Call to Order:
President Amanda Smith called the meeting to order at 4:35 p.m.

Minutes
The minutes from the August 30, 2007 meeting were unanimously approved as written.

Membership
The NREM Alumni Society board of directors welcomed new member, James Davis, '93. James is the property manager at Mounds State Park.

James filled the position vacated by Tim Higgins. In addition, Mike Womack expressed his regret but also recently resigned from the board. The board discussed opening the floor to new nominations or closing the nominations and voting between the two additional candidates who were considered for the Higgins position. Nominations were ultimately closed. Kyle Johnson, '01 will be invited to join the board. Kyle is the GIS Coordinator for Delaware County.

In other board news, the associate membership status of Don Van Meter, emeritus, was unanimously approved.

Alumni Council Report
Terry reported on the September 29, 2007 Alumni Council meeting. Tom Farris is the 2008 president of the council and Jo Ann Johnston is president-elect.  Terry said he was very excited for the upcoming year because Farris has a lot of new and interesting ideas, including two days of activities for the next council meeting.  Activities beyond the meeting will include facility tours, a reception, meet and greet with the president and the mayor of Muncie, as well as the opportunity to attend a Ball State basketball game.

In other council business, a draft resolution to accept geographic alumni scholarships passed. Any area with alumni ambassadors or chapters could provide a spring scholarship award. In addition, the Ball State Foundation continues to be very stable with above average returns.

The next Alumni Council meeting will be February 1 and 2, 2008. The NREM Alumni Society will have a new representative at the meeting, John B.  Terry is now an at-large member and one of the vice-presidents. 

Departmental Report
Jimmie reported that Hugh Brown and Tim Lyon are retiring from the department. He is trying to hire two contract professors in their absence. Jimmie noted that the number of applications for the doctoral program is up.  He also said that the department was receiving many requests for involvement in community outreach and immersive learning experiences.

Sue requested that the department consider brief, monthly NREM electronic newsletters. The Alumni Association will work on this with Jimmie and Constance Ronald, a graduate assistant who is helping promote the department.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management faculty approved a motion to change the department's name to "Environment and Natural Resources."  The department is currently going through the lengthy process of the name change. After discussion regarding the department's position on this revision, John B. put a motion on the table for a resolution of support for the name change. Dean seconded this motion. The resolution of support  passed unanimously. The department will use this resolution to bolster support for the name change.

NR Club Report/Earth Week
Lisa reported that the NR Club has had a very active semester. They were involved with the White River Watershed Project, Minnetrista's rain barrel project, the Prairie Creek clean-up and enjoyed field trips exploring caves (while also helping move sandblasting equipment 300 yards on their stomachs) and at the Farmland Rifle Range. The NR Club's candle fundraiser was very successful and raised $350. In other club news, discussions are ongoing about teaming up with the Wildlife Society and Students for a Sustainable Campus to form a larger, super club versus three small clubs with somewhat similar interests.  Lisa stated that Katrina McKinley will be the NR Club president for 2008-2009.

John B. suggested that the NR Club become involved with geocaching or mountain biking, two very popular activities. Lisa noted that it is a possibility that has been discussed with Kyle Johnson and John Taylor.

The Earth Week theme is "No Student Left Inside." The Campus Activities Fund Board provided $2600 for the tent event on April 22, 2008.   Potential vendors will be receiving invitations to participate in the tent event and requesting that they provide interactive activities.  Lisa said the group was trying to secure Great Cats of Indiana and their tiger cubs for the event as they are very popular.  In addition, they are trying to get a recycling game coordinated with the Muncie Sanitary District.

The Earth Week keynote speaker is Cheryl Charles, PhD, president of the Children and Nature Network. The Children and Nature Network (http://www.cnaturenet.org/ ) strives to connect nature and children through education, urban design and conservation. Charles will speak on April 21, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. in AJ 175.

Internship & Career Fair Review
The 7^th annual Internship & Career Fair welcomed 91 participants from a variety of natural resources related majors and 48 exhibitors, board members and guests. Twenty-five of the exhibitors/guests were Ball State alumni or current students. The Fair was announced in NREM classes and students received two e-mails regarding the event – one on January 15 and a reminder on January 20. These emails directed students to an online link of exhibitors and the opportunities available. The online list was based directly on what exhibitors submitted with their registration. Jimmie noted that one of Amy Gregg's classes only meets one day a week and that Amy would have held her class at the Alumni Center had the event been on a Thursday. 

Danesa was very impressed with the students and noted that they stayed longer this year and seemed to take things more seriously. James was glad to see that several students specifically sought Mounds out at the Fair.

Amanda said that she liked the Ball State buttons for alumni exhibitors. Buttons really helped students identify the alumni and were a great giveaway.

Surveys will be going out to exhibitors in the coming days. Laura will report on the results at the next alumni society meeting.

The 8^th annual NREM Internship & Career Fair will be held on Thursday, January 15, 2009 at the Alumni Center. 

Awards
The Awards committee is comprised of Amanda, Jimmie, Sue, Danesa, Denise, Terry and John B. The committee met prior to the board of directors meeting. The committee recommended Roger Hedge, '78 for the Award of Achievement and Amy Dillon, '99 and Kevin Rhodes, '03 for the Award of Merit. Terry moved to accept the nominations and after a second from Denise, the board unanimously approved the award winners.

The board of directors discussed honoring retiring faculty, Hugh Brown and Tim Lyon, during the awards program. Don, Jerry, Denise, Danesa, Lisa and Amanda will work on this aspect of the program. Please get any information to Sue and Amanda by April 14. 

Mission Statement
Due to time constraints, John B. and John M. will discussion the mission statement for the society at the next meeting. In the mean time, suggestions can be e-mailed to them.

River Clean-Up 2008
The two river clean-ups for 2008 will be held on May 17 and September 20.  Alumni and students will be invited to participate in both clean-ups.

New Initiatives
Discussion regarding a new event for NREM alumni centered on having a family focused activity. Terry will look into a new event at the Indianapolis Zoo.

There had been discussion about holding a reception in conjunction with the HASTI convention.  Jimmie, Amy and Jarka will attend the convention this year and will work on ideas for reception venues and opportunities. They will also investigate dates for a 2009 reception. Don said that the Department of Biology may have a reception at the convention and suggested that Jimmie talk to Kem Badger about this event.

Terry noted that the Indiana Parks and Recreation Conference might also have reception potential. The board was agreeable to the idea but ultimately decided that HASTI provided the best opportunity to reach students via teachers/alumni.

Jarka asked the board to submit table top ideas to her for HASTI and other events of this nature. She is looking for an interactive, attention grabbing display/exhibit. Jerry and Denise noted that tabletop communities are used by many to show the effects of run off, etc. Denise will send Jarka information about where to purchase these communities.

Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 7:20 p.m. The next meting will be held on Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. in the Alumni Center.