Indiana Tech adds two to its board of trustees

Indiana Tech’s board of trustees elected two new members to the board at its most recent quarterly meeting. Dr. Crystal B. Thomas and Dr. Jeffrey H. Witte were elected to the university’s governing board to begin their service with the start of Indiana Tech’s new academic year on July 1, 2024.

Dr. Thomas is a longtime school principal within Fort Wayne Community Schools and the founder and senior pastor at Zion Tabernacle Church in Fort Wayne. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana State University, a Master of Science degree from Butler University, a Master of Arts degree from Martin University and the Christian Theological Seminary, a Doctor of Divinity degree from Indianapolis Christian University and a Doctor of Theology degree from Fort Wayne Theological Seminary and Bible College.

Dr. Witte is a graduate of Indiana Tech’s PhD in Global Leadership program. In 2024, the PhD program at the university was named the Witte Family PhD in Global Leadership, in recognition of the significant and steadfast support Dr. Witte has shown to the program and its students over the last several years. Dr. Witte is an active and experienced researcher, author and teacher, and his career includes over 35 years of service in the law enforcement field. In addition to his Indiana Tech degree, Dr. Witte earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Science degree with a concentration in Criminal Justice and Police Management from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Science in Education and Allied Professions from the University of Dayton.

In addition to Dr. Thomas and Dr. Witte, members of Indiana Tech’s board of trustees include:

• Gregg Sengstack, Chairperson of the Board, Franklin Electric Co., Indiana Tech board chair
• Richard “Dick” Schul, Consultant, Emerson Climate Technologies, Indiana Tech board vice chair
• Cheri Becker, Community Development Consultant, Indiana Tech board secretary
• Whitney Bandemer, Principal, WB Consulting, LLC
• Jeffrey Benzing, Communications Manager, General Motors Fort Wayne Assembly
• Thomas Burns, Director of North American Engineering (Ret.), Mars, Inc.
• Clifford Clarke, President, C2 IT Advisors
• William Daugherty, Senior Vice President, The Capital Group Companies
• Mark Dely, Chief Administrative and Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, Vera Bradley, Inc.
• Dena Jacquay, Chief Administrative Officer, Parkview Health
• Anthony Juliano, Vice President and General Manager, Asher Agency
• Wendy Kobler, PhD, Chief Development and External Relations Officer, Cincinnati Works
• John Kunze, President (Ret.), Climate Solutions, Regal Rexnord Corporation
• Rear Admiral David Nash, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
• Geoff Paddock, Executive Director, Headwaters Park Alliance and Fort Wayne City Councilman
• Jack Phlipot, Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Indiana Tech
• Rev. Arnold Pierson, President/CEO (Ret.), ELCA Federal Credit Union
• Jarrod Stoller, Technical Sales Manager, Therma Tru Doors

Dr. Drapala earns Faculty of the Year honors for 2023-24

Dr. Sharon Drapala, Indiana Tech associate professor of biology, is the university’s Faculty of the Year.

Dr. Drapala joined Indiana Tech in 2022 to lead its health science degree program, which prepares students for a wide array of in-demand health careers and additional education that is necessary to pursue more intensive medical careers.

“Dr. Drapala is very passionate and energetic in her approach to teaching. Her students describe her as knowledgeable, engaging and supportive,” said Dr. Kathleen Hanold Watland, Indiana Tech vice president for academic affairs. “Students frequently comment about how much they learned in her classes and how well prepared they are to help others as they move forward in their professions. Dr. Drapala is a shining example of what it means to be an exceptional educator.”

Dr. Drapala’s education includes a Doctor of Chiropractic Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, and a Bachelor of Biology from the University of California-Santa Cruz.

Indiana Tech earns Military Friendly Gold Designation

In addition to Military Friendly® status, Indiana Tech was also recognized as a Top 10-Gold Level institution among graduate programs, placing third among the top ten schools in this category. According to Viqtory, a Top 10-Gold Level designation indicates Indiana Tech is a “guidon bearer to military/veteran programs and initiatives,” and sets standards for other institutions to follow.

“Receiving this award for the last 13 years shows the dedication that Indiana Tech has to our military and veteran students. I have the honor of leading a team of professionals who work diligently to make Indiana Tech the best possible choice for military-connected students. Being among the top 10 graduate programs for several years now is great, and making it into third place this year is even better,” said Ryan Ozbun, associate vice president of Military & Veteran Services at Indiana Tech. “In addition to continually striving for first place, we have a lot of great opportunities coming our way this year. Everything this team does is to benefit our military students, and we will continue to seek new and better ways to serve them.”

Methodology, criteria and weightings for this designation are determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council, made up of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Viqtory measures each institution’s ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.

Indiana Tech’s Military & Veteran Services team extends its support to military service members, veterans and military spouses, as well as civilian Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Homeland Security employees.

State organization recognizes Givan for her outstanding leadership

Indiana Tech Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Belonging Lisa Givan was recognized as a Distinguished Woman Leader by the American Council on Education Women’s Indiana Network (ACE-WIN).

This award represents women who:

• Advocate for women and have pioneered change.
• Champion the advancement of women in leadership roles and have been a voice for all women in higher education.
• Are celebrated for providing outstanding leadership to women in their institutions, field of expertise and/or in society at large.
• Are well-known for inspirational, inclusive, innovative work on behalf of women that goes beyond the scope of their formal job descriptions.

“Lisa has brought so many positive changes to our university over the past six years, and I am so happy she is being recognized for her work,” said Indiana Tech President Karl. W. Einolf, Ph.D. “She is very deserving of this honor.”

The ACE Women’s Network is a national system of networks within each state, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, with the goal of advancing and supporting women in higher education. Each state network is led by a state chair who works with institutional representatives and at least one presidential sponsor to develop programs that identify, develop, encourage, advance, link and support (IDEALS) women in higher education careers within that state.

The mission of Indiana’s ACE network is to inspire, develop and support women leaders to transform higher education.

Partnerships create seamless pathways to educational opportunities

Indiana Tech has entered into three articulation agreements with other universities that will help students begin their next steps in their educational journeys.

Chicago Colleges of Chicago: City Colleges students who have successfully completed an associate degree can seamlessly transfer into a bachelor’s program at Indiana Tech as a junior. To qualify for guaranteed admission, City Colleges of Chicago students must complete the General Education Core Curriculum (IAI-GECC) and transfer with an Associate in Arts or an Associate in Applied Science. More information, including benefits for City Colleges employees is as follows:

• Sixty (60) credits hours go towards Junior standing, up to 90 credit hours are accepted
• Waived application fee
• Students with a 2.5 GPA will receive a 20 percent tuition reduction
• City Colleges employees, their spouses, and their dependent children will receive a 20 percent tuition reduction for undergraduate and graduate programs
• City Colleges employees will receive a 20 percent tuition reduction in tuition for the Ph.D. program

To learn more about this partnership, including scholarship opportunities available for students, connect with Amanda Williams, district director of student transfer success at City Colleges of Chicago, 312.553.2743 or awilliams720@ccc.edu.

MedCerts: Indiana Tech has partnered with MedCerts, an online training provider focused on certifications in allied health care and IT. Through this collaboration, students who have completed MedCerts certifications can transfer up to 30 credit hours toward an Indiana Tech degree program. More information is available here.

Wittenberg University: Indiana Tech and Wittenberg University of Springfield, Ohio are offering a new dual-degree program that will enable students to earn a B.A. in physics from Wittenberg and a B.S. in engineering from Indiana Tech.

Administered through Wittenberg’s Department of Physics, the new five-year program gives Wittenberg students a competitive advantage as it combines the critical thinking, immersive research and problem-solving skills that define Wittenberg’s liberal arts education with the expansive, high-tech learning options offered at Indiana Tech, a larger, STEM-focused institution.