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(02/23/07 5:00am)
The University received almost $250 million in “voluntary support” last year, according to the IU Foundation’s recently released annual report – a significant number, said the foundation’s president Curt Simic. \nThe IU Foundation is the University’s not-for-profit corporation, responsible for maximizing the University’s private capital. This capital, coming in the form of endowments and donations, is continually used by the University for specific programs. These programs often include constructing new buildings and providing scholarship opportunities for students, Simic said. \nLast year, Simic said, a large portion of the University’s financial support came in the form of endowments. These donations are given to specified programs within the University with the condition that only capital gained from the investment of these donations could be spent. Simic said endowments were particularly popular last year because of a University-wide push on this type of support. Also, he said donors were willing to make endowments because of another IU program which says the University will match the income of such donations. \n“A big chunk of the endowments were used for scholarship and graduate fellowship,” Simic said. This was in large part because last year the University put an emphasis on the recruiting of top-quality students, Simic said. With increased scholarship funds, the University would be able to convince students to attend IU through competitive financial aid packages. \n“You have to remember these people are being lured by everyone else too,” he said. \nDespite a noticeable upward trend in the total support of IU over the past several years, the University’s voluntary support dipped about $50 million last year when compared with 2004-05. During that year, IU received more than $300 million while this year it received $247.5 million, according to the report. \nThis was because in 2004, the University received what Simic called a “mega-gift” from the Lilly Endowment. He said these hefty gifts often could augment a year’s total support, but IU did not receive one last year. \nHowever, he added that IU received other large gifts this year that weren’t included in the annual report because they did not occur before the report’s deadline. These included a $50 million dollar donation to the IU Cancer Center by Mel and Bren Simon last November. This year, rather than focusing on the accumulation of endowments to help promote scholarship, Simic said the University would be looking to collect other support that could be used in the construction of IU’s new research and teaching spaces. \nAlso included in the report is an examination of national support of universities in 2004-05. IU placed ninth in the nation, while five out of the top 20 schools were in the Big Ten. The University of Wisconsin-Madison placed second in the nation, behind Stanford in terms of “total voluntary support,” according to the report. \n“We have more mature fundraising institutions in the Big Ten,” Simic said, explaining that those schools have been actively collecting money from gracious alumni and businesses longer than many of the country’s other institutions.
(02/21/07 5:00am)
Enticed by the notion of landing more cash to develop life sciences, IU officials supported Tuesday’s Senate committee approval of the controversial Hoosier lottery privatization bill.\nThe bill, which squeaked through the Indiana Senate Tax and Fiscal committee with a 7-5 vote of approval, calls for a corporate takeover of the state-run lottery, which is another public sector Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels has called to be privately contracted over the past year.\nThe bill will now move to the full Senate for debate.\nUnder the bill’s provision, the state would receive at least $1 billion from the lottery’s new management in return for the 30-year control of the lottery.\nForty percent of the state’s new capital would be deposited into the World Class Scholars Fund, according to the bill’s text, while the deal’s other $600 million would be used to create the Hoosier Hope Scholarships.\n“It’s a very bold and controversial proposal,” said J.T. Forbes, IU executive director for state relations. \nForbes said the University was supportive of any plan that aims to benefit the state’s life sciences programs. IU continues to consider alternative initiatives that would also support the intensified University research, he said.\n“The challenge we face in Indiana is we need revenue quickly to catalyze our research universities,” Forbes said.\nForbes said the additional capital could benefit both existing faculty research groups along with the recruitment of new “world-class” faculty.\nMoney for the scholars fund would be allocated by a special board supervised by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. The board’s decisions will also have to be supported by the peer reviews of other institutions.\nThough Forbes said IU would potentially be only one of many universities competing for the additional cash, IU would still have a chance at landing greater funding because the University would team with other institutions on future research projects.\nThis possibility of further University research capital comes in addition to a proposed $40 million state-budget increase for IU life sciences. That spending is awaiting discussion and action in the Indiana House of Representatives after it was approved by a committee Monday.\nAll four Democratic members of the Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee voted against proposals to outsource the lottery, even though the party has made a priority of increasing funding for Indiana higher education during the most recent legislative session.\nIndiana Sen. David Ford, D-Hartford City, voted against the bill Tuesday. He said that although he sees education as one of Indiana’s “greatest assets,” he thought the bill targeted families who “can least afford to pay” it.\n“The net effect is that families that should be saving for their children’s education will end up spending those dollars on the lottery,” Ford said in the e-mail.\nBeyond provisions for additional research funding, the bill also calls for a new merit-based scholarship program, which could provide as many as 1,700 new scholarships for students studying throughout Indiana. These scholarships – valued at $5,000 per year for students at four-year institutions and $2,500 annually for students enrolled in two-year degree programs – would stipulate that upon graduation, recipients would be required to maintain employment in Indiana for three years.\nForbes said he believed it was still too early to predict if the bill will ultimately receive a majority support. However, the proposal will almost certainly experience significant criticism from many Democrats who have disapproved of Daniels’ outsourcing plans all along.
(02/20/07 5:00am)
Demonstrating what some state and University leaders called a “commitment” to the life sciences, IU moved a step closer Monday to securing a significant funding hike.\nThe Indiana House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee approved a $41 million plan to bring increased life sciences funding to IU as a part of proposed the state’s two-year, $26 billion spending plan outlined by Democratic leaders.\nThe proposal, which passed through committee with a 15-8 vote of approval, approved about half of the $80 million life science funding plan that IU President Adam Herbert and other top University officials have called for over the past several months.\nIn addition to all other general state funding, the two-year proposal calls for the University to receive $20.4 million in life sciences funding in fiscal year 2007-08 and about $20.8 million in 2008-09.\n“This is the first key step in the process,” said J.T. Forbes, IU executive director of state relations. He said the committee approval was “a strong sign in recognition and support” of the life sciences at IU.\nAnd even though the proposed funding falls significantly short of what the University had initially requested, Forbes said that as the proposal begins to receive discussion in the Indiana General Assembly, amendments to the spending plan would likely bring increased funding for the life sciences.\n“We are going to fight very hard,” Forbes said, referring to what he said will be continued University efforts in gathering funds for University life sciences.\nDespite receiving committee go-ahead, Democratic Rep. Peggy Welch also said it was still early to predict whether $40 million would be the final approved funding. Welch, a member of the Ways and Means Committee who also supported the full $80 million funding, said the conclusive picture of life sciences funding would be determined in part by Indiana’s economic forecast update, which she said will be released in mid-April.\nIf a strong economy is reported, Welch said there was a possibility more capital would be pumped into the initiative, but also warned the funding could be cut if a bleaker financial picture is depicted.\nHerbert has stressed the importance of developing the life sciences throughout his tenure as the University’s leader. Over the past several months, he has addressed members of the Indiana General Assembly, while also meeting privately with legislators to promote the University’s plan. \nUnder the original program, the University said it would hire about 500 new scientists who would participate in research at both IU-Bloomington and IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis. Officials involved in the process have said all along that these plans will not only affect Bloomington and IU, but could also help transform Indiana’s economy into one based around medical technologies.\n“This is not just a Bloomington initiative,” Welch said. “This is for the whole state.” \nThe extra capital would be used for both economic development and ensuring the personal health of Hoosiers, Welch said.\nCapital allotments for the Life Science Initiative will be in addition to general University funding. According to the budget proposal, IU-Bloomington will receive about $220 million in state cash for 2007-08. \nAnd even though some Indiana Democrats campaigned last year that they would give greater financial consideration to higher education, Welch said the proposed funding has been a bipartisan effort.\n“I think if the Republicans were in the majority, they would have been supportive of this also,” she said, adding that the initiative was a “proven vehicle for economic development.” \nThe spending plan will come up for debate in House later this week, Forbes said, and if approved, will then face Senate consideration. Welch said she expects a final budget determination by April 29.
(02/19/07 5:00am)
The Indiana Ways and Means Committee approved a $40 million plan to bring increased life sciences funding to IU on Monday morning as a part of proposed two-year, $26 billion state budget by Democratic leaders. \nThe proposal, which passed through committee with a 15-8 vote of approval, called for about half of the $80 million life sciences funding plan that IU President Adam Herbert and other top University officials have called for over the past several months. \n"This is the first key step in the process," said J.T. Forbes, IU executive director of state relations.\nHe said the committee approval was "a strong sign in recognition and support" of the life sciences at IU. \nAnd even though the proposed funding falls significantly short of what the University had initially requested, Forbes said that as the proposal begins to spark discussion in the Indiana General Assembly, amendments to the spending plan would likely bring increased funding for the life sciences, saying he thought it was unlikely the potential spending would be cut further. \n"We are going to fight very hard," Forbes said, referring to what he said will be continued University efforts in gathering funds for life sciences. \nThe spending plan will come up for debate to all members of the House later this week, Forbes said, and if approved, will then come up for Senate consideration.
(02/15/07 1:14am)
Morgan Superior Court Judge Christopher Burnham denied an appeal for the conviction of John Myers II, the man a jury found guilty of murdering IU sophomore Jill Behrman in May 2000.\nThe appeal, filed in December 2006, was the first one submitted since Myers was convicted Oct. 30, 2006, for killing Behrman. Since the verdict and Myers' sentencing to 65 years in prison, the defense has complained of juror misbehavior during the trial.\nThe appeal specifically charged jurors with excessive alcohol use and outside communications during the trial.\nBurnham denied both of the allegations in the report.\n"There is absolutely no evidence that the jurors were unfocused, sleepy, impaired, inattentive, or otherwise distracted during the court session," the judge wrote in his report.\n"The jurors' lives from October 15 to October 30, 2006, were totally immersed in this trial," he said.\nIn the 24-page "Ruling on Motion to Correct Error," the judge said he found insufficient evidence on all counts of juror misconduct to warrant a new trial. In addition, Myers filed a request for a new trial based on evidence surfacing after the trial. This request was also denied in the ruling because Burnham found that none of the new evidence satisfied all nine of the criteria that require a new trial.\n"There are so many levels on why I think this is wrong," said Jodie Myers, John Myers II's mother.\nBut she said she was not surprised by the decision because it was in-line with what she called the trial's other injustices.\nEric Behrman, the father of Jill Behrman, said he was also not surprised by the ruling. But for him, this was a matter of reaffirming the justice has already been served, he said.\n"It's like there is always someone else to be blamed," he said, referring to Jodie Myers' most recent request for a new trial. "At least from her reaction, nothing was the fault of John."\nSurely, Behrman said, this was indeed not the end of the road for the trial and the Myers defense team. He said he believed Myers' counsel would continue to appeal the process.\nJodie Myers said the defense hopes to have file another appeal within the next month that would outline more new evidence that she believes could prove her son's innocence. The new evidence involves a witness who was not previously considered, she said. She would not elaborate further while Myers' council continues to review evidence.\nPatrick Baker will continue to serve as Myers' attorney only until a public defender is assigned to the case. Jodie Myers announced last week the defense will sever ties with Baker as soon as a public defender is appointed.
(02/14/07 5:09am)
The Master of Business Administration program at IU's Kelley School of Business placed 65th in the annual worldwide rankings by The Financial Times.\nThe newspaper, centered in the United Kingdom, based its survey solely around quantitative analysis of three major criteria, said Della Bradshaw, editor of the newspaper's business school rankings. These criteria included alumni career progress, prominence of the program's international perspective and the quality of faculty research, she said. \nThe newspaper, centered in the United Kingdom, based its survey solely around quantitative analysis of three major criteria, said Della Bradshaw, editor of the newspaper's business school rankings. These criteria included alumni career progress, prominence of the program's international perspective and the quality of faculty research, she said. \nUnlike other newspaper and magazine rankings, which typically contain a stateside focus, Bradshaw said The Financial Times' rankings spotlighted international institutions as well. \nAlong with ranking 65th overall, the University placed 67th in "value for money," 97th in "career progress" and 10th in "placement success," according to the rankings. \nUniversities with higher percentages of international students and faculty received higher marks, Bradshaw said. \nDan Smith, dean of the business school, said in an e-mail that the reason IU was not ranked among the world's "best programs" was because The Financial Times' rankings involve "variables that are not directly related to our MBA mission."\nIn separate rankings of U.S. MBA programs, IU has consistently scored higher. The Kelley School placed 18th nationally in another set of rankings by Business Week magazine and 23rd after evaluations by U.S. News and World Report magazine. \nIU wasn't the only Indiana business school represented in the rankings. Purdue University's Krannert School of Management beat out the Kelley School, placing 48th, while Notre Dame University's Mendoza College of Business tied with IU at 65th. \nDownplaying Krannert's higher ranking, Tim Newton, director of external relations and communications at the Krannert School, said the high marks were just a tribute that Indiana maintained three programs in the top 100 worldwide. \n"(IU) has an outstanding business school and Purdue has an outstanding business school," he said, adding that it really depended on who conducted the rankings to determine which program was rated higher. \nDespite The Financial Times' international focus, American programs still fared well. Eight of the world's top 10 best MBA programs were at American universities, according to the newspaper. In addition, universities in the United States locked in the top four spots for the second straight year. \nThe Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania maintained its top spot, while the Columbia Business School at Columbia University jumped ahead two spots to second.
(02/13/07 8:57pm)
The IU board of trustees will likely select the University's next president within a month, said Ken Gros Louis, IU vice president and chancellor -- citing faculty discontent as a reason for the hastened decision.\nThroughout the search process, Sue Talbot, IU trustee and chair of the Presidential Search Committee, has said a decision about the University's next leader would be reached by summer. But Gros Louis said he expected the search to conclude prior to the University's spring break, which begins March 12. \n"If (the trustees) feel the mounting pressure from the faculty, they might want to move up the time frame just so that the irritation doesn't grow," he said. \nThe prediction comes as two names surfaced in an e-mail that IU chemistry professor Theodore Widlanski sent to some faculty members last week. The e-mail predicted that Interim Provost Michael McRobbie and Dr. Ora Pescovitz, executive associate dean for research affairs at the IU School of Medicine, are likely two of the search's final candidates. \n"These are the names most of us already know," Widlanski said in his e-mail to faculty members. "Any notion that the process must continue to be done confidentially is surely counterproductive at this point."\nIn his e-mail, Widlanski would not specifically name his sources for calling McRobbie and Pescovitz likely finalists and would not say in a telephone interview Monday whether he had personally spoken with either people. \n"I am not going to comment on conversations I may have had with them," he said.\nIn a call to Pescovitz at home Monday night, she refused to either confirm or deny that she was a final candidate for the position, but said she was under instruction from Talbot not to discuss the search. \n"I do think the process will have to become public," Pescovitz said. "You are going to hear something sometime soon."\nBut rumors that McRobbie is a front-runner for the University's top position surfaced long before Widlanski's e-mail. One top University administrator as well as several IU professors also said McRobbie was the trustees' favorite candidate, even though no one directly involved with the selection would confirm reports.\nIf the rumors are false and McRobbie in fact is not chosen for the presidency, Gros Louis said a number of people within the University believe that McRobbie will leave IU if he is not selected as president. \n"He could be a good candidate for president at Purdue or Ohio State," Gros Louis said. \nAlong with being IU School of Medicine's dean of research, Pescovitz also currently serves as the president and chief executive officer of Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis. \nDespite the widespread speculation that Pescovitz is a finalist, she would not confirm her status as a candidate.\n"I've been instructed to refer all inquiries about the IU presidential search process to trustee Sue Talbot," Pescovitz said in an e-mail.\nTalbot could not be reached at home Monday night after numerous attempts. \nWith definite Big Ten ties, Pescovitz graduated from medical school at Northwestern University and completed her residency at the University of Minnesota in 1981, according to an IU Cancer Center Web site. She also participated in a fellowship at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Md., according to the same Web site. \nAnd as the prominence of women university presidents has garnered particular attention lately -- especially with the recent selection of Harvard University's first woman president -- the question becomes: Could Pescovitz receive particular consideration because she is a woman?\nNot so, said Gros Louis, because he believed the trustees' decision would be based solely on the merit of the candidate.\n"I think these trustees and the trustees before them were all really looking for the right fit," he said.
(02/13/07 4:23am)
The IU board of trustees will likely select the University's next president within a month, said Ken Gros Louis, IU's chancellor, citing widespread faculty discontent as a reason for the likely hastened decision.\nThe prediction comes as two names surfaced in an e-mail by IU chemistry professor Theodore Widlanski to some faculty members last week that interim Provost Michael McRobbie and Dr. Ora Pescovitz, associate dean of research at the IU School of Medicine, were likely two of the search's final candidates. \n"These are the names most of us already know," Widlanski said in his letter to faculty members. "Any notion that the process must continue to be done confidentially is surely counterproductive at this point."\nThroughout the search process, IU trustee and president of the recently disbanded Presidential Search Committee Sue Talbot has said a decision about the University's next leader would be reached by summer. But, Gros Louis said he expected the search to conclude prior to the University's spring break. \n"If (the trustees) feel the mounting pressure from the faculty they might want to move up the time frame just so that the irritation doesn't grow," he said. \nIn his letter, Widlanski would not specifically name his sources for the guess that McRobbie and Pescovitz were finalists and would not say in a telephone interview Monday whether he had personally spoken with either people.\n"I am not going to comment on conversations I may have had with them," he said. \nBut, rumors that McRobbie is a frontrunner for the University's top position surfaced long before Widlanski's letter. A top university administrator also said McRobbie was the University's favorite candidate.
(02/09/07 5:33am)
While near-zero degree temperatures blasted Bloomington this week, the risk of serious illness among the local homeless has caused concern among local shelter organizers. \nEven with the transience among many of the nation's homeless -- often causing significantly fewer shelter-seekers during the winter -- Martha's House, a Bloomington overnight shelter, has had to turn away some homeless people because of capacity limitations, said Joe Castle, the shelter's case manager.\nShalom Community Center, a daytime shelter located at 219 E. Fourth St., one block from the bustle of Kirkwood Avenue, has also worked to get many of the city's homeless out of the cold, said Joel Rekas, the center's executive director.\nBloomington shelters provide beds for about one-third of the people who seek it, close to the national average, Rekas said. Rekas said most shelters open their doors on a first-come, first-serve basis.\nTypically, the Shalom Center will serve about 250 of Bloomington's impoverished each day, but during the winter that number will fall to about 200 as many homeless people migrate south to more tolerable climates, Rekas said. In addition, some local landlords allow delinquent tenants to stay in their apartments until springtime, he said. But for those living on city streets, the Shalom Center encourages people to stay inside, rather than brave the cold, Rekas said.\n"If you are out for any extended period of time and are not properly clothed, this can be very dangerous weather," Rekas said.\nMany people whom the center tries to help lack regular access to health care, Rekas said, so the added stress of living on the street exacerbated otherwise treatable diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. \n"By the time they are seen, the emergency room becomes the primary care provider and oftentimes it's a much more serious problem," he said. "And that's simply for lack of health insurance."\nWhile the Shalom Center welcomes men, women and families during the day, neither of the two Bloomington overnight shelters offer beds for families. The nearest overnight shelter for families is the WellSpring Center of Morgan County in Martinsville.\nCastle believes his shelter is doing everything within its capabilities to help the community's homeless. Still, he said, the goal is to help people transition to permanent housing.\nBut the transition process if often tougher than it seems, Rekas said. He said that despite the assumption by some that homeless people don't want to work, one of the main goals of the Shalom Community Center was to act as a gateway to obtaining stable employment.\nBut sometimes, he added, that isn't enough. \n"It's the wages contrasted with the cost of living," he said. "We have homeless people, for example, who work in the (Indiana Memorial) Union. The employment is part-time; it's at a low wage and not enough to afford housing."\nTo afford rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Bloomington, someone would have to earn about $13 per hour, according to the National Low-Income Housing Coalition.\nRekas said all the work the Shalom Center does is based around community efforts. The center only pays two people, including Rekas, to work full-time, he said. More than 100 volunteers also work on the "front lines," including many IU students.\n"You just don't realize, especially when you are in the campus environment, that there are people struggling and homeless in this city," said IU senior Srujana Kunapareddy, who has volunteered at a shelter in Bloomington. "You just don't think about the smaller stuff people need"
(02/07/07 4:38am)
IU has moved one step closer to selecting the University's next president.\nThe Presidential Search Committee has completed its work and passed on its candidate recommendations to the board of trustees.\nTed Miller, Bloomington Faculty Council president and Presidential Search Committee member, made the announcement Tuesday afternoon at the BFC meeting. He told the group of professors and other campus leaders in brief remarks that the search committee had "terminated its operations."\nThis move marks one of the final steps in the process that began last year to select IU President Adam Herbert's replacement.\nMiller, who is subject to conditions of confidentiality about what he can say about the search, did not allude to who some of the candidates were or how many of the original nominees remained.\nAfter the search committee passed along its recommendations, Miller said, the trustees met in a closed-door session last Friday during their business meeting to discuss some of the possible candidates. \n"I think the trustees are excited about the opportunities for Indiana University," said IU trustee Patrick Shoulders. Because the Presidential Search Committee selected "great candidates," he said, everyone involved in the process was also eager.\nDespite his initial enthusiasm for the candidates, Shoulders could not say whether he believed any of the current candidates would be right to lead the University until he had spoken with each one personally.\nShoulders said a "public vote" by the trustees would take place at the end of the search process to verify the selection of the University's next leader. Gov. Mitch Daniels, who appoints some of the trustees, will not be involved in the selection of IU's next president.\nEven with the search's secrecy, Shoulders said, throughout the process trustees managed to stay informed about who the potential candidates were. He said the trustees were periodically briefed and given updates about the search.\nSince the trustees' discussion of the candidates last week, Sue Talbot, an IU trustee and chair of the Presidential Search Committee, has been contacting different members of the disbanded search committee, asking them "about the conclusions the trustees have come to," Miller said.\nThe announcement comes less than a month after the Presidential Search Committee conducted its first round of interviews in Chicago. \nMiller gave no timeline for when he thought the search would be completed -- something Talbot has previously said would finish during the summer -- but said the search was proceeding "quite rapidly."\nFollowing faculty criticism after failing to name a Bloomington chancellor at the conclusion of a lengthy search in 2005, Herbert announced he will retire when his contract runs out in 2008.\nLast summer he said he will step down earlier if a replacement is found.
(02/07/07 3:27am)
Monroe County will likely pay about $30,000 for assistance from an outside accounting firm, following errors in employee paychecks for the third consecutive pay period. \nThe mistakes were discovered Friday, after a software glitch in the county's computer systems overrode some human calculations, causing some government employees to receive incorrect paychecks, said Iris Kiesling, president of the Monroe County Commissioners.\nOn Friday some of the employees stood outside a county commissioner's meeting, complaining that their paychecks again showed incorrect amounts, Kiesling said. She said she didn't know how many of the about 500 county employees have been affected by the errors, but she said everyone from entry-level employees all the way up to judges could have been affected by the mistake.\nThe process of correcting flawed paychecks is still underway, but the errors in payment ranged anywhere from a "couple of dollars" to more than $50, she said.\n"I think we are all disappointed, frankly," Kiesling said.\nSuch errors should not have occurred, she said, but these types of mistakes could be attributed to the high turnover rates of county employees, she said.\n"When you have a lot of turnover, that is one of the things that can happen," she said.\nShe said she did not think this type of situation could be linked with fraudulent activity.\nNow, Monroe County will likely contract BKD, one of the nation's largest accounting firms, to help fight some of the ongoing problems.\nThe firm's Bloomington office "maintains an extensive team of technology consultants," according to its Web site.\nAlthough BKD might help solve some of the county's payment problems, the question of who to blame for the current flawed payments remains. Kiesling said she was unsure whether someone involved in this situation deserved blame or if the mistakes occurred because of unexplainable circumstances.\nKiesling said Monroe County is still examining what checks might have been in place that could have prevented the mistakes, but she said her office was working hard to make sure they did not happen again.
(02/06/07 11:04pm)
IU moved one step closer to selecting the University's next president when the Presidential Search Committee ceased operations and passed their candidate recommendations onto the board of trustees.\nThe move marks one of the final steps in the process that began last year to select IU President Adam Herbert's replacement. \nThe move was made public Tuesday afternoon at the Bloomington Faculty Council meeting when Ted Miller, chairman of the BFC and a member of the Presidential Search Committee, told the council.\n"The trustees at their meeting last week discussed the candidates," Miller said. He also said Sue Talbot, an IU trustee and chair of the Presidential Search Committee, was currently contacting different members of the committee "about the conclusions the trustees have come to."\nStill, no names of candidates have been made public, and did Miller say how many people the trustees were considering for the position. \nHe gave no timeline for when he thought the search would be completed -- something Talbot has said previously would finish during the summer -- but said the search was proceeding "quite rapidly"
(02/06/07 4:53am)
John Myers II has severed ties with his former defense attorney Patrick Baker and has filed a request for a public defender, said his mother, Jodie Myers. \nJohn Myers II, who was found guilty last year in the 2000 slaying of IU sophomore Jill Behrman, is currently serving a 65-year sentence. \nSince the conviction, Jodie Myers has attempted to exonerate her son. The request for a public defender Monday comes as the case begins to garner more attention as his mother continues to proclaim John's innocence. "We feel that a new attorney is in (John's) best interest," Jodie Myers said. \nShe also said John believed a new lawyer could send the case in "a new direction." \n"This was John's decision to make," Jodie Myers said. "We support him 100 percent." \nStill, Baker said he "knows" the reason he was fired was not due to any shortcomings by the defense, but rather by financial concerns within the Myers' family. \n"I just know that is the reason," Baker said, referring to what he believes to be the family's financial reasons for seeking a public defender. \nTrying to dispel any notion that hiring a public defender was a sign that the defense was slumping into post-trial retreat, Jodie Myers said the situation was exactly the opposite. \n"We see this as a renewal of our efforts," she said, adding that she was hopeful about what a new attorney could bring to the case. \n"When I took the paperwork over (to the Morgan County Courthouse) I prayed over it first," Jodie Myers said. "We are committing all of this to God"
(02/02/07 4:59am)
In an effort to cut costs and increase participation in IU board of trustees elections, members of the board discussed developing a Web-based voting system Thursday, during the first day of their two-day meeting.\nRecommendations to take the voting system online came from a Kelley School of Business graduate student consulting team that told the trustees that by developing an online voting system, the trustees could initially save about $50,000 per year.\nCurrently, the trustees spend about $150,000 annually on elections, according to the students' presentation. Under this system, all alumni trustee voting is done by mailed-in ballots. With this procedure, about 7 percent of alumni participate in voting. \nThe five team members, who work as consultants as part of their graduate-level coursework, said after examining the success of other universities in online voting -- namely, Penn State University -- they thought that with an online voting system, the number of voters would immediately increase. The five consultants were Frank Adams, Shu Ming Feng, Dan Gofman, Jamie Kakuk and Saree Olkes.\nIf the trustees chose to pursue online voting, they would have two options -- keep the service an in-house project or outsource the system to a private corporation. Members of the group said outsourcing the project was not a feasible option because it would immediately cause costs to spike, according to their research. \n"These students spent an entire semester analyzing the election; looking at the state law, demographics, the costs and the technology of going online," said Robin Gress, secretary to the trustees. "I'll have you know that, that team's entire grade rested on us and we were extremely pleased to give them an A-plus."\nAlthough the trustees said they were pleased with the work the students had done, questions of cybersecurity, measures to combat voter fraud and how to ensure alumni without access to the Internet would be equally represented arose.\nThe group said in order not to alienate alumni without Internet access, voters would have an option to request a tradition mail-in ballot. No action was taken on the issue, but all of the trustees acknowledged the merits of developing an online voting system, which could launch as early as 2008. \nTed Miller, president of the Bloomington Faculty Council, followed the discussion of online voting with a presentation on potential changes to the University's general education coursework curriculum. \n"As you will recall, in my inaugural speech, I challenged the faculty to develop a general education curriculum for Indiana University," said IU President Adam Herbert. \nTalks about such coursework at the University have been ongoing for several years and Thursday the Bloomington Faculty Council submitted a 60-page report to Herbert, outlining the direction they foresee general education coursework headed. \n"One of the things that became clear as we went through conversations was that a one-size-fits-all approach was inconsistent with the mission differentiation process with which we were going," Herbert said. He also said there would have to be curricular differences among the different IU campuses. \nMiller fielded questions from the trustees and said there was still significant work to be done before a final curriculum was presented. \nThere would need to be a dialogue between those developing the curriculum and individual department heads in order to select the appropriate type of general education coursework, Miller said.\nThe trustee meetings continue at 9:30 a.m. Friday in the Frangipani Room at the Indiana Memorial Union and will be open to the public.
(01/31/07 4:42am)
Interim Provost Michael McRobbie told the Bloomington Faculty Council on Tuesday evening that a new survey has ranked IU among some of the nation's elite universities.\nBoth McRobbie and Ted Miller, president of the Bloomington Faculty Council, presided over the discussion. \nIn his opening remarks, McRobbie commended the committee on an announcement earlier this week that, according to a new survey, IU has 14 programs that rank among the top 10 nationally. The rankings are from the Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index, which examines faculty research and other scholarly activity at more than 350 universities.\nThe top marks landed IU 10th among public institutions and 23rd among all universities nationwide.\nScoring particularly well were the University's world-language departments. IU's French department ranked first overall, while five other language departments also ranked among the top 10.\n"I think this is a really wonderful achievement," McRobbie said.\nHe contrasted IU's scores with Purdue University's -- only 10 Purdue programs placed within the top 10.\nCommenting on a speech made last week to the Bloomington Rotary Club, McRobbie said that even though more than half of all tenured faculty members will be eligible to retire in the next 10 years, he was confident in the next generation of the University's faculty.\nDuring this academic year alone, McRobbie said, IU has hired 100 new tenured and tenured-track faculty members. \n"The picture is very strong -- very, very positive," he said.\nBut on the issue of hiring new faculty members, the meeting met its strongest point of contention. \nMembers of the council seemed hung up after Miller brought up a qualm he had with the titles of much of the current faculty. This included placing the word "clinical" in the title of some non-tenure-track faculty members within the professional schools.\nMiller said when "clinical" was first added to a title in the late 1980s, the term referred to faculty members who were involved with patient care or laboratory work, often within the IU School of Medicine.\nOver the past 20 years, several of the professional schools, including the Kelley School of Business and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, have hired faculty whose duties do not fall within the original stipulations but whose titles contain the word "clinical," Miller said.\nSome members questioned what the titles would be for faculty members who ranked higher than lecturers but did not conduct the necessary research to be considered tenure-track professors.\nMiller said an example of someone who could fall into this category would be if the Kelley School of Business recruited a former corporate executive who students could significantly benefit from.\nOne suggestion was to call these types of nonclinical and non-tenure-track faculty members "professors of practice." And even though no definitive answer was reached on the issue, members of the Bloomington Faculty Council said the matter would be discussed at greater length later. \nDuring a Q-and-A session between members of the council and Miller and McRobbie, Miller said he would have more information about the University's presidential search at the council meeting, slated to begin next Tuesday.\nMiller, a member of the Presidential Search Committee, said the search is progressing normally and there is "a strong pool of candidates"
(01/31/07 3:02am)
Signs that read, "What would Herman Do?" abounded outside Assembly Hall on Saturday as union workers and their supporters rallied against outsourcing University services by invoking the name of former IU President Herman B Wells. \nAbout 50 protestors braved the cold and collected signatures for a petition calling on the IU board of trustees to "end all efforts to outsource IU jobs," according to the petition's text. Several trustees have said during the past few weeks that although nothing is certain yet, they believe contracting some University services could help cut nonacademic costs. \nDave Warrick, executive director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 62, disagrees with the trustees' entire premise that contracting will save money. \n"What's cheaper?" he asked. "If you cut your own lawn or pay someone else to do it?"\nBefore the rally, members of both the council and the Communication Workers of America Local 4730 congregated at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington. Union leaders and politicians, including Indiana state Sen. Vi Simpson, D-Elletsville, aroused the crowd, saying this was a winnable fight.\n"It's a shame that IU would even think about doing this to the employees who have been loyal to this institution," Warrick said. "But we are not going to stand for it, are we?"\nSeveral people at the rally said they saw the situation as something that extended beyond Bloomington, and that there was a similar fight going on throughout the state. \n"There are people all over the state who are worried about the trend," Simpson said. "Because it isn't just you. It isn't just the motor pool or the bookstore in Bloomington, Indiana." \nSo far, the IU Bookstore and the IU Motor Pool are the only University sectors accepting bids from outside corporations. A vote on whether to privatize the motor pool could come as early as the next trustee business meeting, which is slated for Feb. 1. \nFollowing the speakers, protestors moved from the church to Assembly Hall, where they encouraged people headed to the IU-Michigan men's basketball game to support their cause -- gathering petition signatures, handing out pamphlets and promoting in-house University operations. \nFor the most part, those passing by appeared curious yet confused about what exactly the protesters hoped to achieve. \n"They really got my attention," said Kathryn Lee, a freshman who did not sign the petition. "But I didn't really know what it was about." \nPart of the reason for this confusion, some protestors said, was because they were restricted by the IUPD to the grassy area away from Assembly Hall's entrance. \nProtester Brenda Grubbs said being confined to an area away from people entering the game was frustrating because it was tougher to get their message out. \nStill, not everyone seemed disinterested in the unions' fight. Several cars honked in approval as they drove by, which brought cheers from protestors. However, some also vocally expressed their distaste for the rally. \nReading a sign that said "Ditch Mitch," in reference to Gov. Mitch Daniels' initiatives to promote outsourcing of many state services, a man dressed in khaki pants and a red sweater mocked the protestors and repeatedly said, "Who's Mitch?" \n"You know exactly who Mitch is," the protester responded.
(01/30/07 5:16am)
IU President Adam Herbert was taken to Bloomington Hospital Monday morning after a pill became lodged in his throat.\nHerbert spent about two hours in the hospital's emergency room and was released at about 12:30 p.m. Monday, said Larry MacIntyre, IU director of media relations.\nAt about 10 a.m. Herbert was taking some pills when he apparently began to choke on one of them, MacIntyre said. \nAn Emergency Medical Technician responded to the scene, but MacIntyre said the decision was made to call an ambulance.\nThe University's president experienced some "discomfort" after taking the pill in his office, located in Bryan Hall, and while en route to the hospital, MacIntyre said. \n"He was coughing and choking. But he was breathing," and Herbert didn't lose consciousness, he said.\n"Given what we know, we are optimistic that he is going to be fine," MacIntyre said.
(01/29/07 6:51pm)
IU President Adam Herbert was taken by ambulance to Bloomington Hospital this morning after a pill became lodged in his throat. \nHerbert spent about two hours in the hospital's emergency room this morning and was released at about 12:30 p.m., said Larry MacIntyre, IU director of media relations. \nAt about 10 a.m. Herbert was taking some pills when apparently he began to choke on one of them, MacIntyre said. An Emergency Medical Technician responded to the scene, but MacIntyre said the decision was made to call an ambulance. \nThe University's president experienced some "discomfort" after taking the pill in his office located in Bryan Hall and while en route to the hospital, MacIntyre said. \n"He was coughing and choking," he said. "But he was breathing," and Herbert never lost consciousness throughout the ordeal. \n"Given what we know, we are optimistic that he is going to be fine," MacIntyre said.
(01/24/07 5:38am)
Some IU employees, distraught over the uncertain future of their jobs, have begun organizing a grass-roots effort to combat a pending decision on University outsourcing.\nEmerging as an active voice over the last few weeks, the Communications Workers of America Local 4730 have organized a petition calling on the trustees to immediately end talks of all present and future outsourcing plans.\nAlong with the petition, disgruntled employees will hold a rally at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, 2120 N. Fee Lane. The labor group will then move to Assembly Hall before the IU-Michigan men's basketball game.\nThe first large-scale, grass-roots effort opposing proposed privatization plans, which have been on the table for several months, comes just a few weeks before trustees are expected to receive recommendations and possibly take action on contracting the IU Bookstore and the IU Motor Pool to private businesses.\nA decision on outsourcing the motor pool could come as soon as the next board of trustees meeting, Feb. 1, said William Cast, an IU trustee.\nBut these efforts have already extended beyond employees whose jobs could be affected immediately. Curtis Wiggins, 55, a custodian at Forest Quad, has urged IU students and others to support the petition.\nThough contracting residence-hall janitorial work is not something that has been officially proposed for outsourcing, Mike Isenogle, another janitor at Forest, said it was better to start planning early than be sorry later. \nOfficials, including Residential Programs and Services Executive Director Pat Connor, have remained cautious when talking about whether the University should outsource services. But by maintaining what Connor calls a "high level of service," he said he thought RPS could convince the University not to privatize food services or other sectors of RPS, even though employees within the department have called RPS's operations inefficient.\nConnor said several worried employees have come to him expressing concerns that some of their benefits would be lost if the University contracted the jobs to private firms.\nThe dialogue between University officials and interested residents continued yesterday as the trustees and Terry Clapacs, IU vice president and chief administrative officer, held a video conference to field residents' questions.
(01/22/07 3:40am)
A Web site selling counterfeit IU law degrees has been shut down following a judge's approval of an injunction, Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter said Friday.\nThe site, www.noveltyworksdegrees.com, was sued by the Attorney General's office for allegedly committing a deceptive consumer practice, Carter said. For $59.95 his team purchased a degree that resembled a diploma from the IU School of Law.\n"I think, cosmetically, a lot of people would have mistaken it for a real IU diploma," Carter said, but if someone was familiar with what genuine diplomas looked like, he said they were not difficult to separate. \nThe site's owner, Allen R. Kleiman, has no prior criminal record and has not yet faced any charges for running the business. But the investigation is still ongoing, and it will be up to the prosecutor whether the state willh press charges. \nEven beyond selling counterfeit IU degrees, the site advertised producing authentic-looking degrees from any university and 45 different majors. \nThere is not yet any information on exactly how many diplomas were sold, but Carter said there was initial indication that as many as 300 degrees were purchased before the site was shut down.\n"This was dangerous to the community if people were using these degrees to pretend they were doctors," Carter said.\nOfficials were tipped off about the site when an anonymous caller complained about it. Saying fighting Internet fraud has become the office's busiest areas, Carter warned that people had to be extremely careful -- now more than ever -- of Internet scams. \nCarter would not speculate on what a possible punishment might be if Kleiman eventually faces prosecution and is convicted.