Indiana University East faculty will be available preceding President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address tonight.

Scales is the director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and lecturer of business administration for the School of Business and Economics. Scales’ research and creative activities are involved in marketing and entrepreneurship with a strong focus on community.

“What I would like to hear President Obama address are incentives, leadership and motivation for small business. By definition, small business is 500 or fewer employees. If we look at the demographics of small business, it represents the majority of all employers,” Scales said. “To get sustainability in our economy, for the majority of Americans, it’s going to take the creation and sustainability of employment. Programs for small business need to include all small business including those businesses already in existence as well as new ones to be established.”

Health care is another issue Scales would like for President Obama to address in tonight’s speech.

“While employment in small business is important there are other issues of concern. A difficult subject is health care. Health care is certainly a discussion within economics with many Americans being faced with health care needs we have to have solid programs in place to ensure that health care will be available and affordable,” Scales said.

Paul Kriese is a professor of political science in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. His research interests include politics of race, civic engagement, and scholarship of teaching and learning. He is the faculty advisor for the IU East American Democracy Project.

Kriese said Americans need to hear his plans on the economy and how he will work with congress, the controller of legislation, if they remain in deadlock. He added the President needs to talk about what he has done domestically and internationally to show what he has accomplished while in office.

“President Obama needs to be presidential but also give people a reason to vote for him in this election year,” Kriese said. “He needs to portray himself as a president who is trying to work for the American people and battling a congress dead set against working with him in order to move to a better place.”

Scales may be reached at (765) 973-8620 or tiscales@iue.edu and Kriese may be reached at 765-969-4180 or at pkriese@iue.edu following the address.