Inside Ivy Tech 2013 Fall

comparableA Reason to Taste 2013 raises the most funding to date at region for student scholarships

Fall 2013

IVY TECH COMMUNITY COLLEGE NORTHEAST

2 | Ivy Tech communITy college norTheasT | Fall 2013

our region

Jerrilee K. Mosier, Ed.D. Chancellor, Ivy Tech Community College Northeast

While my chosen profession isn’t that of a financial planner, it makes me no less of an advocate for wise investment strategies. Consider this input in broad terms since all investments involve some degree of time, talent, risk, and resources in order to achieve meaningful rewards.

Ivy Tech Community College graduates understand this interrelated relationship very well. During the college’s 50 years of

service, more than 1 million Hoosiers have found effective means to manage their personal risks while leveraging time, talent, and resources to complete an associate degree or certificate program. Whether our alumni fulfilled their career-preparation goals at the college or viewed the institution as a stepping stone to higher pursuits, their efforts to realize their occupational dreams are nothing shy of inspirational.

INVESTING IN OUR STUDENTS

Our graduates aren’t the only ones making good on their investments. Ivy Tech Northeast is achieving similar prosperity during its golden anniversary in 2013. The college hosted its A Reason to Taste: Golden Gala on Oct. 12, the region’s second-annual scholarship fundraiser led by the Hospitality Administration program and its students. More than 200 guests raised nearly $60,000 during an evening of dance and video entertainment, a silent auction, and a gourmet, multicourse dinner.

The college also celebrated Iraq veteran and computer information technology student Robert Bibbo recently, as he won the third-annual New Venture Competition on Sept. 19. Through the generous sponsorship of J.B. Tool, Die &

Engineering Inc., Bibbo was awarded $20,000 in start-up funds for his business plan, which aims to launch a military-themed apparel and accessories company that may be staffed entirely by military veterans.

INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITY

Ivy Tech Northeast also invests in the intellectual development of the region. Several college-sponsored speakers have enlightened hundreds of campus visitors so far this year. Notable guests have included movie director Katherine Imp, who introduced her Appalachian Trail documentary, “Beauty Beneath the Dirt” on March 6; Indiana University geneticist Sam Rhine, who discussed “The New Era in Human Genetics” on March 27; and Ohio State University Associate Provost James Moore, who presented “Contemporary Issues Affecting African American Males” on June 20.

INVESTING IN CAUSES

Ivy Tech Northeast invests in causes that benefit various at-risk populations, too. This spectrum of support for 2013 includes hosting the American Heart Association’s Northeast Indiana Heart Walk on Sept. 14. Altogether, more than 100 teams featuring nearly 700 walkers raised more than $150,000 for cardiovascular health campaigns.

The college also welcomed two visits each from its long-term partner organizations: the American Red Cross Bloodmobile and Francine’s Friends Mobile Mammography screening and education coach.

It should be evident that making quality investments is an important consideration for everyone. It’s a practice that applies to Ivy Tech Northeast, too, because any leadership the college can provide toward “changing lives” and “making Indiana great” is the best return on investment it can make.

on the covercontents

Inside Ivy Tech is published four times per year by Ivy Tech Community College Northeast’s Marketing and Communications office.Ivy Tech Community College Northeast

3800 North Anthony Boulevard, Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1430

260-482-9171 s 888-IVY-LINE

IvyTech.edu/northeast

Annual banquet, auction raise nearly $60,000 for studentsThe Friday before A Reason to Taste: Golden Gala, about a dozen Ivy Tech Community College Northeast students and employees tried their best to turn the gymnasium on North Campus into a banquet hall.

And they succeeded.

The space was no longer a place for basketball, as the hoops had been raised, tucked into the rafters. Glass chandeliers and gold and black paper lanterns hung from ceiling beams, and a table stood at half-court, awaiting the Ivy Tech 50th anniversary ice sculpture to serve as the room’s centerpiece the following evening.

Dinner tables were set with floating candles in vases, and colored lights against the walls created a soothing ambiance not often associated with the squeak of gym shoes during a game of pick-up.

In its second year, Ivy Tech Northeast’s A Reason to Taste fundraiser dinner and silent auction on Oct. 12 drew more than 200 people and raised nearly $60,000. One-hundred percent of the money benefited the Ivy Tech Foundation, dedicated to student scholarships.

Which means the reason behind the Reason is students. That Fort Wayne community members get to experience a five-course gourmet dinner is just the icing in the macaroon.

And A Reason to Taste is nothing if not a concoction of experiences.

ExpERIENCE NO. 1: DRINKING SOUp THROUGH A STRAw

Though the silent auction did not begin until 6 p.m., bids had been made by 5:50 p.m. With more than 90 items up for auction,

A reAson to tAste/continued on next page >

3 A Reason to Taste raises nearly $60,000 for students

6 Graduate’s passion for public service takes flight

8 Former college employees add spice to their lives

10 New dean selected to lead two schools

10 New regional board member begins stewardship

10 Michael Jordan’s mother visits during literacy tour

10 Ivy Tech continues enhancements at Safety Village

11 Plaza dedication makes for successful social event

11 Area partnership launches commercial driver’s license training

12 Iraq veteran wins 2013 New Venture Competition

14 Easter Seals Arc consumer finds redemption through reading program

16 Celebrating Our Faculty

18 College introduces new honors program

18 Benefactor of the Year funds Hospitality Room expansion

19 Tidbits

20 Ivy Tech hosts 2013 Northeast Indiana Heart Walk

20 Ivy Tech Night at Cinema Grill

Appetizers served at A Reason to Taste

Ivy Tech employees, Sarah Wehrkamp and Robyn Boss

Fall 2013 | Ivy Tech communITy college norTheasT | 3


A reAson to tAste continued from previous page

guests could choose from a range of items including vacations, restaurant gift certificates, spa packages and a child-sized SUV complete with roll bar.

As students in black pants–white shirt attire worked the room with trays of hors d’oeuvres, patrons tried a variety of bite-sized treats, including one that left some befuddled: a celery root soup, served with a small straw. While some tried to use the straw as a spoon, a server said it’s common to drink soup through a straw in France.

Several years ago, Ivy Tech Northeast’s culinary banquet wasn’t quite the lavish affair it is today. The set-up was similar, says Andrew Welch, executive director of Marketing and Communications, but it didn’t have quite the impact for student scholarships through table sales and auction items.

After a seven-year hiatus, Ivy Tech reinvented the event in 2012 with great success, and 2013’s banquet was the biggest yet, due in large part to corporate sponsors: presenting sponsor Parkview Health, reception sponsor Plumbers &

Steamfitters Local 166–Fort Wayne, and 16 other corporate table sponsors.

John Brooks, an Ivy Tech Foundation board member, pointed out that helping fund student scholarships is not only good for students, but good for Fort Wayne.

“I like the fact that so many of the students are actually working and improving their situation to work,” Brooks said. “If we can have more people that can have good-paying jobs because of the education, that’s good for everyone.”

ExpERIENCE NO. 2: HAVING fOOD CHANGE THE fLAVOR Of wINE

The five-course dinner began with a tasting plate: a vanilla-seared scallop and marinated tuna with wasabi, paired with Drouhin Macon-Village Chardonnay.

The flavor of the wine changed after taking a bite of the tuna, Deborah Morris pointed out to her husband, Kevin. Deborah is an adjunct faculty member who teaches English at Ivy Tech Northeast.

Five-course meal gives students, community a taste of gourmet

Kelli and Kristin Packnett, planning commitee members, at A Reason to Taste.

Hospitality administration students largely staffed the event as a part of their course curriculum, preparing the five-course meal and serving and bussing tables. Committee members and employees also participated in the evening.

An ice sculpture with the Ivy tech 50th logo stood as the gym’s centerpiece, flanked by more than 90 silent auction items.

Golden Gala


Indeed the tuna seemed to give

the Chardonnay a softer, more

pleasant flavor.

ExpERIENCE NO. 3: GOOGLING A DISH’S NAME TO fIGURE OUT wHAT’S ON THE pLATE

For the meal’s second course, student

servers brought out field greens tossed

with duck confit, herb vinaigrette,

and prosciutto.

As Kevin Morris wondered if “confit”

meant something like “duck liver,” given

the meat’s color and gamey flavor, a

Google search showed that “confit” is

a technique where a piece of meat is

cooked in its own fat. A student later

confirmed that the meat came from

duck gizzards.

For the main course, students served

beef Bourgogne, which was so tender,

it required just a fork to cut. The meal

concluded with a cheese plate and a

tasting trio of desserts: pear frangipane

tart (“frangipane” is an almond-

flavored paste), pumpkin pots de

crème (essentially the creamy inside of

pumpkin pie in a small glass pot), and a

chocolate macaroon.

Monique Causey, one of the many

hospitality administration students

preparing the feast, poked her head

into the banquet to see the Student

Life Center’s transformed gymnasium.

“Ivy Tech’s been good to me,” she said.

“When I walked into this room, it made

me proud to be a student.”

Causey will participate in the Mystery

Basket Competition this January, which

has hospitality administration students

creating dishes from pre-selected

ingredients. Winners study cooking in

Europe for two weeks and create the

A Reason to Taste menu.

“When I originally started this

(program), I wanted to study in

France,” she said. “I wanted it to be a

part of my life. If I got to go, it would

mean everything.”

Hospitality administration students had a makeshift work table set up just outside the student Life Center Gymnasium for food prep.

From left: event sponsor and Ivy tech northeast regional board member Kent Prosser, A Reason to Taste committee chair sandi Kemmish, Chancellor Jerrilee K. Mosier, ed.D, committee member Donna Packnett, and Parkview Health Ceo Mike Packnett.

More photos and videos at Ivytech.edu/northeast

Get involved with A reason to taste next year . . .A reason to taste 2014 is scheduled for Oct. 25, and the planning is already underway.

Contact Mary Jo Toenges at [email protected] or 260-481-2243 to assist the planning committee, donate to student scholarships, contribute items to the silent auction, or sign up as an event sponsor.

students from the school of technology welded and painted this butterfly chair, which guest Jim Kratzat (an architect at MsKtD & Associates Inc.) won at the silent auction. Kratzat has placed the chair in his butterfly garden.

presenting sponsor

HigH-altitude rusHGraduate’s passion for public service takes flightJay Curry’s profession is one that presents nonstop peril, as he makes rapid-fire, life-altering decisions nearly every day. His fortitude is tested even further while maneuvering in a confined space—often traveling at an adrenaline-pumping 180 mph in the process.

But don’t look to the racetrack to find this Ivy Tech Community College Northeast alumnus. Look to the sky. Curry is a highly trained flight nurse.

Curry and his colleagues with Parkview Health’s medical flight service, the Samaritan Flight Program, respond swiftly to provide 24/7 advanced life support care and rapid transport to trauma, critically ill, cardiac, and neonatal patients.

“We have a small space to accomplish our task of treatment, but we virtually have the same equipment and medications that an emergency room or intensive care unit would have,” Curry says. “We also have more

autonomy than most ER and ICU nurses. We are able to make treatment decisions based on standing orders and protocols that are already in place.”

The hospital maintains two aero-medical helicopters, Samaritan I and Samaritan II, which are based respectively at Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne—the location of Level II Adult and Pediatric Trauma Centers—and at Rochester Airport in Rochester, Ind.

The helicopters are dispatched by Parkview Huntington Hospital’s Communication Center to serve communities throughout the tri-state, ideally serving a 100-mile radius around each base.

The standard medical flight crew works 12-hour shifts and consists of a pilot, nurse, and paramedic. Curry defines the members’ individual roles as the pilot being solely responsible for the safe operation and flight of the aircraft, the nurse specializing in the

overall hospital-environment care of the patient, and the paramedic addressing the pre-hospital aspects of patient treatment.

Curry has been a crew member for the past 10 years, beginning as a flight paramedic in 2003 and signing on as a flight nurse in 2012. He earned an A.S.N. from Ivy Tech Northeast in late 2008 and passed his state boards shortly thereafter to become a registered nurse.

“I would like to convey my appreciation for the outstanding education I received at Ivy Tech,” Curry says. “The Nursing program is placing exceptional nurses in the workplace.”

Presently, he is one class away from completing a B.S.N. from Purdue University Calumet.

Curry says he felt compelled to enter a career in public service following a traumatic event from his youth.

Ivy tech northeast alumnus Jay Curry has been a crew member with Parkview Health’s samaritan Flight Program for the past 10 years, beginning as a flight paramedic in 2003 and signing on as a flight nurse in 2012.


Graduate’s passion for public service takes flight“I was witness to a horrific accident along a county road when I was in junior high school and remember watching everyone respond. I knew then I wanted to work in public service,” Curry says. “After taking the EMT (emergency medical technician) class in high school, I was hooked on EMS (emergency medical services) and the ability to help those often having the worst day of their lives.”

From the most basic, CPR certification, to the more advanced, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Curry has completed more than 13 healthcare-related certificates and training modules to date. He says he continually aims for additional cutting-edge education at conferences, from industry peers, and in professional, peer-reviewed journals.

When Curry and his colleagues are on duty, they primarily await calls to action from their quarters at the helicopter bases. In the interim, they resort to

daily tasks—often volunteering in the ER—until it’s time to grab their gear, head to the helipad, and take off at a moment’s notice to safely intervene in emergency situations.

“We have strict safety guidelines and weather minimums that must be met before any flight is accepted and during flight to ensure the safety of the flight crew and patient,” Curry says. “We also have post-flight debriefings after every flight to ensure that everything went smoothly.”

Curry’s attention to safety protocol and reverence for patient care is well-respected by Cathy Harris, PRMC’s director of flight and EMS.

“We have high-quality people on our Samaritans, and Jay is one of them,” Harris says. “Our commitment for the past 24 years will remain unchanged. We will continue to do what we do best—and that’s fly those critical patients.”

Samaritan aero-medical helicopterS Model: French-made american eurocopter 365 n-2 dauphin with twin turbine engines (Samaritan 1 is based in Fort Wayne; Samaritan 2 is based in rochester, ind.)

Average flight speed: 180 mph

Fuel: Both helicopters have five fuel tanks and can fly up to three hours on Jet a fuel

Patient load: configured for two adults or three small children; an incubator for a newborn

Crew: one pilot, one nurse, one paramedic

On-board resources: oxygen supply, fluids, dressings, medications, two cardiac monitors, as well as other medical equipment that may be required to tend to a critical patient’s needs during flight

Samaritan Flight program • Since the Samaritan Flight Program began in

1989, its helicopter crews have flown more than 20,400 patients who needed critical medical assistance. in 2012 alone, crews cared for 997 patients on 972 flights.

• Samaritan’s service area is a 100-mile radius of Fort Wayne and rochester, ind., covering the northern half of indiana, northwest ohio, and southwest michigan.

• Each helicopter is equipped to fly 200 miles one way, if necessary.

• On average, Samaritan leaves the helipad 5.6 minutes after the time a call is received by dispatch.

• Samaritan 1 averages two flights per day, and Samaritan 2 averages one and a half.

• Weather is a factor in both Samaritan’s flight activity. Summers are the most active due to motor vehicle injuries and water sport accidents.

• About 51 percent of Samaritan flights are trauma-related; 40 percent of these flights are to pick up patients from the scene of injury, and 60 percent are to pick up from facilities referring patients to parkview regional medical center.

Source: Parkview.com. Photo by Eric Clabaugh


Former college employees add spice to their livesA picture may be worth a thousand words, but a picturesque view is worth a relocation plan.

At least that’s the sentiment Kim and Karen Pontius shared after visiting Suttons Bay, Mich., while on vacation in 1990.

The coastal village that so enchanted them began as an agricultural and lumber center in the northwest corner of the Great Lakes State before its evolution into a contemporary tourist destination, complete with boutiques, galleries, restaurants, and a working nickelodeon. The village’s name comes from its surrounding bay, an inlet of Lake Michigan, approximately 15 miles north of Traverse City.

Karen, an alumna of Ivy Tech Community College Northeast’s Hospitality Administration program, and Kim, the former executive director for the college’s Workforce and Economic Development division (the forerunner to Corporate College), saw promise in making the town their future home.

“The scenery is so beautiful, it sucks the air clean out of your lungs the first time you see it,” Kim says.

Nevertheless, the reality check of work and family responsibilities awaited the couple once they returned to Fort Wayne.

By the early 2000s, Karen had enrolled at Ivy Tech Northeast to follow a more intrinsic passion with cooking and

baking, leaving behind a job using artificial intelligence software.

Assistant Professor of Hospitality Administration Meshele Wyneken took notice of Karen’s kitchen prowess.

“She was an excellent student and a really good cook, too. She came to us with a solid background in cooking,” Wyneken says. “Her education here helped tweak her natural talents.”

As Karen’s graduation approached, she says Kim asked her how she intended to apply her new skills and credentials. Based on Kim’s restaurant experience, Karen says the couple knew that the 16-hour workdays common in the restaurant industry would not be desirable, especially with three children either in or about to enter high school.

At about this time, a Fort Wayne businessman and acquaintance discussed a spice-blending business opportunity with Kim.

“When Kim introduced the idea to me it just seemed to fit,” Karen says. “What chef doesn’t need a good source of premium spices and seasonings? Besides, cooking and recipe development became fun, experimental, and diverse, unlike the restaurant business where sometimes you can get stuck in a rut doing the same things in the same ways because your customers have an expectation of sameness.”

Kim and Karen decided to welcome the challenge. They settled on Suttons Bay

“The scenery is so beautiful, it sucks the air clean out of your lungs the first time you see it.”

– Kim Pontius co-founder/co-owner,

Suttons Bay Trading Company Inc.

Photo credit: Joyce Kerns


SPICE RACk WISdOM• Buy more spices and seasonings. Be bold.

Experiment with them in creative ways, such as fresh ground nutmeg and black pepper on salads, spinach, and even vanilla ice cream.

• Replace spices every year for optimal freshness. Whole spices maintain flavor and essential oils better than ones already ground.

• Store spices and seasonings in a cool, dark place away from heat, sunlight, and UV light, which will compromise their distinct aromas and flavors.

• Ignore the myth of freezing spices because the practice does not keep them fresher, longer.

• Purchase spices and seasonings from a spice shop rather than a grocery store because they are fresher and generally less expensive, ounce for ounce.

source: Karen Pontius

Trading Company Inc. as a business name, after applying the second habit of Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to their enterprise: begin with the end in mind.

As Kim and Karen maintained their spice and seasonings business on Wells Street during its first five years of operation, they also pursued employment opportunities at Ivy Tech Northeast, with Kim directing WED and Karen teaching baking and pastry arts in an adjunct faculty capacity.

The Pontius family soon formed an extended bond with the college, as their children Jared, Jessica, and Stephanie either started or completed associate degrees at Ivy Tech Northeast.

While never losing sight of their relocation dream, Kim and Karen’s reward for patience and planning finally arrived 11 years and three business

moves after the launch of Suttons Bay Trading Company Inc., with a permanent move to their beloved getaway.

Today, Suttons Bay Spices—the retail arm of the larger commercial, wholesale, and Internet fulfillment business—rests in a location where Karen says she enjoys storefront views of the park, beach, and marina in Suttons Bay, as she perfects and sells her trademark spice and seasoning blends.

Kim and Karen have achieved genuine bliss between the work they perform and the surroundings in which they pursue it.

“While most businesses typically start off small and build to a point where they seek larger market opportunities and larger population centers, we chose to put place ahead of profit and growth,” Kim says. “We have always been a little unconventional with our business model, but you cannot argue with the results.”

Kim and Karen Pontius are former Ivy tech northeast employees who went about their small business ambitions in a nontraditional way. they named their Fort Wayne-originated spice company after their favorite vacation destination, suttons Bay, Mich. eleven years and three business moves later, the couple relocated the business to the idyllic village.

Photo credit: Karen Pontius


brief

deloris Jordan recently encouraged about 300 audience members at the Public Safety Academy: Ivy Tech South Campus to aim high with their education goals—a fitting message coming from the mother of basketball legend Michael “Air” Jordan.

The United Way’s Women United group sponsored “salt in His shoes: An Evening with deloris Jordan” on Sept. 10—a free, public event in partnership with Ivy Tech Community College Northeast.

deloris shared Michael’s story about pursuing dreams and the necessity for a strong education. deloris is co-author of the new York times best-seller, salt in His shoes, in addition to six other family-friendly books.

Women United is dedicated to ensuring that all Allen County children are ready for kindergarten by focusing efforts on early childhood education, a critical factor in a child’s success in school and beyond.

For Construction Technology Chair and instructor Ryan Voorhees, building on success comes naturally.

Voorhees has returned to Fort Wayne’s Safety Village at 1270 South Phoenix Parkway this fall to continue major restoration on the property’s aging structures. Joining him for the September–November hands-on lab experience are students who will be rotating from among six different skilled-trade classes.

Unlike the roof pitch and exterior finish projects he supervised last fall—which involved donated build-ing materials and student apprenticeship labor—this year’s work is supported by a $2,250 materials grant from the Indiana Campus Compact’s Scholarship of Engagement program.

Students will re-roof and re-side two buildings, replace the windows and doors, and repair electrical and HVAC systems where needed.

Safety Village, which opened in 1991, is a 3.7-acre pedestrian and fire-safety teaching complex for elementary school children throughout northeast Indiana. It is the largest public-education site of its kind in the country.

Ivy Tech continues enhancements at Safety Village

Michael Jordan’s mother visits during literacy tour

new dean selected to lead two schoolsIvy Tech Community College Northeast has selected Elaine Rankin Novak as its new dean for the Schools of Business and Fine Arts & design. She began her new role on Aug. 16.

Novak’s experience has taken her from kansas to Texas to California, Central

America, and beyond. Ivy Tech marks the seventh community college system she has worked for, in addition to experience gained from a wide variety of fields including marketing and management, state government, commercial real estate, and an American embassy.

Most recently, Novak served as the dean for Career and Technical Programs at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby, Ill. She was also a part-time faculty member, teaching software-based courses in business technology.

“Elaine comes to us with vast community college experience. She has worked as a faculty member and has had numerous positions in academic administration,” says Cathy Maxwell, Ed.d., vice chancellor for academic affairs. “We are pleased to have an individual with the experience and credentials that Elaine possesses.”

Novak completed an Ed.d. in Educational Leadership and an Ed.S. in Community College Teaching with an administration emphasis, both from Arkansas State University–Jonesboro. Her master’s and bachelor’s degrees—in business administration and business education, respectively—are from Emporia State University, in Emporia, kan. She possesses an A.A. in Liberal Arts from kansas City kansas Community College as well.

As Ivy Tech Northeast’s newest dean, Novak will oversee seven programs in the School of Business and one in the new School of Fine Arts & design.

elaine rankin novak

new regional board member begins stewardshipIvy Tech Community College Northeast is pleased to announce a new appointment to its regional board of trustees. Community business leader Martin “Marty” Palmer began his board stewardship in June.

Palmer has been president of Auburn Gear Inc., in Auburn, Ind., for five years. Previously, he served as president of a four-company business unit within Actuant Inc.’s Engineered Solutions

segment, with locations in Wisconsin, Oregon, the Netherlands, and Mishawaka, Ind.

He brings more than 30 years of senior management experience to the Ivy Tech Northeast board, pulling from a range of disciplines: hydraulic and electromechanical actuation (the act of propelling), cosmetics, aerospace ceramics, and food industries.

“I am excited to be working with Chancellor Jerrilee Mosier and the board of trustees to provide insight on the needs of northeast Indiana’s manufacturing,” Palmer says. “I want to help promote the programs Ivy Tech provides the region in building a strong technical workforce.”

Martin “Marty” Palmer

From left to right, construction technology students James Johnson, Kyle McCutcheon, Curtis Branch, and Chris rittenhouse work together to re-roof one of the structures at safety Village to satisfy some of the hands-on work experience required in their program.


northeast Indiana regional Partnership President and Ceo John sampson announces the area’s new CDL training partnership at a press conference on July 9.

CDL Training Information Line: 260-480-4118

Plaza dedication makes for successful social event

Area partnership launches commercial driver’s license training

WOW Wednesday lived up to its namesake on Aug. 28, as more than 200 Ivy Tech Community College Northeast faculty, staff, students, and invited guests—many of them retired employees of the college—celebrated the dedication of Ivy Tower Plaza on North Campus.

The new 4,200-square-foot plaza for study, leisure, and meal breaks between the Student Life Center and Harshman Hall features a colorful masonry-finished courtyard, landscaping, and a three-story tall sign tower. A small stage on-site will support future performers and speakers.

Attendees enjoyed a buffet-style picnic meal catered by Nelson’s Chicken and partied with Chicago-based rap/hop-hip group, BBI. The student-driven Campus Activities Board sponsored the food and band, while Student Life used the occasion to launch WOW Wednesday, a new midweek initiative for a variety of student activities.

Accounting major Catherine Wheaton was awarded a $500 scholarship for her winning entry to name the plaza in an

online submission contest for current students. More than 100 name entries were considered.

“I’m thrilled I won because this is truly a beautiful space, and I will put the scholarship to good use in my final year of study,” Wheaton says.

Another highlight during the dedication was the announcement of Geib Drive, named in honor of Jan Geib, an Ivy Tech Northeast

associate professor and department chair who retired after a 36-year career with the college. Geib, who was hired as one of the first faculty members when the Northeast region opened in 1969, was present for the celebration.

The current West Sirlin Drive, which runs east–west between the Student Life Center and Carroll Hall on North Campus, has been officially renamed Geib Drive.

“This naming ceremony is such an honor,” Geib says. “I am still in awe over how this regional campus has grown since I first began working here.”

Ivy Tech Corporate College and relocation specialist SIRVA Inc. have entered into a partnership to help northeast Indiana’s commerce “keep on truckin’” for years to come.

Corporate College began offering commercial driver’s license, or CDL, training this summer at SIRVA’s Fort Wayne hub at 5001 U.S. Highway 30 West. The mutual goal is to increase the region’s number of heavy and tractor–trailer truck drivers.

Nationally, the need for these drivers is expected to increase, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bureau projects a need for 21 percent

more drivers until 2020—the equivalent of more than 330,000 employees.

The CDL training constitutes eight-week sessions that involve classroom instruction, hands-on driving time, and pre-trip inspection and lab work. The program costs $3,995 per student, and it covers instruction and materials, the U.S. Department of Transportation physical, and application fees for a learner’s permit and license.

“SIRVA and Ivy Tech are to be commended for moving the ball forward in this region,” says John Sampson, president and CEO of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership.

More than 200 Ivy tech northeast faculty, staff, students, and retirees attended the dedication ceremony for Ivy tower Plaza on north Campus Aug. 28. student Catherine Wheaton won a $500 scholarship in an online competition to name the new space.

More photos at Ivytech.edu/northeast

Jan Geib


While each of the 2013 New Venture Competition finalists presented their business plans to their friends, family members, and 40 judges taking notes in the crowd, just off to the speakers’ left loomed one of those enormous checks—the kind that promises big-time funds and a giggle from a bank teller were someone to try and cash it.

It was made out for $20,000 and signed by dave Bear, president of JB Tool, die & Engineering Inc., the sponsor of the New Venture Competition. But the “Pay to the order of” line was blank, waiting for score cards to be tallied.

At the end of the evening, computer information technology major Robert Bibbo was named the 2013 New Venture champion. In its third year, the competition awards an Ivy Tech Community College Northeast student or alumnus entrepreneur with start-up funds. Local business professionals judge the competition based on the finalists’ presentations and responses during a question-and-answer period.

Jim Tolbert, business administration assistant professor and head of New Venture, said the idea for the competition came to him from a question he often asks his classes. He will introduce himself on the first day of classes and say he owned a small business for 20 years.

“‘I’m just curious to know if anyone here has ever thought about starting his or her own business.’ Forty to 50 percent of the students raise their hands every semester,” Tolbert says. “I thought, ‘There’s something here, and I wonder

what it would be like if we found a way to help a student launch a business each year.’”

When Bibbo was announced as the 2013 New Venture winner, Bibbo stood and turned to his daughter, Nina, a fellow student at Ivy Tech Northeast. She had tears in her eyes as she hugged her dad.

“I know that things like this are very special,” Bibbo said to the crowd of about 70 in his thank you speech on the Coliseum Campus. “Being a service member myself, I know what I’ll be able to do for other service members. This check is a large part of what I’ll be able to do for them.”

Bibbo’s is a military-themed clothing and accessories company. American Combat Veteran Clothing specializes in T-shirts to memorialize those killed in action and honor America’s veterans and service men and women.

Bibbo served in Iraq in 2008–09, and he came up with the idea for his company while he was overseas. during deployment, he entered a T-shirt design competition. He didn’t win, but it planted the seed of an idea, which bloomed into American Combat Veteran Clothing.

Bibbo’s goal is to employ only veterans, and his market research has shown that the vast majority of respondents would prefer to buy from veteran-made clothing companies. He plans to donate 20 percent of all profits to non-profit veteran organizations, such as Operation Honor Our Heroes, whose mission it is to meet the needs of wounded veterans and their families.

Plus, because Bibbo is attending school on the GI Bill, officially the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, he can afford to work for free until his company makes a profit.

With his winnings, Bibbo says, he wants to buy a new transfer machine, which is how he puts images on his T-shirts, make a bulk order of American-made shirts, and expand his advertising.

“I’m going to hire at least one vet to do the labor in the beginning so I can concentrate on marketing the business,” he says.

“Our unique selling point is hard to beat: A combat vet creating jobs for other vets, creating clothing for other veterans.”

More photos at Ivytech.edu/northeast

(l–r): Jim tolbert, robert Bibbo, Dave Bear, Mary Bear, and

Chancellor Jerrilee K. Mosier

robert Bibbo

IrAq VeTerAN wINS 2013 New VeNTure CoMpeTITIoN $20,000 start-up funds to aid military-themed apparel, accessories company


Where are they noW?Jon-paul capito, last year’s new Venture champion, is the founder of derossi. the company started by offering custom shirts with imported fabrics but has expanded to include custom bags and shoes. derossi launched an ipad application this year that helps customers create and view their own designs. derossi can be found at derossico.com.

olivia Fabian won the inaugural new Venture competition, in 2011. her company, oFabz Swimwear, specializes in retro bikinis. they are available online at oFabz.com, as well as other online retailers and brick-and-mortar locations in the United States and overseas including australia, great Britain, and germany. oFabz Swimwear can be found in Fort Wayne at Belyst, 6380 W. Jefferson Blvd.

ofAbz SwIMweArDeroSSI

olivia fabianJon-Paul CaPito

Dream Big!

New Venture Competitionawards banquet • september 19, 2013

Dream Big!

New Venture Competitiona w a r d s b a n q u e t • s e p t e m b e r 1 9 , 2 0 1 3

sponsored by

new Venture finalists Addie Fath, far left, and Faith Maslonka, center, present their business plans to the judges. Fath is the owner of Addie Fath Photography, and Maslonka, of outdoor Gear Fitters, a company that rents hiking and camping packs. For the first time, the new Venture Competition saw all three finalists launch their businesses. At right, Marketing and Communications executive Director Andrew Welch takes a question from a new Venture judge, Al Zacher, who founded the Zacher Company in 1961.

Winner !s



STORYBOOk ENdING

Despite being well-known for her animated spirit and outspokenness by friends, Tammy Richey recently found herself in an unfamiliar situation: She was speechless.

Richey, a consumer with Easter Seals Arc of Northeast Indiana, paused to collect her thoughts on Aug. 8, as she took to the podium in the Ivy Tech Community College Northeast Gymnasium to address an audience of well-wishers and fellow classmates.

She delivered an emotional message in a soft but strained voice, stopping briefly to raise her eyeglasses and wipe away tears.

Richey was there to praise Learn to Read, a reading program established by Ivy Tech Corporate College for the consumers of Easter Seals Arc.

“I would recommend this program to anyone who doesn’t know how to read,” said Richey, concluding her remarks.

Richey was one of 58 students this past academic year to graduate from the 2-year-old reading program. To date, 235 participants who live with intellectual and developmental disabilities have benefitted from it in some manner.

The occasion marked the second commencement of its kind, where a total of 128 certificates of completion have been issued. Richey was present to collect her second successive certificate.

Richey was basking in the moment to be sure—zipping around the gymnasium to socialize after the ceremony—a moment

she felt she had abandoned when she left Fort Wayne’s R. Nelson Snider High School during her junior year. It was an environment where she recalls the routine taunts of “retard” and “stupid” directed at her from peers.

Richey, now 41, says she chose to stop the bullying through the only effective means known to her: She dropped out of school.

By doing so, Richey had forfeited her remaining academic goals, along with the opportunity to celebrate those achievements with a formal graduation ceremony…or so she believed.

Fortunately for Richey, Easter Seals Arc President and CEO Donna Elbrecht

envisioned an ambitious plan to provide affirmation and greater independence for many of the agency’s consumers.

Soon after taking over the helm at Easter Seals Arc in February 2011, Elbrecht and her staff surveyed about 400 consumers in the agency’s full-day programs to determine what would make their lives more gratifying. Learning to read was the primary response.

Given the consumers’ diverse ages and range of abilities, however, Elbrecht says she realized that an outside, well-connected service provider would be a more appropriate choice to set-up a reading program.

>

EASTER SEALS ARC CONSUMER FINdS REdEMPTION THROUGH REAdING PROGRAM

tammy richey’s participation in Learn to read, a reading program established by Ivy tech Corporate

College for the consumers of easter seals Arc, has allowed her to

qualify as a volunteer at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo. three-year-

old trenton Hope watches as richey grooms a goat at the farm exhibit.


“To put on a job résumé or volunteer application that our consumers took a reading class through Easter Seals Arc isn’t going to mean as much as if they say they were successful in participating in a reading class that was delivered by Ivy Tech,” Elbrecht says.

Elbrecht approached Ivy Tech Northeast Chancellor Jerrilee K. Mosier, Ed.D., with her idea. Mosier accepted the challenge and delegated the design and implementation of a right-fit reading program to Corporate College.

Corporate College consulted with local education professors, special education teachers, and healthcare professionals to develop the program and then assembled an experienced team to execute it.

Learn to Read is financed through a combination of Easter Seals Arc’s community grants, donations, and fundraisers. Participants are assessed on their present-day readiness before placement in either a fundamental

Learning Enrichment curriculum or more advanced Reading Enrichment curricula. Each curriculum is offered in 12-week intervals at Easter Seals Arc, where the students meet in breakout sessions for two hours each week.

“This partnership illustrates that there’s more depth to what Corporate College can offer the community beyond training someone to operate a CNC (computer numerical control) machine,” says Jim Aschliman, executive director of Corporate College.

Richey, now an avid reader, is persisting in Learn to Read this fall. And she is certainly not one to doubt the partnership’s tangible successes.

Her dramatically improved literacy skills have not only encouraged her to begin preparatory GED course work, they have afforded the lifelong animal lover the ability to complete the required application, essay questions, and open-book test to qualify as a volunteer at

the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo—thus opening a new chapter of purpose in her life.

Richey says selling lettuce to zoo visitors who feed the giraffes is her favorite assignment, but

she maintains a fondness for the livestock at the Indiana Family Farm exhibit, too.

“The children who visit the goats make me laugh when I get to watch how they interact with them,” she says.

Donate your unused graduation gowns, books, and assistive technology (smartphones, e-readers, tablets) to benefit current and future Learn to Read participants.

Contact Easter Seals Arc President and CEO Donna Elbrecht at 260-456-3979 or [email protected] for more details.

“To put on a job résumé or volunteer

application that our consumers took a

reading class through Easter Seals Arc isn’t

going to mean as much as if they say they

were successful in participating in a reading

class that was delivered by Ivy Tech.”

- Donna Elbrecht, Easter Seals Arc president and CEO

Get started today with a FREE, no obligation consultation. Contact us at (260) 480-4118 or IvyTech.edu/CorporateCollege.

Left: easter seals Arc President and Ceo Donna elbrecht (right) congratulates tammy richey at the 2013 commencement for Learn to read on Aug. 8. right: richey shares her gratitude for the program that has been responsible for improving her literacy skills.

Ivy Tech Community College Northeast is proud to continue acknowledging the accomplishments, leadership, and service of its dedicated faculty through the Celebrating Our Faculty campaign. The faculty’s earnest contributions continue to enhance the quality of learning for the college’s students and the quality of life for its alumni.

This campaign carries forward the tradition of honoring a distinguished faculty class—a select group of full-time and adjunct faculty members who have embraced the college’s mission and goals and then promoted them in exemplary ways.

Academic Affairs administrators, in cooperation with the inaugural faculty class, have identified five new individuals for this recognition using the following evaluation criteria: classroom innovation, instructional excellence/beyond expectations, positive personal endeavors, research outside the classroom, students come first/student engagement, and other.

All faculty were encouraged to participate in this search process as well by nominating themselves or colleagues through a secret ballot process during the Fall Faculty Kick-Off in January.

It is truly a celebratory occasion to announce the 2013–14 class of distinguished faculty. The five recipients for this honor include Donna Ditton, assistant professor of communication; Margaret Hall, adjunct faculty for Academic Skills Advancement mathematics; Jeff Bunting, program chair for Hospitality Administration; Sheri Dunlavy, associate professor of psychology; and Deborah Morris, adjunct faculty for English.

Together, these individuals collectively represent the many noteworthy faculty contributions that exist campuswide. Their examples of commitment represent the college’s ideals proudly, and their passion for education is a testament to each and every faculty

member who gives so much in the pursuit of “changing lives” and “making Indiana great.”

Jeff Bunting Program Chair for Hospitality Administration School of Arts and Sciences Hospitality Administration Program

In Jeff Bunting’s case, it’s not a matter of which came first, the chicken

or the egg but rather the chef or the educator. Before the professional chef accepted an adjunct faculty position, there was no debate on the topic in his mind. It didn’t take long for him to rethink his position once he began working with students in the kitchen.

Donna Ditton Assistant Professor of Communication School of Liberal Arts & Sciences Liberal Arts Program

Donna Ditton may not have the ambition to become a stand-up comic any time soon, but that doesn’t diminish her desire to bring humor to the masses, and more specifically, to her classroom. Ditton’s objective in doing so isn’t meant to incite nonstop, sidesplitting laughter from her students. Instead, her strategy is to use humor as an instructional tool to enhance classroom learning.

in Northeast IndianaCelebrating Our Faculty

2013–14


Sheri Dunlavy Associate Professor of Psychology School of Liberal Arts & Sciences Liberal Arts Program

To appreciate Sheri Dunlavy’s imaginative take on teaching effectiveness, one needs to look no

further than a spider’s innate and intricate talent. Dunlavy says teaching involves “a complicated web that balances facilitating students learning from each other and learning from a number of other sources.” Nowhere is this personal philosophy more evident than in one of her most notable class projects.

Margaret Hall Adjunct Faculty School of Applied Science & Engineering Technology Academic Skills Advancement Mathematics

As Margaret Hall welcomes new students each semester, she soon discovers that many of them feel somewhat like a domino trapped in a domino toppling game: They describe how their self-esteem has been knocked down repeatedly no matter how many attempts they make to pass algebra classes. Fortunately

for these students, Hall is a domino-setter, of sorts, who is there to prop them up again and help them improve their morale . . . and grades.

Deborah Morris Adjunct Faculty School of Liberal Arts & Sciences Liberal Arts Program

From an occasional drawing assignment to the review of a familiar children’s book, one thing is certain about the lesson plans in Deborah Morris’ English Composition classes: They often defy convention. Her creative activities and calculated approach to instruction are meant to address some of the common subject-matter anxieties among her language arts students and develop their literacy and critical thinking skills.

Scan the QR code with a smart device to watch a 60-second video highlighting these distinguished faculty.

Please take a few minutes to continue these faculty members’ impressive profiles on the celebrating our Faculty website, where they also share their philosophies on excellence in their own words.

Warm weather and a catered lunch awaited approximately 30 college employees during the Celebrating Our Faculty reception at the new Ivy tower Plaza on north Campus sept. 17. several Ivy tech northeast faculty were honored for their accomplishments, leadership, and service to the college.

IvyTech.edu/northeast/faculty More photos at Ivytech.edu/northeast


our region

Students who enjoy a challenging climb as they pursue their educational goals now have a more rigorous path they can choose at Ivy Tech Community College Northeast.

The college has formed a partnership with American Honors, a two-year honors program that prepares students for transfer to the best four-year colleges and universities in Indiana and beyond.

The fall semester 2013 launch for the pilot program is providing qualified students with a rewarding, advanced-study learning opportunity; it also represents an excellent value when compared to similar costs at traditional four-year colleges and universities.

Through a “2+2” education model, students will take a mix of American Honors and standard Ivy Tech classes the first two years of a bachelor’s degree and then transfer to a four-year institution to which they have been accepted.

“In addition to academically rigorous courses, students will benefit from high levels of engagement, with classes delivered via a unique virtual platform and a support network of our best faculty and advisors partnering with them wherever their educational journey leads,” says Candy Schladenhauffen, assistant vice chancellor of academic affairs and regional American Honors liaison.

Strong candidates for the program are students with a 3.5 GPA or greater who have earned fewer than 35 credits at Ivy Tech. The selection process also examines candidates’ leadership abilities, extra-curricular activities, academic achievements, standardized test scores, and commitment to the ideals of the program.

At the conclusion of the two-year program, students will earn an associate degree with honors from Ivy Tech.

The English, Bonter, Mitchell Foundation is proof that no good deed goes without praise.

Ivy Tech Community College Northeast honored the Fort Wayne-based private foundation as its Benefactor of the Year at a statewide Ivy Tech banquet in French Lick, Ind., on Oct. 4.

“Ivy Tech’s Benefactor of the Year program gave us a great look at the support provided to Ivy Tech from across the state,” says Mike Eikenberry, chair of the foundation’s distribution committee. “We were pleased to be recognized by the region and Chancellor Jerrilee Mosier.”

The foundation recently awarded the college a $200,000 grant through the Ivy

Tech Foundation. The two-year restricted grant enabled the college to expand its Hospitality Room on the Coliseum Campus. The expansion was completed in August and will accommodate the Hospitality Administration program’s ongoing growth.

The Hospitality Room is used for the popular Special Cuisine Dinner Series that attracts college and community members alike throughout each spring semester, as well as college-hosted events such as regional board meetings. The expansion—which adds 630 square feet to the existing space—allows even more people to sample student-made cuisine.

“This expansion, which adds 25 to 30 more seats, gives our program additional

exposure and will provide better training opportunities to a larger number of students,” says Jeff Bunting, chair of the Hospitality Administration program.

Ivy Tech Northeast’s Hospitality Administration program is the second largest such program in the Ivy Tech system, and it is commonly seen as one of Indiana’s elite hospitality programs. During the 2011–12 academic year, the program served 722 majors and provided more than 100 courses.

The English, Bonter, Mitchell Foundation has made charitable contributions to nonprofit agencies in and around Fort Wayne for more than 40 years, with the stipulation that the funding be applied toward initiatives that benefit the public.

College introduces new honors program

benefactor of the Year funds Hospitality room expansion

Apply online at IvyTech.edu/honors

Questions? 317-644-3440 or [email protected]


tidbits

Klopfenstein Home rooms furniture store recently donated an ultra-light aircraft to the Aviation Maintenance technology program. the aircraft, which was suspended from the ceiling in the retailer’s showroom, has been flown before. students will learn from it during their course work. Photo credit sheena nolin

three-year-old Jaden savage inspects a collection of insects and other items found outdoors. savage is enrolled in the college’s new early Childhood Learning Center. Parents of preschoolers who would like more information about the center should contact Assistant Professor of early Childhood education Lois Kaufmann-Hunsberger at 260-480-4194. Photo credit: rebecca Carothers

From left to right, Dannesha robertson, Lindsay robbins, and Angela redding participate in the school of nursing’s most recent pinning ceremony on Aug. 1. the ceremony is a symbolic welcoming for new nursing graduates who are entering the nursing profession.

Local middle school students rafael Marcom and Michaela Harter work together to solder resistors for a small robot they built during Ivy tech northeast’s third-annual Adventure and Imagination steM (or science, technology, engineering, and math) Camp this summer. Photo credit: Provi Mayo


Kelli Kreider (right), chair and instructor for the Agriculture program, and her sister Mindi Hoffman (left), rode in the 60th annual roanoke (Ind.) Fall Festival tractor Parade on sept. 6. the college launched the new academic program this fall. Photo credit: Alice eshelman

College introduces new honors program

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Do you know a great Ivy Tech story?If you or someone you know has a personal story about Ivy Tech to share, we want to hear about it. Contact dane Hawley at [email protected] or 260-481-2249.

More than 100 teams featuring nearly 700 community members earned the right to catch their breath after raising money and awareness for cardiovascular health during the American Heart Association’s 2013 Northeast Indiana Heart Walk on Sept. 14. More than $150,000 was collected.

The college served as the event’s official host site during the three-mile hike on North Campus, where participants had the option to complete a one-mile course three times.

More than 120 Ivy Tech Northeast walkers participated and surpassed the

goal of raising $7,500 by collecting $9,115—making it the third-best among companies raising money for the cause.

Heart Walk donations support CPR training; advocacy to install automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public places; and lobbying efforts to promote clean indoor air, as well as eliminate soda and other unhealthy drinks from public schools.

Ivy Tech hosts 2013 Northeast Indiana Heart walkCollege raises more than $9,000 for the cardiovascular cause

Ivy Tech AlumnI AssocIATIon Ivy Tech night at northwood cinema Grill

6069 Stellhorn Road

Thursday, nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.)

$12 includes one soft drink, one dinner item, and movie

seating is limited. Limit six tickets per person. tickets on sale at the Coliseum Campus Bursar’s office. no phone orders.

Two turkeys from opposite sides of the tracks must put aside their differences and team up to travel back in time to change the course of history - and get

turkey off the holiday menu for good.

Photo credit: Joanna Marie Photography

Documents

Inside Ivy Tech 2013 Fall