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At IU Kokomo, we are preparing for the celebration of our 60th year of service to north central Indiana during the 2005-2006 academic year. As a part of this planning process, I have had the opportunity to reflect on our past and, more specifically, on the last 10 years since we celebrated our 50th anniversary in 1995.
In retrospect, if I were to characterize the past decade, I'd have to call it "The Decade of the Sciences." A great deal of effort in the early part of the decade was spent developing architectural plans and securing legislative support for a new science building that was badly needed to replace outmoded science labs. When I arrived on campus in 1999, we initiated the "value engineering" (i.e., cost-cutting) phase of the design process and then proceeded to construct the building. BSA LifeStructures gave us a wonderful facility that won an American Institute of Architects Merit Award and was featured in the Education Design Showcase Annual Awards 2002 by College Planning & Management magazine.
We moved into Virgil and Elizabeth Hunt Hall in 2001, and it has proven to be a major positive addition to our campus. As we finished the building process, we began a fund-raising effort for equipment and other educational support for the sciences. After securing a $2 million planned gift that will eventually fund scholarships and upkeep for both the building and equipment, we raised an additional $315,000 for equipment and scholarships. Learning that we would be eligible for a challenge grant from the Kresge Foundation, we embarked upon the last phase of our efforts--raising another $468,000 to receive a match from the foundation.
I am happy to report that we exceeded our goal and are continuing to receive pledges and gifts. In the end, our total fund-raising effort has yielded more than $3 million for the sciences.
All in all, over the last decade, IU Kokomo's administrators, faculty and staff have devoted a great deal of time and effort to enhancing the sciences and related fields. We not only have a beautiful and functional facility, but endowments for equipment and scholarships that will ensure success for the future. Along the way, we have also increased our programmatic efforts in the sciences, adding an A.S. in radiography, developing a proposal for a B.S. in medical imaging technology that we hope to implement in 2005, starting a first cohort of M.S.N. students and encouraging tomorrow's college students by hosting the Indiana State Science and Engineering Fair and the Indiana Academy of Science Talent Search, and serving as a permanent home for the Howard County Science Fair. Our science faculty members are actively engaged in research and often include students in their projects.
IU Kokomo's challenge in the future is to continue enhancement of the sciences while becoming even more inclusive of related disciplines, especially in health, wellness and quality of life areas. As the only public university in our 11-county service area of north central Indiana, we have a responsibility to serve as a convener for the discussion of these needs and a provider of educational services related to them. I look forward to working with colleagues both on and off campus to continue our progress in advancing north central Indiana.
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