Office of the Chancellor

Forward Together / Special Message from the Chancellor

September 28, 2023

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students,

The academic year is now in full swing, and I hope your fall semester is going well.

As I mentioned in my fall welcome message a few weeks ago, we are planning an all-day, campus-wide strategic planning meeting for Monday, October 30.

It is with great enthusiasm and anticipation that I invite each of you to attend and participate in the day’s programming, which we are calling Forward Together. This will be a great opportunity to come together as a community to celebrate the university’s progress during the past few years and to plan the next chapter of our institution’s future.

I’m pleased to report that we have a highly capable team of individuals who are serving on the Strategic Planning Design Committee that is working diligently to develop a robust program for the planning session. The committee (listed below) includes broad campus representation and is cochaired by Farah Combs, senior lecturer and director of the Honors Program; Dr. Joel Givens, assistant professor of counselor education; and Shubitha Kever, associate chief diversity officer. They are assisted in their work by Kathy Church and Gary Frank, of Strategic Focus Associates.

I hope you will RSVP today and mark your calendars for the October 30 planning session, which will be held in the International Ballroom at Walb Student Union from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. A light breakfast, lunch, and refreshments will be provided, and there will be a wine and cheese reception immediately following the afternoon session.

Additionally, we encourage supervisors to be flexible in allowing employees to take the time to participate in all or part of this important initiative, while ensuring that instruction and services for students are not impacted.

Thank you in advance for the passion, dedication, and big ideas that I know you will bring to this process. I look forward to seeing you there as we maintain our growing momentum and move forward together.

Sincerely,

Ron Elsenbaumer
Chancellor

Strategic Planning Design Committee:

• Lindsay Butcher, Assistant Director, Student Conduct and Care
• Farah Combs (cochair), Senior Lecturer and Honors Program Director
• Kristine Frye, Director of the Writing Center and Library Services
• Joel Givens (cochair), Assistant Professor of Counselor Education
• Cheryl Honkomp, Executive Assistant for Development
• Diana Jackson, Special Projects and Business Manager, Financial and Administrative Affairs
• David Johnson, Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications and Marketing
• Shubitha Kever (cochair), Associate Chief Diversity Officer
• Andrew Kopec, Associate Professor of English and Assistant Director of Ivy Tech Transfer Initiatives
• Carol Lawton, Chair and Professor of Psychology and Presiding Officer of the Faculty Senate
• Erika Mann, Director of Digital Initiatives Technology, Helmke LibraryChristine Marcuccilli, Director of Compliance and Title IX Coordinator
• Vic Spencer, Director of the Resource Center
• Sebastien Wilson, EMSE Graduate Assistant, Student Representative
• Ryan Wooley, Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management and Director of Undergraduate Recruitment