In the second round of Welcoming Campus Innovator funding, twenty-two projects from units across IUPUI received more than $400,000 in grants. The projects are currently being developed and will be showcased during IUPUI’s 50th Anniversary (2018-19) and beyond. The proposals support Welcoming Campus Initiative themes, which you can see below.
Communicating Who We Are
Projects supporting this theme result in experiences and approaches that foster greater connection with IUPUI through greater understanding of who we are as a campus.
Projects and Innovators
Project description:
University Archives, the Public History and Media Arts and Science Programs, and The Polis Center are collaborating on an interactive timeline that contains the building blocks for IUPUI’s institutional memory.
Project Members:
- David Bodenhamer, Executive Director and Professor, The Polis Center (Project lead)
- Stephen Towne, Associate University Archivist, Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives (Project Co-lead)
Project description:
The White Racial Literacy Project provides an educational environment and reflective opportunity for white people within the IUPUI community to unpack misconceptions and misinformation about structural racism.
Project Members:
- Lori Patton Davis, Professor, School of Education (Project lead)
Creating a Vibrant and Inclusive Student Experience
Projects supporting this theme contribute to IUPUI’s goals for student success by focusing on ways in which IUPUI can create a more welcoming campus for students and strengthen students’ sense of connectedness and belonging.
Projects and Innovators
Project description:
>The Japanese Studies Program and Japanese Culture Club will host the Japanese Olympiad of Indiana (JOI) in February 2019 at the IUPUI Campus Center.
Project members:
- Keiko Kuriyama, Senior Lecturer and Director of the Japanese Studies Program, School of Liberal Arts (Project lead)
- Jay Hershberger, Student, Japanese Culture Club President (Project Co-Lead)
Project description:
The main goal of this project is to give the dance organizations on campus an opportunity to showcase their work to the entire campus, build strong partnerships amongst the dance organizations on campus, and celebrate the art of dance.
Project members:
- Meghan Nowels, Student, President, The Moving Company at IUPUI (Project lead)
- Paige Craigie, Director, The Moving Company at IUPUI (Project Co-Lead)
- Lauren Ryan, Student, The Moving Company at IUPUI (Project Co-Lead)
Project description:
Additional funding for the mission of SAAB--Student African-American Brotherhood to support and enhance student experiences of inclusiveness of undergraduate African-American males.
Project members:
- Eric D. Williams, Program Director, Diversity, Enrichment, and Achievement, University College (Project lead)
- Daniel Walker, Student, SAAB/B2B Member (Project Co-Lead)
Project description:
The proposed welcoming experience offers students the opportunity to represent IUPUI in intercollegiate competitions through their involvement in the design and fabrication of robots and vehicles.
Project members:
- Andres Tovar, Associate Professor, School of Engineering and Technology (Project lead)
- Sohel Anwar, Associate Professor and Graduate Chair, School of Engineering and Technology (Project Co-Lead)
- Mohammad Hasan, Associate Professor, School of Science (Project Co-Lead)
- Cory Robinson, Associate Director of The Basile Center for Art, Design and Public Life, Herron School of Art and Design (Project Co-Lead)
Project description:
Our initiative seeks to reduce these barriers through: advisor training workshops to shift how we discuss mathematics; a campaign of positive math messaging; peer-led study groups; and assessment of attitudes toward math.
Project members:
- Katie Schuman, Student Success Advisor, Division of Undergraduate Education (Project lead)
Project description:
The team aims to provide a welcome to the campus community through online modules given between orientation and the start of classes that will allow students to engage with the community. They also plan to hold a one-day institute focused on examining the various issues involved with helping University College students feel welcome in their intended degree-granting schools from day one and developing action plans schools will commit to in addressing these issues.
Project members:
- Christian Rogers, Assistant Professor, School of Engineering and Technology (Project lead)
- Matthew Rust, Senior Executive Director of Campus Career and Advising Services, Division of Undergraduate Education (Project lead)
- Heather Bowman, Director of First-Year Programs, Division of Undergraduate Education (Project Co-lead)
- Maureen Kinney, Executive Director, STEM Cluster, Office of Adademic and Career Development (Project Co-lead)
- Amy Maidi, Forensic and Investigative Sciences Academic Advisor and Program Coordinator, School of Science (Project Co-lead)
- Mayuri Patel, Academic Advisor, School of Engineering and Technology (Project Co-lead)
- Lygia Vernon, Economics Undergraduate Advisor, School of Liberal Arts (Project Co-lead)
- Carlos Zapata, Student Success Advisor/Team Coordinator, Office of Academic and Career Development (Project Co-lead)
Project description:
The “Get UPnGO” initiative proposed by the Underrepresented Professional and Graduate Student Organization (UPnGO) will help advance the theme “Creating a Vibrant and Inclusive Student Experience” by providing student-led recruitment and retention efforts as well as offering events and programming to address issues pertinent to student success.
Project members:
- Tabitha Hardy, Assistant Dean, University Graduate School (Project lead)
- Sohin Shah, Student, Vice President, UPnGO (Project Co-lead)
Project description:
The ROAR for 5 challenge is all about building spirit and loyalty for the IUPUI Jaguars. Participation in this project helps us celebrate IUPUI’s 50th Anniversary Year by increasing home game attendance to create a true Division 1 NCAA experience for all involved while creating a better over-all student experience.
Project members:
- Beverly Knight, Director of Corporate Sponsorships, Athletics (Project lead)
Project description:
Through this project we will develop a video series featuring IUPUI students sharing the challenges they faced upon entering college, how they worked through those challenges, and a brief introduction to the concept of growth-mindset (Dweck, 2007).
Project members:
- Cathy Buyarski, Associate Dean, Division of Undergraduate Education/University College (Project lead)
- Andrea Engler, Student Transition and Mentor Initiatives, Divison of Undergraduate Education
- Eric Sickels, Director of Communications and Digital Strategy, Division of Undergraduate Education
Project description:
The Social Justice Achievers (SJA) Ambassador and Mentoring Project program seeks to provide support through mentoring, leadership development, and intergroup dialogue training for underrepresented students in the undergraduate programs of the IU School of Social Work and School (IUSSW) of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) who may face barriers to securing professional work and/or pursuing a graduate degree.
Project members:
- Ivette Barbosa, Student Services Coordinator, School of Social Work (Project lead)
- Tamra Wright, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, School of Public and Environmental Affairs (Project Co-lead)
Project description:
Goals for this project include strengthening sophomore students’ connectedness and belonging while working towards IUPUI’s goals for student success and retention.
Project members:
- Gwen Chastain, Director of Educational Partnerships and Student Success, Division of Student Affairs (Project lead)
Project description:
This project aims to enhance the beloved campus tradition of the IUPUI Regatta by bringing the event closer to home, both in a physical and communal sense.
Project members:
- Jason Kabir, Student, Executive Director, IUPUI Regatta Steering Committee (Project lead)
- Anthony Hunger, Student, Associate Executive Director, IUPUI Regatta Steering Committee (Project Co-lead)
Designing an Accessible, Inspiring Urban Campus
Projects supporting this theme promote pride and engagement through activities and enhancements to IUPUI’s physical space, such as improving campus navigation on and off campus, developing campus art fund, and identifying ways for students to have more interactions with faculty, staff, and administrators.
Projects and Innovators
Project description:
The project will install educational signage and web-link electronic tags on trees and iconic landmarks along a 2.3-mile greenway that forms the western edge of the IUPUI campus to provide visitors with information about the area’s history, vegetation, wildlife, and the continuing evolution of the IUPUI peninsula.
Project members:
- Pierre-Andre Jacinthe, Professor, School of Science (Project lead)
- Robert Barr, Scientist, Center for Earth and Environmental Science (Project Co-lead)
- Victoria Schmalhofer, Assistant Director for Ecology, Center for Earth and Environmental Science (Project Co-lead)
Engaging and Integrating with the Community
Projects supporting this theme foster connections within IUPUI and the broader community through events and activities that promote engagement.
Projects and Innovators
Project description:
The team aims to bring together voices from the university and the community to engage in a conversation around the significance of working collaboratively to strengthen the region with an educated workforce.
Project members:
- Jay Lesandrini, Director of the Office of Communications and Marketing, IUPUC (Project lead)
- Jennifer Boehm, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Office of Community Engagement (Project Co-lead)
Project description:
The Center for Public Health Practice will engage students in service-learning and leadership activities while encouraging further integration with the surrounding Indianapolis community.
Project members:
- Marcie Memmer, Director, Center for Public Health Practice, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health (Project lead)
- Andrea Janota, Program Coordinator, Center for Public Health Practice, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health (Project Co-lead)
Project description:
Overall goal: Build key technical and institutional infrastructure that will result in better data to inform decisions about how community engagement efforts can be more strategic, coordinated, effective, and responsive to community issues.
Project members:
- Jennifer Boehm, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Office of Community Engagement (Project lead)
- Sharon Kandris, Associate Director, The Polis Center (Project Co-lead)
Project description:
In partnership with Family, School, and Neighborhood Engagement and community partners (Indianapolis Public Schools and Indianapolis Freedom School Partnership), the IUPUI School of Education will operate a Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School.
Project members:
- Tambra Jackson, Associate Professor, School of Education (Project lead)
- Natasha Flowers, Clinical Associate Professor, School of Education (Project Co-lead)
Project description:
The IUPUI 50th Anniversary Community Service Projects team is working with the Near West neighborhood committees to identify potential service projects that could be completed during academic year 2018-19 that would align with the community’s priorities.
Project members:
- Jennifer Boehm, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Office of Community Engagement (Project lead)
- Lorrie Brown, Director of Student and Staff Engagement, Center for Service and Learning (Project Co-lead)
Investing in Faculty and Staff
Projects supporting this theme demonstrate strategies and approaches that can foster ongoing commitment by employees to IUPUI as well as by IUPUI to its employees.
Projects and Innovators
Project description:
Creating Campus Change (C3) is a professional development series for LGBTQ+ graduate/professional students, staff and faculty. This year-long series seeks to build a sense of community as well as meeting the personal and professional development needs of LGBTQ+ people in higher education.
Project members:
- Matthew Holley, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, School of Medicine (Project lead)
- Robert Smith, Assistant Director of Onboarding and Career Services, Degree Completion Office, Division of Undergraduate Education (Project Co-lead)
- Shelly Snider, Chair, IUPUI LGBTQ+ Faculty Staff Council and Career Services Specialist, School Of Engineering and Technology (Project Co-lead)
Project description:
This project aims to contribute to the creation of such a cultural shift by focusing on two intersecting goals: Intentionally infusing diversity and global-mindedness throughout the college curriculum with a focus on high impact practices and engaged learning; and equipping our faculty/staff to be agents of change and culturally competent through diversity/intercultural training and professional development workshops.
Project members:
- Jennifer Thorington Springer, Director of the Rise Program, Division of Undergraduate Education (Project lead)
- Gina Sanchez Gibau, Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Diversity and Inclusion, Office of Academic Affairs (Project Co-lead)