President Candy Yoder opened the meeting and introduced Patsy Boehler who shared positive words, led the Pledge, and Four-Way Test.
Welcome table volunteers were Jan Farron, Monica Abair, and Tom McArthur, who introduced today's guests including: Tom Stevick from IUSB, Patty Wheeler (Anne McCuistion) and special guests of the club, Marie Drake. Welcome to ALL, we hope you can all join us again some other time!
Steve Van Scoik, Past District Governor (PDG) gave an update on his club's project to purchase a water truck in collaboration with a Rotary Club in Zambia. Did you know it takes over 30,000 gallons of water to DRILL a well? The truck, called a 'Bowser' will help the local area villages in their efforts to secure reliable, safe water through well-drilling. Thanks to Elkhart Rotarians for their financial support of this life-changing project and to club member Terri Rickel, Assistant District Governor, on her fundraising efforts within our club.
Announcements and continuing club reminders for January 13:
- Dean Hupp announced a very generous offer to those who have not received their first Paul Harris Fellowship. In order to stimulate philanthropy, and in conjunction with the District's matching donation program THROUGH JANUARY, Dean has offered to sponsor up to 18 Elkhart Rotarians at $250 (which would be matched by $250 from the District), leaving the member with just $500 to match to attain their first PHF. SEE DEAN ASAP if you would like to take advantage of this generous offer.
- Doug Risser provided a Rotary Foundation moment, reminding club members about the Every Rotarian, Every Year (EREY) initiative, which encourages all Rotary club members to contribute $100 every year to help Rotary International to support the Rotary Foundation financially each year. Donating is easy, and can be made easier with recurring annual or monthly payments at Rotary.org.
- Past President Peter Norton reminded the club that applications for Rotary Grants will be available soon!
- CONTINUING REMINDER: A message from Doug Risser, if you are interested in a Rotary International and Peace Corps Partnership trip that will be occurring April 18-26, please contact Doug directly.
- CONTINUING REMINDER: Rotary District 6540 Matching Gifts Campaign continues through January 31, 2020 your personal donation of $100-$5,000 to the Annual Fund of The Rotary Foundation will be matched with FOUNDATION RECOGNITION POINTS. Your matching foundation recognition points can be used in several ways:
- For your own Paul Harris designation, at the first level or toward the next multiple. For example, your personal gift of $500 will be matched with 500 points for a total value of $1,000 to achieve designation as a Paul Harris Fellow.
- To recognize another individual with a full Paul Harris Fellow designation or an initial contribution. For example, your $1000 check will be matched with 1,000 points to award Paul Harris Fellow designation to a relative, a community member, or another Rotarian.
- For multiple recognitions, any combination of points designations for yourself and/or other individuals, with a minimum of 100 points per designation. For example, your personal gift of $500 will earn 500 points. You can keep 200 points for yourself to attain the next level, and award 300 points to a deserving new member of your club to inspire future sustaining contributions to the foundation and a future Paul Harris Fellow designation.
- INSTRUCTIONS for the matching promotion:
- Mail a personal check payable to "The Rotary Foundation" to District Rotary Foundation Chair, Judy Walker, including donor information and designating the beneficiary(ies) of the matching points if applicable.
- Mail to: Judy Walker, 8421 Manor Ave. #406, Munster, IN 46321
- Questions? Voice or text 219-680-6557; email jwalker.rotary@gmail.com
- Only those donations submitted per the above instructions will be matched
- Club checks or online donations are not eligible for this offer
- Total 5,092
- Undergraduate students 4,551
- Graduate 541
- International 162
- Full-time undergraduates 79%
- Part-time undergraduates 21%
- Males 35%
- Females 65%
- Minorities 28%
- Traditional age (24 and under) 72%
- Nontraditional age (25 and up) 28%
- 31,000 in 50 states and 46 foreign countries
- Student Geographics
- St. Joseph County 53%
- Elkhart County 22%
- Other Indiana Counties 18%
- Michigan 2%
- Other States 5%
Susan described the top three priorities outlined by her administration:
- Enrollment and Retention - - they will continue to grow in both categories, coming off a record year in 2019
- Campus and Community Engagement - - including:
- A collaborative project, the history of IUSB at the History Museum in South Bend
- South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership involvememt
- Growth and utilization of the Elkhart Campus
- School District Partnerships
- Bicentennial Celebration Campaign - - IU is 200 years old!
About Susan:
Susan Elrod began as the sixth chancellor of Indiana University South Bend on July 1, 2019. She came to IU South Bend from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater where she served as provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.
As a leader, she has led strategic planning and enrollment management planning efforts as well as programs to improve faculty diversity and salary equity, revitalize support for research, launch new data systems, and implement new technological innovations. At UW-Whitewater, she led the university’s restructuring team to incorporate UW-Rock County as a new branch campus.
Previous experience includes serving as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at California State University, Chico (Chico State) and as dean of the College of Science and Mathematics at California State University, Fresno (Fresno State). At Fresno State, she led initiatives that enhanced support for research, expanded community and industry connections, and improved persistence of students in STEM programs. She was principal investigator of a $1.5 million National Science Foundation grant that supported the redesign of introductory science and mathematics courses through a faculty-led learning community framework. She also created a new advising center in the College of Science and Mathematics in partnership with Student Affairs to improve student retention.
Prior to her work at Fresno State, Dr. Elrod served as Executive Director of Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) at the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) in Washington, DC. During her tenure at PKAL, she led several multi-campus, national STEM education initiatives that focused on interdisciplinary learning, sustainability, and STEM student transfer success. She also expanded PKAL's national program of regional faculty networks and led PKAL's Summer Leadership Institute for emerging faculty leaders in the STEM disciplines. She continues to serve as a Senior Scholar at AAC&U.
She has published articles on leadership development, models of leadership and institutional change, quantitative reasoning, and interdisciplinary program development. She continues her work as a national leader in projects that focus on leadership of institutional systemic change in higher education as a scholar, leader, project advisor, and consultant. Recent engagements include a leader in the Accelerating Systemic Change Network’s Systemic Change Institute, advisor to the Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership project, founder of the Gordon Research Conference on Undergraduate Biology Education Research, and member of a National Research Council committee report on Indicators for Monitoring Undergraduate STEM Education.
She was a postdoctoral fellow at Novozymes, Inc. in Davis, CA and holds a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of California, Davis and a B.S. in Biological Science from California State University, Chico.
Thanks, Susan, for a very informative presentation about what's happening at IUSB! If you would like to learn more about IUSB, visit their website.
- January 20: Pete McCown and Levon Johnson, Tolson Center Planning
- January 27: Seth Maust, President and Executive Director, Five Star Life