The Vice President convenes committees and task forces to promote collaboration among the regional campuses addressing the ever-changing landscape of higher education. These groups direct energy and resources to solutions that serve all students.
To express an opinion or get involved, please click here. Expect a contact within seven days of submission.
Regionals at the Rotunda on March 26, 2025, highlights undergraduate research and the faculty mentors who support those efforts on the regional campuses of Indiana University (East, Kokomo, Northwest, South Bend, and Southeast). It will showcase the significant ways our students are emerging as scholars while addressing the interests and pressing needs of the regions we serve, as well as our state and the nation.
The event will be held on March 26, 2025, between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM, at the Indiana Statehouse (200 W Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46204). Everyone is encouraged to visit with our students and to discuss the impressive projects they have completed.
If you have any questions, please email vprcoe@iu.edu
Planning Committee:
Rebecca Carlton
Seuth Chaleunphonh
Sarah Heath
Lafayette Jordan
Meghan Kahn
Darren Klein
Jennifer Maurer
Stacie Merken
Dianne Moneypenny
Patrick Motl
Philemon Yebei
Christopher Young
IU regional campuses were selected as one of the AASCU institutions participating in the third cohort for the Student Success Equity Intensive (SSEI), working to achieve equitable outcomes for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and low-income students. The SSEI, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, enables teams from multiple AASCU institutions to come together to work collectively on student success, learn from one another with support from AASCU, subject matter experts, and access tools and strategies through our engagement in national networks.
Other institutions were selected from across the country, including Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Asian American and Native American Pacific-Islander serving institutions (AANAPISIs), Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs), and diverse representation of geographic reach, including rural, urban, and suburban institutions. IU regional campuses demonstrate a similar passion for closing equity gaps in first-year retention, credit completion, and graduation rates for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and low-income students. This multi-year project helps regional campuses achieve equitable student success, reflect on what factors contributed to the success, and disseminate promising practices to the rest of higher education. Further, campus-specific projects are aligned with campus IU 2030 strategic plan, as well as the alignment with the priorities of the Office of the Vice President for Student Success (OVPSS).
Regional campuses’ leaders, faculty, and success teams completed the Institutional Transformation Assessment (ITA) and participated in the Postsecondary Data Partnership (PDP) in fall 2023. Campuses met for “sensemaking” reflective conversations about ITA results over Capacity areas such as: institutional policy, leadership & culture, strategic finance, institutional research/data use, information technology, and state policy; and Solution areas such as advising, developmental education reform, digital learning, emergency aid (holistic student support), and pathways during spring 2024. Regional campuses are in the organizing for success phase for 2025, with strategic initiatives (estimated $500K+ value in technical assistance) for elevating marginalized student voices (Motivate Lab), course scheduling effectiveness benchmarking (Ad Astra), analyzing campus belonging and student services (CCA), and providing faculty/staff engagement and development (ACUE).
Objectives for this project include:
Coaching Conversations model has been adopted by academic advisors. Trainings took place on multiple regional campuses in 2023-2024 yielding 43 out of 52 (83%) academic advisors certified and using coaching conversations for holistic student support. Additionally, over 40 non-academic advisors also took advantage of the free training provided by VPSS partners. By fall 2024, 100% of academic advisors completed the 14-hour training. Coaching Conversations Foundations I & II training helps advisors understand the core concepts and assumptions of coaching and identify the differences among therapy, advising, mentoring, and coaching. Advisors learn one specific model for guiding a coaching conversation and practice both generating and asking powerful open-ended questions, listening to and observing the coachee, transitioning in and out of coaching conversations, and applying the core concepts and the coaching model. Finally, advisors get to observe coaching demonstrations, practice coaching in several contexts, and learn how to document the coaching conversations in IU campuses. Coaching conversations training is available free to IU regional campus advisors and non-advisors. Please find registration information and training schedule below.
The regional campuses of Indiana University convened a belongingness task force of faculty and staff for each regional campus to focus on the best practices and supports needed to help retain staff and faculty. One of the recommendations from the task force meetings was to have a regional cross campus mentoring program so that staff and faculty are able to connect with others who have experienced promotion or advancement in their units.
The Mentoring Program will do our best to create pairs that are beneficial to both the mentor and the mentee. Participants will also help us craft what this initial program will look like and with what support is needed to keep it in place after the pilot round. Please let us know if you have any questions but we are excited to have you participate in this process with us.
Another recommendation from the task force meetings was to have regional cross campus Affinity Groups so that staff and faculty are able to connect with others both in a professional support and social settings, provide professional development, and to contribute to the campus dialogue about related employee retention issues.
Affinity groups are a collection of individuals who share a common interest. They promote belonging and other efforts that benefit campus members, such as safe spaces for networking, access to resources for mentorship towards career mobility, or training for professional development.
Please complete the involvement form to join one or both programs.
If you have any questions, please contact VPRCOE Faculty Fellow, Seuth Chaleunphonh, schaleun@ius.edu or one of the Task Force representatives:
Felix Burgos (IUE) fburgos@iu.edu
Zihang Shao (IUE) zihshao@iue.edu
Rosalyn Davis (IUK), faculty co-chair, rosddavi@iuk.edu
April Evans (IUK) aplevans@iuk.edu
Andrea Griffin (IUN) griffane@iun.edu
Amy Diaz (IUN), staff co-chair, amyjdiaz@iu.edu
Chloe Robinson (IUSB) chnrobi@iu.edu
Michael Harley (IUSB) mlharley@iusb.edu
Sau Hou Chang (IUS), faculty co-chair, sauchang@ius.edu
Higher education is threatened from all sides, and regional campuses are especially vulnerable to recent historic shifts in demographics, technology, enrollment patterns, skills credentialing, cultural attitudes about the value of college, legislative support for higher education, and the changing nature of work and society. Institutions face a host of both external and internal challenges from a diverse array of stakeholders, and the path forward is neither clear nor straightforward.
IU has the opportunity to be a leader among forward-thinking institutions of higher education. We see FutureIU as the community to facilitate this work. FutureIU aims to be a grassroots community of problem-solvers—engaged faculty and staff from across IU—dedicated to researching, exploring, and testing solutions to the unique challenges faced by IU, the state of Indiana, and higher education in the 21st century. Our mission is to chart the landscape of contemporary higher education and its most intractable problems; delve into its complex history and speculate about its future; research best practices and new challenges as they emerge; test solutions and evaluate results; and provide actionable recommendations to relevant stakeholders.
The most challenging contemporary problems in higher education transcend traditional siloes, and their solutions require collaboration across all functional areas of the university. The most significant opportunity for change exists within the academic realm—a space where faculty leadership is central. These are the three C’s on which the work of FutureIU is focused:
Paul Cook, IU Kokomo
Adam Maksl, IU Southeast
Mark Baer, IU Northwest
Created in 1968 at Indiana University Bloomington, the Groups Scholars Program is a long-standing scholarship program that provides academic, financial and social support to help first-generation and financially disadvantaged students attain a bachelor’s degree at Indiana University at Bloomington. The effort is now expanded to the five regional campuses: IU East, IU Kokomo, IU Northwest, IU South Bend and IU Southeast.
The Groups Scholars Program helps selected scholars from the moment they enter the program until graduation. In addition, wrap-around support such as tutoring, academic advising, success coaching and a sense of community are available to help scholars throughout their college journey.
In fall 2023, regional campuses admitted 129 Groups Scholars. Over 98% completed their summer bridge program called the Summer Experience Program. This included summer courses, excursions, receiving book vouchers, laptops, and connections to peers and campus resources. The persistence rate for fall 2023 to spring 2024 was 89%; and the rate for fall 2023 to fall 2024 was 77% (compared to 66% overall). The second cohort in fall 2024 brought 125 additional students participating in the Groups Scholars regional campus programs.
Groups Scholars Program: IU East
Groups Scholars Program: Indiana University Kokomo
Group Scholars Program: Indiana University Northwest
The Regional Faculty Caucus (RFC) is convened by the Vice President for Regional Campuses and Online Education and is comprised of the Faculty Presidents from each regional campus. The RFC meets monthly throughout the academic year.
The RFC is not a decision-making or voting body. All policy proposals considered by the RFC must be passed by the campus faculty governance bodies.
The RFC serves the following functions:
1. Facilitate communication and collaboration between the faculty governance bodies.
2. Serve as a direct line of communication between the VP for Regional Campuses and Online Education and the faculty governance bodies.
3. Coordinate common policy initiatives among the regional campuses.
The RFC is coordinated by the VP or their designee, who assembles the agenda and serves as an ex officio member.
Gregory Dam, Ph.D., IU East, Chair of RFC
William Allegrezza, Ph.D., IU Northwest
Steve Cox, Ph.D., IU Kokomo
Steven Gerencser, Ph.D., IU South Bend
Susan L. Popham, Ph.D., IU Southeast
IU regional campuses and regional SGAs partnered to compete in the 16th Annual IU Regatta canoe race in Indianapolis on September 28, 2024. This activity is one among many, demonstrating regional togetherness and collaboration. Student leaders participated in the IU Foundation Breakfast Reception, Canoe Race, and Sponsors Tables representing IU regional campuses. IU South Bend racing team won the title of 2024 Campus Connections Division Champion, while IU Southeast racing team achieved the fastest time….
U Bring Change to Mind student groups were established on each regional campus in 2022-2023 academic year. The purpose of this initiative is to eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness on regional campuses. Through fun awareness activities and a spirit of inclusion and education, U Bring Change to Mind targets both local and national change, and both individual and institutional change. By emphasizing “connectedness” the group can change attitudes, generate social support, and advocate to improve campus services, in order to eliminate barriers to care and to fulfill lives.
Follow these Instagram accounts for past and future activities for each regional campus: IU East @ubc2m.iue; IU Kokomo @ubc2m_iuk; IU Northwest @ubc2mnw; IU South Bend @iusb_scc; and IU Southeast @ius.ubc2m
Based on the philosophy of “By Students, For Students,” UBC2M is composed of students committed to making an impact in their campus communities. These impassioned students work not only to reduce the stigma among their peers but also with administration on making policy more accommodating to students with mental health needs. Each campus also has a Chancellor’s Council on Mental Health and received budgets for programming.
The work in improving the lives of people with mental health issues begins with creating an environment where they are not stigmatized. U Bring Change to Mind, in following the mission of Bring Change to Mind, is the first to specifically focus on reducing stigma by targeting how people interact and speak about mental health issues.
U Bring Change to Mind targets an entire campus population rather than only students with direct interaction with mental health issues. By attracting a larger demographic of students, we introduce them to our mission.
Looking for funding, trainings, and resources available to regional campus and online students? Explore more below!
ICHE, HLC, and all IU Academic Approval Processes. The Academic Leadership Council (ALC) fosters academic quality assurance and faculty support as campus academic administrators.
Any Indiana University student, faculty, staff, or unit are invited to share your ideas with the IU Black Philanthropy Circle by submitting a BPC grant application. Your application should specifically focus on the ways in which the Black community at IU will be supported by your project. We are looking for proposals that aim to make IU a more equitable, welcoming, and accessible university for the Black community. Applications for the annual grant cycle are available between November 1st and February 1st for the following academic year. Projects ranging from $2,000-$7,000 have been previously awarded. (Funds from the Queer Philanthropy Circle and/or the Women’s Philanthropy Leadership Council are requested on the same application.)
As a partner of CEA, all IU campuses are eligible for exclusive funding for projects, research, and collaboration in community engagement for civic engagement, MLK Day of Service, election engagement, and community dialogues.
The Association for College and University Educators (ACUE) training supports student success through exceptional teaching practices. The goal is to drastically lower DFW rates (students who finish a course with a D, F or withdrew), higher grades overall and reduced achievement gaps for all students. The training is funded through the IU Regional Campuses’ participation in the AASCU SSEI project, which is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
ACUE Module titles:
The ACUE campus contacts to sign up for IU Regional Campus faculty and staff are listed below. There will be spring, summer, and fall cohorts in 2025.
IUE: Michelle Malott, mimalott@iu.edu
IUK: Julie Saam, jsaam@iu.edu
IUN: Kate Gustafson, kategust@iu.edu
IUSB: Kory Vitangeli, kvitange@iu.edu
IUSE: Greg Kordsmeier, gkordsme@iu.edu
All IU campuses are eligible for internal funding to support development of your research and creative activities from $3,000-$50,000+.
All IU campuses may request funding from OVPDEI to support high impact programs/projects that foster inclusion and welcoming environments. Submit applications that directly addresses issues of diversity and inclusion by the 25th of each month. Submissions will be reviewed on mission alignment, goals, narrative, and planning.
The Regional Campus Graduate Fellowship is a strategic recruitment initiative designed to enhance the recruitment and retention of graduate students in research-oriented academic programs across our regional campuses. This fellowship promotes equitable access to graduate education, helping to attract top talent and ensuring that we continue to offer enriching educational experiences in the arts and sciences at our regional campuses.
Regional campuses are particularly vulnerable to recent historic shifts in demographics, funding reductions, and cultural attitudes about the value of higher education. This fellowship takes a crucial step in helping us support and grow our graduate programs, ensuring that our regional campuses remain competitive with other institutions in their geographical area.
Nomination Process
Students must be nominated by their department’s Graduate Director. Each department may submit up to six nominations, ranking candidates by strength. Nominations must include the student’s full application for admission to Indiana University and transcripts. Additionally, Graduate Directors must provide a brief supporting statement (up to one page in length) explaining why the candidate is outstanding, how well their interests align with the department’s strengths, and the likelihood of the candidate choosing IU over competing offers.
Eligibility Criteria
Looking Ahead
We are actively working to expand the fellowship’s impact, including exploring matching funds from other campus offices.
Study abroad and matching scholarships ($275-$2,500) are available to students enrolled at IU regional campuses for all IU-administered programs. Financial need and academic performance are considered.
