled when I suggested a herp walk down the trail and even more thrilled to find slugs, a garter snake, and dusky salamanders. From then on, whenever one of us found a cool insect, our first thought was to show it to Ashley. Weeks after she’d left, my technician Joey was still saying, “If Ashley were here, she’d really like this spider…praying mantis…beetle.” When I returned home for a few days, I grabbed a textbook on freshwater invertebrates to bring back to Ashley; in the few days she had left with us, Ashley devoured as much of the book as she could.

My experience with Ashley gave me great hope, because Ashley had a heightened appreciation for creatures, including bats, which many people think of as undesirable. I think her father, an avid caver and nature buff, played a big part in fostering this appreciation in Ashley. I hope that I helped to further Ashley’s interests, while also teaching her a little about how to ask and answer research questions. Ashley taught me that a little enthusiasm can go a long way – my crew and I still miss her curiosity and fervor for the natural world.

Theresa and I met in High School through class and later ventured to Indiana State to live in the Honors Dorm (Room 909 to be exact ) – yes, the quiet, studious, proper Honors Dorm. Before long, we had met a group of great girls to share our freshmen year with including Callista and Meghan. Although we all branched out in different avenues, I’m happy to say the four of us have managed to stay a part of eachother’s lives over the past 9 (Oh my – 9) years!

Theresa’s new chapter??…. She is expecting twin girls in the next 2 weeks! It was my first time visiting her new home and it is full of excitement, love, and baby notions. Callista organized a pitch-in lunch for all of us and the little time we had there seemed to go by in a flash. Whenever we get together, we seem to get so intrigued by conversation and talk our way through the entire visit. (We’ve even had to leave a coffee shop before because we were so animated in our talks and everyone else there, well wasn’t After a tour of the house – including the baby room, lunch, and chatting, it was soon time to go! I love thinking about where we all are today 9 years after meeting. We’ve all seemed to have found our own niche yet still relate to eachother’s lives like they are our own. We’ve all gone through some great experiences and some not so great, and we all understand that life is definitely unpredictable. The greatest part is that all of us are genuinely happy!

We’ll all be thinking good thoughts for Theresa, Bryan, and her baby blessings these next few weeks…

Ceci n'est pas une Danzig

On some level, we are all Glenn Danzig.  I’m not really sure what on earth that means, but it seems like a fair enough way to start this weird monstrosity I’m about to write.  Spending a good amount of time on social media sites tends to warp one’s mind a bit. Ideas that would have made Howard Hughes blush start to seem quite normal.  All right, enough with this intro….I’m just going to come out and write it…I have spent the last three days of my life trying to become friends with every single person on Facebook who claims to be Glenn Danzig.

I’ll admit, this is a bit strange.  I want to be clear that I am not cyber-stalking Danzig himself, simply people who claim to be him.  The Internet allows for the human identity to be hidden or warped in many unique ways.  How many of us are completely who we claim to be?  However, claiming to be Glenn Danzig is a whole other thing.  Why would hundreds of people claim to be Glenn Danzig online?  Hundreds!  I need to know!  According to the Tyranny of Tradition Research Department, there are now fake Danzigs on four continents.  The spread of fake Danzigism is reaching nearly epidemic proportions.

A terrible thought runs through the back of my mind every time I see a fake Danzig on Facebook.  I worry that they may not, in fact, be fakes.  Is there some sort of virus spreading throughout the world that converts normal citizens to bloodthirsty Danzig clones? What if these are people who died while listening to Her Black Wings and, somehow, the spirit of Danzig leaped into their bodies turning them into Danzig Zombies?   Is there some Boys From Brazil type mad scientist who does nothing all day but take Danzig DNA off of fishnet he wore on the Blackaciddevil Tour in the hopes of creating an army of Clone Danzigs with X-Men type powers?  What if these Danzigs have already been created and are marshaling their forces for a full-scale assault on Western Civilization? Indeed, with technology all things are possible.

Another unique aspect of the Internet is that weird people are able to communicate with other weird people that they might have never met.  My internet friend Kelly from Canada and I have parlayed our mutual fake Danzig obsessions into a once in a lifetime event….DANZIG BOWL I.  Basically, we are competing to see who can collect the most fake Danzigs by Sunday July 17^th at 7:00 PM.  I’m not really sure what we plan to do with them.  I am all for the idea of putting them in a Thunderdome style cage and having them fight for faux-Danzig superiority.  Maybe the real Danzig would let the winner come up on stage and sing London Dungeon or something cool like that.  Maybe the real Danzig will read this and get an immediate restraining order against me.  I’m going to bet the second is more likely.

One of the great aspects of this event is the preparation.  We have actually discussed whether Glenn Anzalone Danzigs should be counted.  Anzalone is, as most deeply committed fans know, his proper birth name.  This is a critical structural matter because it means that an additional 12 Danzigs are then in play.   Then, there is the issue of poorly committed Danzigs.  Should a person who uses their personal picture of themselves or no picture at all but still uses the Danzig name count in the final tally?  I believe in a pluralistic approach to fake Danzig stalking.  It doesn’t matter if you use your picture or no picture or a picture of a Christmas ham, if you use the name, you are a Danzig at heart.  Even that fake Danzig with no picture whose entire profile simply says “Glenn Danzig, Indiana State University” can be included.  Just in case you are curious, I am currently trailing Kelly 5 to 4.  I had a 5^th Danzig but I think I may have scared him off.

I have some pretty major plans after Danzig Bowl, win or lose.  I’ve thought of creating a Facebook account as Glenn Danzig and only being friends with other fake Danzigs.  We could set up a support group for bogus Danzigs dealing with issues that might plague people who pretend to be Danzig online.  We could band together and throw our support to political candidates who support Danzig worthy causes and boycott all non-Danzig friendly businesses.  My big dream is that there will be a day where for one whole 24 hour period everyone on Facebook changes his or her name to Glenn Danzig.  Kind of like in Spartacus.   I admit, it’s a strange dream, but then so is drowning in orange juice while being laughed at by forty mutant clowns wearing Richard Nixon masks.

So, last Friday I went to see Thor with Kayla, Eric, and some of the other guild members.  All in all, it was pretty fantastic. The special effects were excellent and the score made me want to go punch a hole through a tank.

As far as what was done story wise, it felt a bit rushed to me. I mean, a pompous god suddenly changes his ways and philosophy in a manner of a few days? Not that it takes away from the awesome of the movie, just a point I decided to harp on.

Now, the winter anime season is over and we are well into the spring (even after the delay from the earthquake). The spring shows have been pretty good so far and I will post a more in depth review later.

In other news, there are several figures that have caught my eye recently, mainly the nendoroid Kawashima Minami figure.

(Image courtesy of Good Smile Company)

Pre-orders start tomorrow and I really want it, but I don’t know if I will be able to afford it. There was also a special edition Hatsune Miku nendoroid in which proceeds went to earthquake relief.

(Image courtesy of Good Smile Company)

It’s a little late to order one now, but the Good Smile Company did rake in a good chunk of change for the victims of the earthquake. How ever, there is another figure they are selling for charity.

(Image courtesy of Good Smile Company)

Nendoroid Gumako [Support Version] pre-orders have already started in Japan and it goes for 3,000 yen (1,000 of which will be donated for each order). Personally, I’m jumping all over this as soon as I can. You get a cute figure AND donate to a good cause, two birds with one stone!

That’s what I have for now. I should be posting my thoughts on the current anime season within the next day or so. Since I’m on summer vacation, I should update regularly for the next few months. Look forward to it!

The University of Southern Indiana (USI) Go to Summary
Ivy Tech Community College Go to Summary
Ball State University (BSU) Go to Summary
Purdue University (PU) Go to Summary
Vincennes University Go to Summary
Indiana State University Go to Summary
Indiana University (IU) Go to Summary

The University of Southern Indiana (USI)

• USI has the lowest tuition in the four state region. By combining state support and their tuition and fees revenue, the dollar per student ratio that they have to operate with is much lower at USI than at other institutions. USI has about $4,700/FTS less than other schools to support instruction and other university operations.
• USI pointed out the university’s funding is well below the average university funding level and the gap continues despite the rapid growth that their university has seen in recent years.

• Role of economic development in their region. They have a proven commitment to the region. And they support the community and economic growth in the state and in the area.
• Where are our graduates? In 2009, 91% of graduates reported that they are working in their degree fields. More than 80% of USI grads stay in the region.

Funding Initiatives:

• If received new money, how would they prioritize and appropriate it:
• Increase the number of FT faculty. It is difficult to hire part time faculty in their region.
• Focus on strengthening programs linked to student success. They have received $1.2M grant to enhance advising for low income/first generation students (increase graduation rates)
• Increase on-campus student employment- USI students work more hours off campus than students at similar schools. Students are working FT and taking classes FT. More internships and employment will help support students and provide a supportive network to keep them on track in completing their degrees.

Capital Budget Request:

• USI Teaching Theatre Replacement Project- approved in 2009. $13M requested in fee replacement for project.
• R&R $15M- three academic facilities
• R&R $3.45M – general rehab and infrastructure

Materials:

• USI Stat Budget Presentation

Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana

• Ivy Tech begins by explaining where Indiana rates in terms of awarding higher ed degrees and then explains the many ways Ivy Tech can help alleviate this problem.
  • IN ranks 40^th in per capita personal income.
  • IN has nearly 1M adults without the skills needed for the workforce.
  • IN ranks 39^th in adults with a college degree.
• Ivy Tech can help Indiana address these problems now at an affordable cost and with a high ROI.
  • IN’s undergraduate enrollment growth has centered at Ivy Tech. 42% of IN’s total enrollment growth went to Ivy Tech.
  • Last year Ivy Tech graduated 9400 workers; transferred 10,000 students; trained 23,000 workers.

Ball State University (BSU)

• Ranked 20^th for up and coming universities.
• Carnegie recently reclassified Ball State as a research university. Previously not included in this area for state funding, so they asked the committee for reconsideration.
• BSU is a “results oriented university.”
• Almost 90% of their students are Hoosiers.
• Have experienced over a 10% increase in enrollment since 2006-2007.
• They are currently placing an emphasis on access and affordability.
• Graduation rates- 6^th highest long term improvement in graduation rates of any public research institution in the nation. Their 4-year graduation rate is up 63% in last ten years.

Economic development impact:

• Asked the committee to fund their Entrepreneurial minor line item and Immersive Learning line item in budget because they help fuel IN’s economy.
• Their Immersive learning initiatives have been cited nationally for their ability to train students for the changing economy.
  • Students graduate with resumes, not just transcripts. Students have to add value to community or business partners.
  • In past 3 years, 8,187 have worked on 514 projects in 69 counties.
• BSU has ability to authorize charter schools. Hope to take lessons from this field to apply to other schools.
• Geothermal project- 48 companies, 16 counties, will create over 2,000 jobs.

Concerns with Budget:

• BSU places an emphasis on maintaining old buildings instead of building new ones. They are concerned about eliminating the R&R line item.
• The Indiana Academy line item sees a 7.5% cut while all other K-12 public schools got an average of a 4.5% cut. This is the only public gifted and talented high school in the state and it would be unfair to treat it differently than other K-12 schools.

Materials:

• Ball State University Budget Presentation

Purdue University

Every dollar the state invests in research has an $11 ROI.

Impact of PU research:

• Nearly one-half of Purdue students are engaged in a research project at some point during their college careers.
• Graduates of PU earn a net return of $1M within 30 years of completing their degrees.
• Largest employer in local area and 5^th largest in the state.
• $4B annual economic impact in state.
• 54,000 jobs in all 92 counties.

Fiscal Challenges:

• $21M cut in operating appropriations in FY 10-11
• Had to meet the Governor’s challenge to reduce system wide expenditures by $45.5 M in FY 10.
• This results in a $67.4 budget shortfall over FY 11-13 years.
• See page 6 of presentation for a list of cuts and actions taken to reach governor’s challenge to reduce expenditures by $45.5 M cuts.
• Anticipates continuing cost increases.
• Administrators have taken no salary increases for 3 years.
• This year Purdue hired one-third the faculty usually hired. Concerns expressed that quality of education will be eroded if this continues.

Materials:

• Purdue Budget Transmittal Letter to Senate Appropriations Committee
• Purdue Budget Presentation

Vincennes University

 
• 40% enrollment growth in the last 5 years
• 90% of their students going through the university’s career tech programs get jobs in their home areas
• Operating at below 2008 support levels
• 2^nd lowest operating cost school in the state
• Lowest cost residential school in the state
• Appropriation per FTE is 25% below the state average (4^th lowest of 8 universities and 4 regional campuses)
• 60% of instruction is technical, which is the most expensive type to deliver
• Highest teaching load in the state (lowest faculty and staff salaries in the state)
• PPO cost of health insurance is less than the state’s consumer driven health plan and 33% less than the State’s PPO
• Over the last 15 years, university’s growth in both tuition and state operating averages 3.42%. This is less than .9% over the CPI for the same period.

Materials:

• Vincennes University Budget Presentation

Indiana State University (ISU)

Highlighted Achievements:

• Award for contributions to citizen science
• National award for K-12 professional development schools
• Developed three new programs to address state’s critical shortage of health care workers.
• Largest class of freshmen in university history. Up 33 % from last year.

Student profile:

• 77% of students from IN.
• 57% come from families where neither parent has a four year degree.
• 78% apply for FA
• 38% are pell grant recipients
• 916 of ISU students are 21^st century scholars.
• 14.7% are African American

How they responded to budget cuts:

• 10.5M budget cuts.
• Froze salaries
• Eliminated 108 positions. Laid of 98 and left 28 unfilled
• Turned student health center to a contractor
• Flattened administrative structure
• Eliminated sabbatical.
• Transitional retirement plan offered
• Custodial and clerical services reduced.
• Saved 1.4M with health benefits program
• Accepted federal early retiree program
• Committed to move employees to paying same share of health insurance that state employees do. Moving to state plan would cost 3M dollars.
• Energy saving strategies

Plans to address 12-13 reductions:

• 5 position lay offs and 10 positions were not filled. Eliminated a total of 15 positions.
• Reduced operating budgets in select areas.
• Undergoing an energy audit.
• Implementing employee wellness initiatives
• Searching for outsourcing opportunities
• Streamlining business operations where possible.

Increasing revenue streams:

• 09-10 was highest fundraising year in the history of the university
• Five year goal of increasing contract and grants by 50%

• Embracing accountability across the board on campus: by maintaining a commitment to student success (enrollment, retention, graduation)

Capital requests:

• 1^st priority-$14M in bonding authority
• 2^nd priority- release $5.4M that has already been appropriated
• 3^rd priority- $40M in bonding authority for HHP building

Materials:

• Indiana State University Budget Presentation

Indiana University (IU)

• Indiana is the only state who has won the Nobel Prize for two consecutive years.
• IU is supportive of the performance based funding, but believes that the PFF needs to be appropriate to the mission of the institution.
• One of most important things in their budget is the request for R&R and they hope the General Assembly will allow for that in the budget.
• Tuition at IU is the lowest in the Big 10.

Materials:

• Indiana University FY2011-2013 Capital Projects Request

C.J. Fair came off the bench and chipped in 14 points and seven rebounds, while Kris Joseph added 12 and 10 for the third-seeded Orange (27-7), who advanced to take on 11th-seeded Marquette on Sunday. Syracuse lost the only regular season meeting between the Big East rivals.

Jake Kelly provided 12 points for the 14th-seeded Sycamores (20-14), as the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champions couldn’t keep up with the fast-paced Orange, allowing them to shoot 52 percent from the field.