Zinkan will continue to oversee all aspects of IU East’s external affairs, including the offices of communications and marketing, gift development, alumni relations and campus events, and campus life.

“IU East is a wonderful place,” said Zinkan. “I’m fortunate to work with an outstanding team of professionals who have played a significant role in the growth and success of the campus. They are deeply committed to advancing the mission of IU East, and they do great work to enhance the campus’ reputation, relationships, and resources.”

Zinkan came to IU East in 2007 from Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC) where he was assistant dean for Advancement.  He has been with Indiana University for eight years and has spent his entire career in higher education administration.

“An integral part of our mission transformation has been effectively and strategically communicating that new mission,” said Chancellor Nasser Paydar. “The work of Rob and his team is of the highest quality. We look forward to the strong leadership he will continue to provide to areas that are so important to the university.”

IU East has received 18 regional, national and international awards in the last year for excellence in external affairs.

A Richmond, Ind. native, Zinkan serves on the Board of Directors of CASE Indiana, the state chapter of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Wabash College and a Master of Education from Xavier University.

IU East joined the Digital Accessible RN to BSN Program through the Indiana University School of Nursing. The RN to BSN is a consortium including all eight of IU’s campuses that allows registered nurses to complete a bachelor’s degree.

According to the IU School of Nursing, the consortium is the first of its kind for Indiana University. The distance education accessible program delivers quality, convenient, cost-effective and contemporary online RN to BSN education that meets the needs of the nursing workforce in Indiana.

Major components of the distance accessible RN to BSN Program include:
•    A rolling admissions process so that student can begin when they are ready
•    Decreased time to graduation as nursing courses can be completed in 12 months
•    And new nursing electives that enhance expertise in targeted areas.

Currently, IU East offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program and a RN to BSN Mobility Option degree completion program. The mobility option is offered to students at IU East’s Richmond campus and off-campus sites in Lawrenceburg and Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. The Lawrenceburg program enrolls 25 students while Good Samaritan has 19 and Richmond has 37 nursing students. Enrollment could increase as registration continues through the start of fall classes, which began August 30.

The mobility option will continue to be offered to IU East nursing students.

“The benefit is now registered nurse students have another option to pursue their BSN degree. All of our students in the consortium will have access to all of IU East’s resources and will work alongside students throughout the state and nation through the IU School of Nursing,”  said Dean of Nursing Karen Clark.

Indiana University nursing faculty are recognized nationwide for their leadership and expertise in teaching and scientific research. Nurses in the program can reach these award-winning faculty from their own computers and bring that knowledge directly to their patients.

“Patient care outcomes are directly linked to the education of the nursing workforce.  Offering Indiana nurses accessible and affordable educational mobility opportunities that advance their knowledge and skills ensures that patients are the recipients of the best care based on the most up-to-date practice evidence available.  As nurse employers look to increase the numbers of bachelor prepared nurses, this statewide program is well situated to address this growing demand,” said Donna Boland, PhD, RN, ANEF, president of Indiana Nursing Workforce Development Coalition (INWDC).

“We’re being responsive to the needs of people living in our community. We realize onsite courses don’t work for everyone and that’s why we’ve joined the consortium,” Clark said. “The nursing workforce needs are apparent in our communities, especially for BSN nurses as our complex health care system warrants more nurses prepared at that level.”

For more information, go online to the IU East School of Nursing website at iue.edu/nursing or contact Chad Beanblossom, advisor for the School of Nursing, at (765) 973-8353 or e-mail chadbean@iue.edu.

Now through a partnership to receive a United States Department of Education grant, Richmond history teachers will be able to research the county’s roots in industrialization, entrepreneurship, social justice and transportation.

The Indiana University East School of Humanities and Social Sciences and School of Education have partnered with the Richmond Community Schools, the Wayne County Historical Museum, and the Indiana State Museum to receive a Teaching American History grant for $489,884 from the U.S. Department of Education.

The U.S. Department of Education awarded money from the grant to 124 school districts across the nation. Richmond Community Schools was one of four districts in Indiana to receive the grant.

Dean of the School of Education Marilyn Watkins said the partnerships between IU East, RCS and the museums create a comprehensive professional development experience.

“This partnership provides an opportunity for us to study aspects of our history and region with greater depth and to have time to focus on curriculum development” Watkins said. “The resources acquired from this grant will also be an investment in our children.”

Susan Hively is the principal at Highland Heights Elementary School and the Director of the Adult and Education Center. She contacted IU East to partner for the grant.

“Richmond Community Schools is very excited to have the support and partnership of Indiana University East with the Teaching American History Grant.  This grant will provide our teachers of U.S. History topics with in-depth learning opportunities that will enhance the experience of our students,” Hively said. “Our grant has been cited as unusual because it includes teachers of third, fourth, fifth and eighth grades as well as high school teachers of U.S. History topics. We also appreciate the support of the Wayne County Historical Museum and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.”

The three-year grant will fund the Crossroads of American History Project: Learning our History, Loving our Stories at IU East. This program will enrich the educational experience for students in the classes of the 15 participating Richmond history teachers instructing grades 3-12. The funding provides graduate level coursework and an intensive summer institute merging American history topics with best practice pedagogy.

Teachers will also conduct field study at the local and state level; have access to high quality instructional materials and technology; and an ongoing collaboration of partners and teachers to support improved instructional practice during the project and beyond. IU East Assistant Professors of Education Brenda Buckner and Jay Barbre were a part of the team writing the grant and will instruct the summer courses for the program.

Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences Joanne Passet said the grant will create a greater depth into historical context for teachers than what is currently available, ultimately benefiting students in the Richmond school system to have a greater understanding of the history surrounding them.

“It’s really a wonderful opportunity for us to partner with Richmond Community Schools and the museums in a way we never have before,” Passet said. “We are pulling a lot of community resources together through this grant.”

Focus of the study is the 19th and 20th centuries. Themes during the 19th century will be economics, entrepreneurship, transportation, and communication and for the 20th century they will study leadership, social justice and social movements.

“Richmond is an ideal area with the National Road running through the heart of the city and the influence of the automobile and industries throughout its history,” Passet said. “One of our goals is to build classroom materials that will bring history to life for students.”

Indiana University East is offering a three-year degree program in criminal justice. The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree is offered through the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Students majoring in criminal justice can opt to accelerate their education by taking courses on a full-time basis including during the summer months.

“For students who can attend college full-time and take courses in the summer, this is an opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree early and either enter the workforce a year before they otherwise would or continue their studies in graduate school ahead of their peers,” said Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Larry Richards.

Robert Ramsey, associate professor of criminal justice, developed the accelerated three-year program for students majoring in criminal justice.

Ramsey advises students who are considering the accelerated degree program to follow the recommended sequence of courses so they will graduate on time.

IU East offers over 50 degree programs, many of which could be completed under four years if students maintain a full-time schedule and attend courses during the summer.

“The need for young men and women with bachelor’s degrees in the new economy is greater than ever and growing,” Richards said. “IU East has a variety of degree programs that students can complete in less than four years by taking courses in the summer, and I expect the number to increase over the next couple of years.”

A reception will be held for the artists at 7 p.m. on September 8. Visitors are welcome to view the exhibit during gallery hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The Whitewater Artists Guild began as a small group of professional artists who met at a party and started talking “art.” The conversations were so positive that they decided to meet regularly for the purpose of resource sharing, exchanging ideas, sharing techniques, critiquing, and supporting each others efforts. Today this has become the Whitewater Artists Guild.

Artists with works on exhibit include India Cruse-Griffin, painting; Marcus Davis, ceramics; Terry Hreno, painting; Julia Jensen, digital images; Ashlee Kirby, metalsmith; Diane Lebo, ceramics; Clara Whitman Parrett, ceramics; Palline Plum, drawing, photography; Carvin Rinehart, painting, ceramics; Dan Sims, stained glass; Susanna Tanner, photography; and Michele Walker, digital images.

“The arts are the soul of society. The values of a culture are best reflected in its arts.  A good work of art should express not only something about the subject, but also about the artist’s feelings and passions for the subject,” said Hreno.

Marcus Davis is a graduate of Earlham College where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Art. He studied under master potter Michael Thiedeman and in Cornwall, U.K at Wenford Bridge Pottery under Seth Cardew, son of internationally known master potter, Michael Cardew.

Julia Jensen majored in English and minored in history at Indiana University, specializing in the literatures and cultures of Medieval Europe.

“I’ve always harbored a profound mistrust of rigidity, so the ever-mutable nature of digital art suits me better than any other medium. At the same time, extensive reflection seasoned with irreverence and humor informs my work more than anything else,” Jensen said.

Palline Plum is a sculptor, poet and photographer. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan and a Master of Fine Arts from Queens College in New York City.  She studied abroad at the State Graphic Institute in Vienna, Austria and the Sculpture School of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Art in Copenhagen, Denmark. She has a long showing record as a visual artist in this country and abroad and has work represented in collections of art critics and other artists. Plum has had visual work reviewed in Art in America, Art News Magazine and the New York Times. She has had poems published in a variety of journals and anthologies.

Carvin Rinehart is a graduate of IU East, Earlham College and the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, where he majored in Visual Communication and minored in photography and art history.  He has had several solo shows and has won awards at many juried competitions. He helped found the Whitewater Artists Guild after hearing other artists expressing their need for a support group that focuses on the business side of art.

Rinehart works in three major areas of art and design – graphic images for commercial use, art photography and painting – though often their boundaries are blurred.

Dan Sims graduated from Earlham College and went on to earn his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Botany at the University of California, Davis. Since then Sims has worked as a post-doctoral research associate in diverse areas of the country.

He moved back to Richmond in 2003 to care for his parents and found a group of like minded local artists in the Whitewater Artists Guild.

India Cruse Griffin is a life-long resident of Wayne County and an active member of the community. Cruse-Griffin graduated from Richmond High School and earned a Bachelor of Science Art Education at Ball State University. She has work in most regional public permanent collections and continues to receive numerous awards and honors for her work.  Her paintings are often part of local and national exhibitions.

Clara G. Whitman Parrett first studied ceramics at Earlham College under Steve Mickey and apprenticed with Scott Schafer of Centerville. Parrett said her interest in clay began as a child in East Lansing, Mich. “To this day, I like this kind of immediacy and hands-on approach when working with clay.  There is something in the work and exploration of technique, which engages my imagination and technological bent,” Parrett said.  “Clay forms, glazes and firing techniques, intrigue me.  There is a marvelous range of expression and history of clay.  Clay and our work with clay have such an immense and largely unspoken part of our human and geological history.  These expressions and history engage me, evoke my curiosity, and draw me to explore.”

Diane Lebo started very early to attempt to imitate her uncle, Ray Stevens, an artist and musician, who would draw cartoons to entertain her as a child. She began working in oils in high school in Winamac, Ind. As an adult, Lebo studied with Josephine Kimmell in Kendallville, Ind. Elmira Kempton, Esther Nussbaum and Betty Muhl, in Richmond. Today, she works in clay and has studied with Carolyn Sorrell and Mariella Owens.

Michele Walker earned a Bachelor in Fine Arts degree from Ball State University. She specialized in Graphic Design because it allowed her to earn a living by blending her love of technology, visual communication and creativity. In 1999, Walker left a management position in Indianapolis in order to pursue a more fulfilling way of life. She returned to Richmond in 2003 and is teaching computer graphics and working with start-up companies, not-for-profits and small local businesses.

Terry Hreno is a resident of Connersville, Ind., and a retired art teacher whose current interests include watercolor, acrylic and oil painting.  His subject matter often includes railroad and historical material. Terry has a Bachelor of Science from Ball State University and a Master of Science from Indiana University in art education. He has also studied ceramics at the University of Indianapolis.  He exhibits regionally and has won numerous awards.  He also offers classes in paintings and is available as a speaker.

Hreno’s interests also turn to more common subjects. Many of his railroad paintings are of older subjects, which have seen better days. He particularly enjoys finding the special charm and magic in ordinary homes and older buildings.

Susanna Tanner received her Bachelor of Arts degree, with an emphasis on television studio production and photojournalism, from Indiana University. She worked as a photographer for television newsrooms in Indianapolis, Kansas City, and Lexington before switching her artistic endeavors to digital photography. She has participated in group exhibitions in the local area as well as various art auctions for local businesses.

She is a graphic designer in the Office of Communications and Marketing at IU East and a member of University and College Designers Association (UCDA), Whitewater Valley Artists Consortium and former member of National Press Photographers Association.

Tanner received an Individual Artists’ Grant through the Indiana Arts Commission in 2005 and 2009.  Tanner was invited to exhibit her work during the Indiana Governor’s Art Awards held in Muncie in 2009.

For more information, call Ed Thornburg, gallery curator, at (765) 973-8605. The complete biographies for the Whitewater Artists Consortium is available online at iue.edu/gallery.

Scales receives Best Paper and Best Presentation awards from Academic Business World
Tim Scales, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and lecturer in business, received a Best Paper Award from the Academic Business World International Conference 2010. Scales’ paper, “Entrepreneurship Risk, Reward, and Reality,” was voted for by peers attending the conference which was held in Nashville, Tenn.

Scales also presented the paper at the conference and received a Presentation Excellence Award. The paper will now be published in the International Journal of the Academic Business World in fall 2010 or spring 2011.

Gallery curator’s piece part of retro exhibit
Ed Thornburg, gallery curator and lecturer of fine arts, recently had his sculpture, “Corvair,” accepted into the Atlanta Retro Americana Exhibit. The exhibit was on display through July 30 at The Gallery at Paper Mill Village in Marietta, Ga.

The piece is an original Chevrolet Corvair hood Thornburg found on his property. He works in close harmony with nature by recycling discarded items into art.

Mathematics professor has been invited to present research papers
Mort Seddighin, professor of mathematics, is invited by the Congress of Iranian Elite Scientists and Intellectuals Abroad to attend the meeting of this congress in August in Tehran, Iran. Seddighin, who has previously taught at Iranian universities, plans to present research papers at this gathering. He hopes that his trip will enhance cultural and educational ties between Indiana University and Iranian universities.

Business professors present at ACBSP
Marcy Jance, assistant professor of business administration, and Anita Morgan, assistant professor of accounting, presented at the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) 2010 Annual Conference in Los Angeles, California on June 27. The title of their presentation was “What First Year Business Students Should Know.”  Jance is the treasurer and secretary and Morgan is the president of the ACBSP Great Lakes Region.  IU East will host the annual fall conference for the ACBSP Great Lakes Region on October 7-8, 2010.

Jance presented at the 2010 EABR Conference in Dublin, Ireland on June 8. The topic of Jance’s presentation was “Min and Max Extreme Values.”  Jance and Nick Thomopoulos, Research Professor of Management Science from Illinois Institute of Technology Stuart School of Business, worked together on the research for this presentation.

IU East updated its homepage in fall 2009 to prominently feature social networking sites including YouTube videos, campus photos through Flickr, Twitter updates and student blogs. IU East uses the format to encourage visitors to www.iue.edu to connect to the university.

The award was presented to Rob Zinkan, executive director of External Affairs, and John Dalton, director of Communications and Marketing, during the eduWEB Conference held July 26-28 in Chicago.

“When we relaunched the website, we were really ahead of the conventional thinking at the time with social media integration on the homepage,” Dalton said.  “I am glad to see our peers and peer institutions recognizing that.”

IU East was also a Finalist in the category Best Home Page.
eduStyle, according to its website, is a web design gallery dedicated to higher education websites and powered by higher education web design professionals. Websites are submitted for participants to review and comment on the design allowing higher ed professionals to learn from and to be inspired by the work being done by their peers.

IU East has received 18 regional, national and international awards in the last year for excellence in communications, marketing, fundraising and special events.

The performance is free and open to the public.

The students are a part of Theater 390, a course being taught this summer. David Strattan White is the director.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is Shakespeare’s most magical comedy about a bunch of kids, caught in a preposterous love entanglement, who run away from Athens to flee their oppressive parents. In the woods they are haunted and toyed with by a dysfunctional family of Faeries, and a couple of bumbling mechanicals, trying to throw together a play for the Duke’s wedding. Come see this hilarious collision of punk comedy and classical theatre.

The performance schedule is:

Thursday, August 12 at 6 p.m.
Friday, August 13 at 6 p.m.
Saturday, August 14 at noon

For more information, contact the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at (765) 973-8222.

The increase in summer enrollment follows record enrollment figures at IU East for the fall and spring semesters during the past two years.

The second summer session saw an increase of 19.8 percent in students enrolled, compared to figures from 2009, and an increase of 19.9 percent in credit hours.

Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Larry Richards explains, “I attribute the increase to a more traditional student population with sophomores, juniors and seniors, in particular, taking advantage of the summer offerings to accelerate their studies and reduce their time to graduation.”

IU East is continuing to register students for the upcoming fall semester, which begins August 30.

Enrollment figures are not official until approved by the President of Indiana University.

For more information, contact the Office of Admissions at (765) 973-8208 or visit www.iue.edu/admissions

Sifflet is a visual, functional programming language for users to make programs by drawing diagrams to connect functions and other units. Use of Sifflet provides a graphical high-level view of how a complex computation works, and allows users to ‘zoom in’ to see more details as needed.

Weber explains recursion as a kind problem-solving instruction that references itself.  For example, how do you walk to Ohio (starting at IU East)?  One solution might be: “If you’re not in Ohio, then take a step east, and walk to Ohio.”

Sifflet is written in the Haskell programming language.

The program was initially released in May 2010 and has since been updated in June 2010 as version 0.1.7.

Weber said he first got the idea for Sifflet during his early years of instructing an introductory programming course at IU East. “One day in class, I made a diagram on the chalkboard for my students. On the last day of class, I had a student stop by and say that diagram was the only thing he understood.”

In 2008-2009, Weber developed the program.

Before it was publicly released, Weber did use it in the classroom to help his students to understand recursion. He plans to more seriously test the program with more students in the future.

“This program helps students to overcome that hurdle,” Weber said.

Sifflet is not the first open source software program Weber has written. He has also developed OrganDesigner, a graphical editor and SoundFont converter for MIDI-based virtual organs. “Open Source” means users are free to copy, redistribute, and modify the program to meet their needs, in contrast to the typical commercial software license which severely restricts what you can do with a program.

For more information on Sifflet, contact Gregory Weber, associate professor of informatics, at (765) 973-8420. For more information on the information degree program, contact the School of Informatics at (765) 973-8239.