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IU Kokomo meets Kresge Science Initiative goal
January 24, 2005 | |||||
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KOKOMO, Ind.---Over more than a decade, Indiana University Kokomo has improved both the opportunities for and quality of science education offered to north central Indiana residents. In the latest advancement, the campus has exceeded its goal of raising $468,000 by the end of 2004, to attain a Kresge Foundation matching grant and establish an endowment for replacement of science education equipment. On January 21, 2005, gifts to the Kresge Science Initiative campaign totaled $502,247, said Chancellor Ruth J. Person. Coupled with the construction of Virgil and Elizabeth Hunt Hall in the late 1990s and associated gifts for building maintenance and scholarships, the campaign represents another milestone in more than 12 years and $3 million in efforts to advance science education at IU Kokomo, she said. (See "Timeline.") "Many generous individuals, groups, and businesses made this decade of progress possible. We thank them for investing not just their money, but, more importantly, their confidence in IU Kokomo as an important educational resource for the residents of this region." "IU Kokomo needs state-of-the-art equipment to introduce new degree programs, such as the Associate of Science in Radiography program started in 2002, and the recently approved Bachelor of Science in Medical Imaging Technology (B.S.M.I.T.)," Person said. IU Kokomo expects 11 students to graduate in radiography on May 10. Tentatively, the B.S.M.I.T. program will begin in fall 2005. Having the latest equipment available for on-campus research aids faculty recruitment and retention, Person said. "Our science faculty members are looking into such questions such as how to ensure drinking water safety and develop alternative power sources---research with direct applications to quality of life here and in the larger world. Our faculty often involve students in their research, significantly enhancing students' practical knowledge for future careers." "Science and technology are driving factors to the forward momentum of many educational opportunities that will enrich the lives of residents of Kokomo, Howard County, and beyond," said James Alender, president and CEO of Howard Regional Health System. Alender served a co-chair of the endowment project, along with Tonya Goodier of Delphi Electronics and Safety and Chuck Bucheri of Bucheri, McCarty and Metz, LLP. "At a time when health care professionals are sorely needed to meet the expanding needs of our communities, the many pledges to the Kresge Science Initiative from corporations, organizations, and especially individuals are greatly appreciated," Alender said. "Nursing and other students benefiting from the new equipment and academic programs at IU Kokomo will provide a source of well trained, highly qualified professionals at Howard Regional Health System and other area health care facilities." Robert Roales, Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Natural, Information, and Mathematical Sciences (NIMS), said the equipment endowment will play an important part when NIMS fills a faculty position in molecular biology soon. "The endowment makes it possible to purchase equipment to attract a molecular biologist, equipment we don't have now," Roales said. "In turn, our students benefit from the knowledge and techniques brought to IU Kokomo by new faculty on the cutting edge of biological research." "The Kresge Science Initiative demonstrates the growing maturity of the Kokomo campus and its deepening connection with the region's future," said Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Stuart Green. The success of the Kresge campaign, Green said, allows IU Kokomo to further develop curricula that complement local economic development. These include coursework in the life sciences---biology, chemistry, and physics as they apply to human life---and "informatics"---the application of information technology to other fields, such as health care, journalism, biology, and economics. Virtually all IU Kokomo and Purdue University School of Technology Kokomo students take some foundational science courses, said acting Vice Chancellor for External Relations Jack Tharp, Ed.D. "Students are in elementary education, nursing, chemistry, and other majors will benefit from hands-on instruction with appropriate equipment." In 2003, the Kresge Foundation of Troy, Mich., offered IU Kokomo a $234,000 matching grant to support science instruction, contingent on the campus meeting the $468,000 endowment fund goal within 18 months. "Prior to the Kresge challenge, the campus had already raised $250,000 for science equipment," Tharp said. "All total, this was a $935,000 campaign, with the Kresge grant equaling 25 percent of project costs." North central Indiana benefits economically by supporting science education, Tharp said. "By and large, our graduates live and work in this area. One corporate donor, Baxter Pharmaceuticals, gave to the Kresge Initiative with the stipulation that they could recruit our science grads for employment in their laboratories." Many professions in the region would face "severe workforce shortages" without the graduates of IU Kokomo's degree programs, said Logansport Memorial Hospital CEO Brian Shockney. "Those degrees have allowed the residents of north central Indiana to improve their standard of living, keep local businesses thriving, and elevate the knowledge and professional base of our communities." Shockney helped chair the Cass County Kresge campaign committee, and fundraising efforts by Memorial Hospital employees. Many of Memorial's employees, including Shockney, have been students at IU Kokomo. "Fifty percent of those individuals would not have attended college at all or attained degrees if IU Kokomo had not been here," Shockney said. Shockney recalled taking lab courses in the old science lab in the Main Building. "While the professors did the best they could with the facilities they had available, it was not conducive to new technologies and lab curriculum," he said. "A solid science-based education is key to developing critical thinking skills and learning the scientific method of management. No matter what the major of the student, a quality science curriculum will develop their skills for success." Tharp congratulated Shockney and other community and alumni volunteers for their work on the Kresge Science Initiative. Their "substantive grassroots efforts" accounted for about 25 percent of gifts pledged, according to Tharp. For more information on supporting science and other academic offerings at Indiana University Kokomo, contact the Office of External Relations at (765) 455-9415.
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