Call to Order
President Amanda Smith called the meeting to order at 4:15 p.m.

Minutes
The minutes from the January 23, 2007 meeting were unanimously approved as written.

Alumni Council Report
Alumni Council president Charles Green presented information about President Gora's Education Redefined Tour at the April 28, 2007 meeting.  Green also noted that Rick Hall '89, an attorney with Barnes and Thornburg in Indianapolis, was recently appointed by Governor Daniels to the Board of Trustees. The Alumni Association appoints two trustees to four-year renewable terms. Alumni nominees can be submitted to Ed Shipley.

Vice president Ben Hancock reported that Ball State is in the feasibility portion of a capital campaign that will be launched in 2008.

Mark Ervin said the Foundation had an impressive 15.1% return on first quarter investments.

Fifty BSUAA Legacy Scholarship recipients will each receive a $2,000 scholarship. There were 160 applicants in 2007.  

The "Born to be a Cardinal" program welcomes newborns into the Ball State family. For a $15 fee, parents and grandparents of a child under twelve months of age will receive a $10 custodial account in the child's name at the Ball State Federal Credit Union, a BSU bib and a magnetic photo frame.  More information about the program can be found online at http://www.bsu.edu/alumni/article/0,1384,28196-4392-51668,00.html

Scheumann Stadium, Park Hall and the new College of Communications, Information and Media Building will be dedicated this fall.

The next Alumni Council meeting will be September 29, 2007.

Departmental Report
Jimmie reported that fall NREM enrollment was low in a couple of courses. However, NR 101 enrollment has stayed steady and outpaced geology and geography. The lead instructor for NR 101, Tim Lyon, will be leaving the department in June 2008. Jimmie noted that because Lyon is retiring early the department may have to wait a year to fill the position. 

Jimmie thanked Terry and the DNR for donating the new/used boat to the department. Jarka will now be able to take four or more students on the water. The boat was equipped with additional gear – boat trailer, life jackets, oars, etc. Amanda requested that a photo be taken for the NREM Alumni Society's display board that is being created.

Amy Gregg has been working with the Freshman Connections Program. Amy is helping coordinate two freshman camping trips to Wabash State Park and Mounds State Park. In other news, the department is continuing to do program assessments and goals. In order to showcase the strengths of the department and increase visibility, the department is also seeking success stories of students and alumni. The NREM Alumni Society will discuss this in more depth at the next meeting. The department is also looking to update their website. A regularly updated front page news story is under consideration for the site and could include departmental news or spotlights on alumni and students. This idea is similar to Amanda's suggestion for "The Calling" on the alumni society's webpage. Carissa suggested the department have a presence on collegeboard.com. It was suggested that the story of how Carissa found Ball State and the NREM department be the first story on the department's revamped front page.

NR Club Report
Carissa is the secretary of the NR Club. She reported that the group had recently held their Welcome Back BBQ in Christy Woods. The event received a photo mention in the Ball State Daily News. The club has plans to go caving in southern Indiana in a couple of weeks and will clean graffiti in the caves as well. The group is looking into spring activities, workshops at the rifle range and Minnetrista, and community service at Prairie Creek Reservoir. The club will be holding fundraisers this year, including a candle fundraiser tentatively scheduled for Thanksgiving. Student representative Lisa Nicklas will bring information to the next alumni society meeting. Amanda requests that the NR Club put herself, Danesa and Laura on the group's listserv. Laura can send event information and requests to the rest of the alumni board as needed.

The next NR Club meeting will be on September 10, 2007 at 6:00 p.m. in WQ127. The group is looking for speakers for the year if anyone on the board is interested. Board members are also welcome to attend all NR Club meetings.

Mission Statement
John B. and John M. will re-work the current mission statement for the society.

Awards
The Awards committee is comprised of Amanda, Jimmie, Sue, Danesa, Denise, Terry and John B.  The committee will meet to discuss potential award nominees and the program at 5:00 p.m. on November 8, 2007 at Mounds State Park.

There was some discussion on when the student awards might be held. One option is to hold the student awards prior to the Alumni Awards Dinner on Friday, April 18, 2008.  The other option would a combination of the Earth Day Celebration on Tuesday, April 22 and the student awards.  Sue will look into building availability for the 22^nd if that is when the department decides to hold the student awards.

Membership
Members with terms expiring in 2007 were asked to let Sue know if they intend to remain on the board for another term or not.  Tim Higgins has stepped down due to scheduling conflicts. The individual selected to fill this vacancy will first serve a one year term. Several potential candidates were discussed. Sue will obtain biography information on the nominees and send them to the board.

River Clean-Up
The river clean-up will be held on Saturday, September 15 at 9:00 a.m. Anyone interested in assisting with this endeavor should contact John M.

Homecoming – Roll Out the Red
The Homecoming Awards Dinner will be held on Friday, October 12, 2007.  Danesa will receive a GOLD (Graduate of the Last Decade) Award.  If you are available, please come and show your support! Danesa will also be riding in the Homecoming parade on Saturday, October 13. A pre-game rally will be held on Saturday from 11:30 a.m.  – 1:30 p.m. The Cardinals kick-off against Western Kentucky at 2:00 p.m.

Contact Laura if interested in a Homecoming t-shirt with "ALUMNI" printed on the back. T-shirts are $10.

New Initiatives – Indianapolis event
Mike S. and Terry will work on finding a venue for an Indianapolis-area event.  Suggestions included the Indianapolis Center, the Rathskeller, the Indianapolis Zoo and the HASTI annual conference at the Indiana Convention Center February 6-8, 2008.  Danesa suggested that a social event and a reception at the HASTI Conference can be done next year.  Danesa will check into having a booth and reception at the conference. Jimmie and Jarka will put together materials and a display for the booth and for use at other NREM alumni events.  Jimmie noted that he had CEDD (Council of Environmental Deans and Directors) brochures to acquaint high schoolers with environmental careers. It was suggested that those brochures be taken to the HASTI conference.

Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 6:05 p.m. for the football pre-game rally. Members were invited to attend the first home football game versus Miami University (OH).  The next meeting will follow the NREM Internship & Career Fair on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 at 4:30 p.m. in the Alumni Center.