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Tali and I are very proud of our sons Ronen, Asaf, and Amit who are here. My brother Ariel has travelled 6,000 miles to join us. His presence means
the world to me. Please join me in extending a warm Midwestern welcome to them.
And nally, I would like to thank Dianne Roden and Kathleen Ligocki for sharing the podium with me. Its a privilege to be here with them.
Today we celebrate the rich heritage and promising future of IU Kokomo and North Central Indiana.
I am proud to follow in the steps of our founding father Virgil Hunt, who also graduated from IU and years later came back to lead IU Kokomo. We
are delighted to have with us today his son Mr. Bill Hunt. Virgil Hunt was followed by Smith Higgins, Victor Bogle, Hugh Thompson, Emita Hill, Ruth
Person, and Stuart Green.
I have spent the past 114 days on the move, meeting people, listening, and learning. I would like to share with you a few of my observations, and
introduce to you three major themes, I intend to focus on in the coming months. I oer these preliminary thoughts with my assurance that I will never
stop listening and learning while we as a community continue to rene our vision.
First Theme: Enhance Academic Excellence and Student Success.
It was Benjamin Disraeli, the British statesman who said: Upon the education of the people of this country the fate of this country depends. Truer
words could not have been said about our region. Addressing this challenge will require commitment and hard work on behalf of our faculty and sta.
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the warm welcome you have extended to me. I have been impressed by your commitment to students
and academic excellence. And to the students here today, I urge you to take advantage of all we have to oer, to engage with our faculty and sta
and realize your dreams.
Academic excellence and student success are at the heart of our enterprise. We will strive to create a learning environment that engages learners,
that supports high standards and motivates independent learning. We will focus on transforming our students rather than merely transferring
information. This world of daunting complexity requires graduates who are exible, adaptable and creative. We will be responsive to the needs and
preferences of those we serve while ensuring that we maintain a competitive edge and oer signicant added value in our education.
To that end we have begun several initiatives. Let me mention only a few:
In his State of the University address, President McRobbie challenged IU regional campuses to improve graduation rates. In response, I am in the
process of formulating an "On-Time Graduation Task Force" that will examine policies, process, space, technology, learning, advising, and
structures. I ask for very creative & innovative analysis and bold recommendations. Let there be no mistake: more of our students must complete
their degrees.
We are working to ensure the seamless transfer of students to IU Kokomo. To that end we are deploying academic advisors to Ivy Tech campuses and
we have created a joint position with Ivy Tech to coordinate transfer.
We are developing 5 new academic programs and 30 online courses. These programs are all in areas of high demand in this region and build on our
strengths.
We are increasing professional development, research activity and opportunities to attract external funding.
We are actively expanding opportunities for students to have an international and/or an internship and participate in undergraduate research. And
nally, we are addressing the necessity to increase classroom utilization.
We are on the move!
Second Theme: Regional transformation.
From the moment I learned that the university would hold an installation ceremony for me, I wanted to use the occasion as an opportunity to invite
regional leaders to partner with us to bring about the transformation of North Central Indiana. I thank you for your overwhelming response.
Among our partners is the Mayor of our host city and a student at IU Kokomo, Greg Goodnight. I would like to take a moment to recognize him. A
recent article in CNN Money acknowledges the Mayor for being instrumental in bringing Kokomo back to life.
We live in an era of accelerated economic change that at times can make us feel as if we are living through a perfect storm. We are swiftly
departing from the "labor-material" paradigm of production to a new economic model based on knowledge and innovation. The pace of the
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has an equal opportunity to be educated, to raise a family, to earn a good living and to enjoy all the benets of a welcoming and inclusive community.
I am moved by the large regional presence here it conrms for me that together we will achieve regional transformation.
President McRobbie, I am grateful for the privilege of leading IU Kokomo, being part of your leadership team and following your vision. I will do so in
the context of the principles of excellence you set forth. It is with that commitment that I accept the title and the responsibilities to serve you and
Indiana University as the chancellor of Indiana University Kokomo.
IU Kokomo is on the move and regional transformation will take place! We are bound by a common goal: to sustain here in North Central Indiana the
American dream of a better tomorrow. We are on the move while remaining grounded in Hoosier values and dedicated to a global perspective
and academic excellence.
At the end of the day, the ultimate test of our success is the dierence we make in the life of one individual. Together we will make a dierence in the
lives of many.
We are on the move!
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