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Minutes
Dean noted that Amanda was not present at the last meeting and asked that her name be deleted from those listed as being present. The minutes from the
Alumni Council Report
Alumni Council met on
Terry reported on two new initiatives being undertaken by the Alumni Association - the HOST program and a yet unnamed 1 day enrichment program for children of alumni. Terry also congratulated the College of Architecture and Planning on their ranking of 14th in the nation.
Departmental Report
Hugh thanked the board for all of their help in making Internship Day successful. He stated that 105 students were in attendance and 50 were non-NREM majors from areas like landscape architecture, chemistry and biology.
Hugh remarked that last semester the department had worked with Development on a phoneathon. The NREM phoneathon produced the second highest receipts in the college and over $2,000 was raised for the department.
Hugh noted that the scholarship criteria was reviewed by the department. The Clyde Hibbs Scholarship will be used to make two awards – one for freshman or sophomores and one for graduate students. The Nizoloff scholarship will be used for two awards that will be given to juniors and seniors. The Mortensen Award is less than $6,000 away from being endowed. It will be used to create fellowships.
The NREM department is working with the geology department and the graduate school to create a Professional Environmental Consulting Certificate. They are also working on creating a course on environmental responses/environmental security. Hugh pointed out that the NCA review for the university was taking place in February.
Membership
Tim reported that Stan resigned from the board and that a one year position would be available with an opportunity for renewal (3 year term) at the end of the term. Sue said that the Constitution allows the board to fill an additional 3 year term if they would like. The board reviewed candidates who had previously been considered for openings and made recommendations for the two openings. The board decided on two candidates to offer the position to. Tim, Terry and Sue will follow up with the nominees to determine their level of interest.
Career Day review –
Hugh thanked members of the board who had participated on a panel for Career Day – Denise, Mike, John B. and Nikki. The panel, door prizes and food made a great format. Hugh suggested the idea of alternating between this format and the 2002 format. The board recommended that the 2003 format was so successful that it be repeated in 2004. John noted that the board would support whatever format worked best for the department.
Internship/Career Opportunities Day review – Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Hugh reported that over a hundred students attended the day despite the weather. Terry pointed out that more than half of the vendors attending Internship Day were alumni and two of the alumni representatives had not been to the Alumni Center before. Vendors who had planned to attend (some had to cancel due to weather) are available online at http://www.bsu.edu/alumni/nrem/
Denise handed out membership applications for the Indiana Environmental Health Association (IEHA) at Internship Day. IEHA is a professional association for those interested in the environment and public health. Student membership is available for $5 and Denise thought it might be a great opportunity for students to become involved in a professional organization/area of interest. Denise mentioned Registered Environmental Health Specialist certification to students visiting her table as well. The six week training courses are available in Indianapolis but she is investigating the opportunity to have some type of offering at Ball State to shorten the length of the training. Certification is not required for membership in IEHA.
Next year. Denise suggested that there be a designated area for individuals who have completed internships with some of the participating organizations. This would help students find out more information about their overall experience. John B. noted that the NR Club should have a table. Amanda pointed out that the benefits of starting in the field early should be stressed to students. It would help students gain experience and decide if the field is something they would like to pursue. Terry noted that he would like to see more participants from GIS, fish & wildlife, museums and not-for-profits next year.
Tim stated that the board was receiving more and more positive feedback each year regarding Internship Day.
Terry thanked Danesa for obtaining the prizes for the day's raffles and thanked the Alumni Association for all of their help and support.
Outing/Activity
Rafting. Denise reported that the price of a Class 4 Rapids rafting trip (not for beginners) would include rafting, a video, shore lunch and an after-raft dinner. Typically, after the dinner the group goes to the clubhouse to watch the video. The cost for a minimum of 20 people ranges from $130-150. The price comes down mid-week and with more than twenty people but does not include lodging. Lodging can be primitive or in hotels or the community. One option is mid-September to early October in Gas City and in West Virginia. Denise mentioned that a great opportunity for students or the NR club might be to film and produce a video of the rafting and trip. There is the potential that the program could be televised on her relatives program on the Outdoor Channel.
Canoe/River Clean-up. Emily suggested a canoe trip and/or a river clean-up might be a nice outing. Amanda said that an in-state canoe trip might allow interpretation and she would be willing to help with that. Several board members suggested that they might be able to find canoes or kayaks to assist with the outing. Amanda said that literature for the outing should note that any canoe should have at least 2 adults capable of paddling and there needs to be a hand on any children that ride in the canoe. After some discussion, it was decided that early August would be the best time for the event and that Denise and Amanda would look into a clean-up effort around the Noblesville area and have a report for the next meeting.
E-mentoring
Hugh stated that feedback for the e-mentoring program is very positive. He required his undergraduate seminar students to sign up for the e-mentoring program and now they are getting ready to pair students with e-mentors. He noted that the program was not very active last semester.
To sign up to become an e-mentor or for more information contact Hugh or visit: http://www.bsu.edu/alumni/contacts/nremementoring/
Awards
Tim reported that the awards committee is looking at a few individuals for the spring awards. They are still waiting for a response from some candidates. The group will meet at
Hugh suggested "Award of Merit" for the new recent graduate/young alumni award. The board agreed that it was a nice fit with the other awards – Award of Achievement and Award of Distinction. Following Terry's move to approve and Emily's second, the board unanimously approved the name of the new award. After some discussion the board agreed that more than one recipient could be honored with the Award of Merit each year.
Awards Dinner
The board discussed the idea of having a keynote speaker in place of a video. The board decided that because there would be a new award(s) that they would forego a speaker and a video this year and let the awards be the program.
Upcoming Events
- Northeastern Indiana TGIF will be held in Fort Wayne on
- Science Central Winter Break will be held in Fort Wayne on
- Earth Week is
- NREM Alumni Awards Dinner will be
Next Meeting
The meeting adjourned at
