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Last modified: Friday, November 4, 2011

Statewide conference explores reciprocity in community/university partnerships

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 4, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS AND IU CAMPUSES ACROSS THE STATE -- The most effective university/community partnerships are a two-way street. How do we define best practices in building strong, reciprocal partnerships? What roles do such partnerships play in addressing the Hoosier Brain Drain? These questions will take center stage at the University Partnerships and Reciprocity Conference held in Indianapolis Monday, Nov. 14.

John Applegate

John Applegate

Print-Quality Photo

Faculty, staff, students and community partners may participate via videoconference from IU campuses across the state (for locations see https://www.iu.edu/~vpurapp/conferenceagenda.shtml).

The conference is made possible by the Lilly Endowment Inc. The endowment's 2008 Sustaining Grant to Promote Educational Opportunities through Collaborations supports entrepreneurship, internship, service learning, leadership development and job placement activities on all of IU's campuses. Many of IU's sister universities who are participating in the grant will be represented by conference panelists and/or attendees.

"We are very grateful for the endowment's foresight and creativity in providing the original grant in 2003 and for their continuing commitment with the five-year sustaining grant in 2008," said IU Executive Vice President John Applegate. "These grants have supported the development of such entities as IU Bloomington's Elmore Entrepreneurship Law Clinic, which provides entrepreneurship education to law students; they have financed the founding of IUPUI's Solution Center and IU Northwest's Center for Urban and Regional Excellence. Thanks to Lilly's transformative generosity, these and other valuable experiential learning and outreach programs are now part of the fabric of IU and the communities we serve."

The day will begin with a talk by Donald F. Kuratko, recently named the top entrepreneurship program director in the nation by Entrepreneurship magazine. Professor Kuratko leads the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and teaches in the IU Kelley School of Business. The Kelley School's entrepreneurship program is currently ranked first among public universities by U.S. News & World Report and Fortune magazine. Kuratko will discuss entrepreneurship as a critical skill for the 21st century, one that cuts across disciplines and professions.

IU Vice President for Engagement Bill Stephan will provide an overview of efforts to connect IU's statewide intellectual and creative resources with strategic opportunities that foster Indiana's economic growth and enhance quality of life for all Hoosiers.

IU Kokomo Chancellor Michael Harris will lead a panel discussion on the critical role leadership skills play in enhancing economic vitality. He will be joined by:

  • Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight
  • Ivy Tech Kokomo Chancellor Steve Daily
  • Christina Downey, assistant professor of psychology, IU Kokomo
  • Diana TenBrook, vice president of marketing, Solidarity Community Federal Credit Union.

Uday Sukhatme, executive vice chancellor of IUPUI, will bring greetings from the campus and introduce the luncheon keynote speaker, Elizabeth Tryon. Tryon is assistant director of the Morgridge Center for Public Service, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and co-author of The Unheard Voices: Community Organizations and Service Learning.

The afternoon will provide two breakout sessions. The following panel discussions will occur during Session One (1:30-2:30 p.m. EST):

INTERNSHIPS: Teresa Bennett, director of the IUPUI Solution Center, will convene a panel exploring how student internships in nonprofits impact both the students and the organizations who host them. The panel includes:

  • Janet Boston, executive director of Indiana INTERNnet (moderator)
  • Michael Butler, associate program director, Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention
  • Laura Littlepage, clinical lecturer, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, IUPU and senior policy analyst, Public Policy Institute
  • Nancy Stark, director of school and youth programs, Conner Prairie Interactive History Park
  • Markie Rexroat, Master of Public Affairs candidate, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, IUPUI
  • Isaac Arthur and Cody Fague, CODO Design Inc., Indianapolis
  • Rosemary Arnold, Conner Prairie intern, graduate student in the Department of Museum Studies, IUPUI

SERVICE LEARNING: IU East Vice Chancellor Larry Richards will convene a panel discussing how experiential learning contributes to student success and the development of an engaged citizenry. The panel will include:

  • Bob Bringle, Chancellor's Professor of Psychology and Philanthropic Studies, executive director of the Center for Service and Learning at IUPUI (moderator)
  • Maggie Stevens, executive director, Indiana Campus Compact
  • Ed De La Paz, AmeriCorps service-learning member, IU East; social media consultant, Starr-Gennett Foundation
  • Megan Oldham, education site coordinator at Jeffers Unit, Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County
  • Stacey Steele, director of education, Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County
  • Frances Yates, library director, IU East and Campus Compact faculty representative.

JOB PLACEMENT: IU South Bend Chancellor Mae Reck will convene a panel exploring best practices for job placement and career development. The panel will include

  • JT. Forbes, executive director of the Indiana University Alumni Association (moderator)
  • Charles Ball, director of the Lilly Center for Discernment and Preparation at Holy Cross College
  • Mike Sanders, director of the Purdue University College of Technology, South Bend
  • Phil D'Amico, director of business growth, Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County.

Session Two (2:45-3:45 p.m. e.s.t.) will provide the following concurrent discussions:

ENTREPRENEURSHIP: IU Bloomington Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs Tom Gieryn will convene a panel exploring entrepreneurship not only as business creation, but as an essential skill set that extends into the realm of social entrepreneurship and innovative assessments. The panel will include:

  • Kathleen Robbins, director of the Undergraduate Program, Kelley School of Business, IU (moderator)
  • Leslie Lenkowsky, clinical professor of public affairs and philanthropic studies, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University;
  • Nathalie Duval-Couetil, director, Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program; associate director, Burton Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship Liaison, Purdue Center for Regional Development, Purdue University Discovery Park
  • Peter Thoresen, interim coordinator, Project Jumpstart.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS: IU Northwest Chancellor William Lowe will convene a panel discussing the components of successful campus-community collaboration. The panel will include:

  • Ellen Szarleta, associate professor at IU Northwest in the Division of Public and Environmental Affairs (moderator)
  • Erin Argyilan, department chair and associate professor, Department of Geosciences; director, Great Lakes Innovative Stewardship Through Education Networks (GLISTEN), IU Northwest
  • Peter Avis, assistant professor, biology; director, Northwest Indiana Restoration Monitoring Inventory Project, IU Northwest
  • Jennifer Birchfield, water program director for Save the Dunes Conservation Fund
  • Paul Quinlan, stewardship director, Shirley Heinze Land Trust.

GRASSROOTS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: IU Southeast Chancellor Sandra Paterson-Randles will convene a panel addressing best practices for successful mentoring, professional development for business leaders, and entrepreneurship programs. The panel will include:

  • Larry Mand, vice chancellor emeritus and professor emeritus, IU Southeast (moderator)
  • Blayr Barnard, regional director, Southeast Indiana Small Business Development Center
  • Uric Dufrene, Sanders Chair in Business, IU Southeast
  • James Williams, equity director, Middleton Reutlinger.

The conference runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST with a reception to follow in Indianapolis and on some campuses around the state. Register at https://www.iu.edu/~vpurapp/MainUniversityPartnershipsandReciprocityConference.shtml to participate in Indianapolis or via videoconference at another IU campus. The registration deadline is Nov. 10.