President Tim Johnson called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m.

Minutes
The minutes from the September 2, 2004 meeting were unanimously approved as written following John B.'s move to approve and seconds by Hugh and John M.

Alumni Council Report
Terry reported on the September 25 Alumni Council meeting. Council voted to expand its at-large membership from 12 to 15 members. These new members will represent geographic areas that were previously underrepresented. John Fisher has agreed to chair a stadium campaign committee for Ball State. The committee membership includes six who are alumni of the university. In campus news, the Music Instruction Building Dedication was held on September 25.  Terry noted that Julie Bradshaw is the incoming Alumni Council president for 2005.  A list of the current members is available at http://www.bsu.edu/alumni/council/members/. The next Alumni Council meeting will be held on January 29, 2005 followed by the meeting during Alumni College on June 11, 2005.

Departmental Report
Hugh reported that Career Day on November 10 went very well and that approximately 35 students attended. He noted that the program ran a little long with five speakers and that next year the department will use four speakers. The program will also build in a 15 minute Q&A session at the end. Danesa said that she enjoyed Career Day and likes the idea of having only four speakers so that there will be more time for students and speakers to interact.

NREM faculty will attend a strategic planning retreat on January 15 to assess departmental programs and practices. Items faculty will be considering include survey results regarding curriculum from NREM 201, 405 and 609 classes and the potential of a senior exit exam. 

Dr. Sheaffer received a Lilly grant extension. This will be partially used to support a "professional experience" for NREM 201 students this spring. An additional Lilly grant was awarded to support research by new faculty. The grant, for which Jarka Popovicova qualifies, can be used for equipment, faculty release time, graduate student stipends, etc. Hugh, Dr. Van Meter and Heather Rickleff are working on a 2-4 minute promotional video detailing the department's facilities, programs and interactions with the NREM Alumni Society. The video will be available on the NREM website as well as to interested parties (i.e., science teachers or HASTI convention).  Laura Fribley is working on virtual field trip presentations for NREM 101. These power point presentations will provide training for teaching assistants as well as allow classes to participate in field trips regardless of weather conditions or other problems. Virtual field trips also provide students with an opportunity to receive class content they may have missed.

There is now one application for the Hibbs, Nicoloff and CITES scholarships. The Mortensen Fellowship has not been endowed yet. The fall phonathon was successful in raising scholarship and general fund monies.

Hugh reported that Ball State has a strong environmental reputation. Ball State was recognized in the National Wildlife Federation's Campus Environmental Yearbook as one of 7 schools achieving "ambitious campus conservation goals." Specifically, the yearbook pointed to Ball State's use of clean fuels for campus vehicles. The BSU Council on the Environment is working towards efficient paper consumption, reducing Hg use and promoting biodiesel use on campus. Hugh and Gene Frankland (COTE representatives for the College of Sciences and Humanities) persuaded the Dean's office to develop an email distribution list for the college instead of using All BSU.

TC 101 has been reserved for Ted Levin's lecture on April 21, 2005.

The NREM newsletter will be mailed in early December. Tim J. contributed a column.

Membership Update
Nikki McClain's term on the board will end on December 31, 2004. The board discussed several candidates for the opening. It was decided that Sue would send a letter to one of the individuals in order to determine their interest in serving on the board.

Starting January 1, 2005, John B. will be president of the NREM Alumni Society and Amanda Smith will be vice president.

Internship/Career Opportunities Day – Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Invitations to attend Internship/Career Opportunities Day were mailed in November. The invitations were sent to past participants, alumni in NREM related fields, and NREM related organizations that had been suggested by the board.  Extra credit cards will be available for students attending the event for their classes.

Abby was asked to check with the NR Club about creating an ad for Internship/Career Opportunities Day. Dean suggested that testimonials from students who have been placed courtesy of the event would be valuable to participants. The testimonials could even be added to the invitation next year.

Danesa noted that some other universities charge organizations participating in their school's job fair.

Awards Dinner – Friday, April 22, 2005
The Awards Committee is accepting nominations for the Award of Merit. An email will go out to NREM alumni requesting nominations for all of the NREM Alumni Society awards. Terry requested that the email also promote the awards dinner. He suggested professors be emailed to solicit nominations for the Award of Merit. Professors might stay in contact with individuals that have not currently been considered for awards.

It was decided that the awards dinner reception would be held from 6:00-6:30 p.m. with dinner to follow. Thad asked that Hugh or John B., incoming NREM Alumni Society president, send a special invite to Drs. Siewert, Mortensen and any other special guests.

Annual Outings
Adopt a River. John M. reported that in order to Adopt a River there must be a commitment to clean the area at least two times per year. He suggested partnering with the NR Club. There was discussion that the NREM Alumni Society could do one of the cleanings and the NR Club could clean the second time or both times could be a collaborative effort. Abby said she would put the Adopt a River item on the NR Club's agenda to gauge interest.

John M. noted that there is a separate application for a highway sign promoting the group's commitment to that section of the river. There was much discussion over the section of water to adopt including access for canoes, private property issues, visibility of the signage (one mile from the section of river) and transportation - for students in particular. Other issues raised included costs incurred with dumping and hauling of trash and the liability associated with using personal canoes versus renting. Danesa or Amanda will contact Schwartz's regarding canoe rental for the clean-up. Amanda noted that there could be a void issue on the liability release if individuals are getting in and out of the canoe. John M. will look into property rights issues and canoe access for the next meeting. Terry, Danesa and Amanda said that the NREM Alumni Society could partner with various organizations to cover costs for clean-up materials, transportation, waste removal and food.

Summer Float. Danesa has looked into three companies who can organize a float trip for the group.  The best dates for the annual trip would be the last week of June through the first week of October.

Bike Ride.  The board would like to organize a spring bike ride. More details to come at the January meeting.

Miscellaneous
Thanks to Dean for bringing the board zippy clips made from recycled plastic!

Terry thanked Dr. Godish for assisting the DNR with an indoor air quality issue in one of the park buildings.

John B. thanked Tim for two years of service. Tim handed the NREM Alumni Society gavel over to incoming president, John B.

Upcoming Events

• IndianapolisArea Alumni Indiana Ice Outing vs. Lincoln Stars at the Pepsi Coliseum on January 15, 2005. For more information, please visit http://www.bsu.edu/alumni/events/indianaice/
• NREM Alumni Society Internship/Career Opportunities Day will be held on January 25, 2005. For more information, please visit http://www.bsu.edu/alumni/events/nreminternship/
• NREM Career Day is tentatively scheduled for November 8, 2005
• Homecoming is October 15, 2005

Next Meeting
The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m. The next meeting will be held at the Alumni Center following Internship/Career Opportunities Day on January 25, 2005 at 4:30 p.m.