STATE SUCCESS isn’t just about students, although they are undeniably number one. However, we also have prolific faculty and renowned staff who regularly publish books, win awards and gain national recognition. We also have a thriving network of alumni who, both individually and collectively, use their ISU

degrees to make the world a better place.

But those roots are first planted right here, in our amazing students.

Many of them defy the odds just to come to college, let alone move their tassels on graduation day. In between that day and day one, they travel the world, discover and test new theories, create magnificent works of art

and help save lives (big and small).

They make us proud to be Trees.

Ten Minutes with

Joshua PowersAssociate Vice President of Student Success

Q: What are the top three achievements at ISU in 2013-2014?

A: Three particular achievements in my mind are University College, the Fall Student Success Conference, and academic department student enrollment and success plans.

Q: What are some of the biggest challenges that face ISU students?

A: Around half of our students are low-income and many also the first in their family to be on a path to a four-year degree. For nearly a third of our students, neither parent went to college at all. Hence, the challenge that I sometimes observe is students having difficulty dealing with substantial resource limitations and little or no guidance from home in navigating the complexities of college.

Q: What are the qualities that define a successful ISU student?

A: I think a successful ISU student is one who realized a difficult dream that required delayed gratification, experienced an opportunity to achieve to a level they did not believe was possible and emerged with a level of maturity to face the world’s challenges and a deep desire to make it better.

Q: When it’s a really tough day and you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, what do you say to keep yourself going?

A: At ISU, we don’t define our excellence by who we exclude, but rather who we include, along with the kinds of transformative experiences provided here. At the end of a particularly tough day, I remind myself of this and it sustains me well.

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S tudents go to college with one major goal in mind – to achieve a successful career. The scary reality is that not every graduate will find a career, at least not immediately following graduation. Now, Indiana State University

students have a little less to fear. A $3 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. will help build job readiness skills among our student body and benefit the Career Center, as well. The grant will also expand internship opportunities and create employment-awareness programs for freshmen. Since most students neglect to seek employment advice and application assistance until they are about to graduate, it is important for the university to reach out to students as early as possible. By building skills and experience early on, this grant will allow the university to help its students stand out from other recent graduates.

“We want Indiana State to be at the forefront of innovation for connecting our graduates to meaningful employment in Indiana,” said Daniel J. Bradley,

Lilly Endowment grant helps student career

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By Nikki Jones

president of ISU. “The endowment’s support will enable us to pursue student and employer engagement strategies more productively, which is good for our students’ future and the future of our state.”

We want ... to be at the forefront of innovation for connecting our graduates to

meaningful employment.- ISU President Daniel J. Bradley

Top: Audra Trnovec, assistant director of the career center, helps a student craft a professional resume.

Left: The career center is staffed with professionals who help students find campus employment, apply

for jobs, and create resumes and portfolios.

Photos: ISU Communications & Marketing

By Esther Perisho

ISU dean of nursing helps fight infant mortality

Referred to as “deplorable” by Gov. Mike Pence, Indiana’s infant mortality rate is the sixth highest in the country, with 7.7

deaths out of 1,000 live births. As an effort to improve the odds of Indiana children surviving their first year of life, the Terre Haute-based Rural Health Innovation Collaborative has been chosen to lead the West Central Indiana Infant

Mortality Reduction Task Force. One of Indiana State’s very own, Jack

Turman, dean of ISU’s College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services, has stepped up to join the fight. “It’s my passion, my priority and my area of expertise,” said Turman, who will help the task force will concentrate on the eight counties close to Terre Haute – Greene, Owen,

Jack Turman, ISU’s dean of the College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services joins the West Central Indi-

ana Infant Mortality Reduction Task Force.

Photo: ISU Communications & Marketing

Park, Putnam, Vermillion, Vigo, Sullivan and Clay. Despite the relatively small range, Turman and other members of the task force say their mission will have a statewide effect.

Common factors that increase the risk of infant mortality include lack of prenatal care and poor nutrition. Smoking is another factor that increases the risk tremendously. In Indiana, 16.6 percent of pregnant women smoke, as compared to the 9.1 percent national average. Turman admits that he has never been in a place where smoking during pregnancy was

such a big issue. He hopes that the new task force will be able to counteract these dilemmas. “Our task is to work in partnership with the communities to understand the problems that result in infant mortality and work with them to develop strategies to address the problems,” he said. This year, the task force will be devising new strategies for lowering the infant mortality rate. Turman hopes that these new ideas, such as an informational app designed for expectant mothers, will be implemented in the near future.

Our task is to work in

partnership with the

communities ... and work with

them to address the problems.

- Jack Turman, Dean of the College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services

To prove they have the perfect physique, contestants took to the floor at the Student Recreation Center on March 26,

2014, to compete in the Indiana State University Spectacular bodybuilding and fitness contest. In order to participate, the contestants must have been enrolled in at least seven hours of classes and the overall winner of the ISU Spectacular was required to take a drug test. The fitness contestants were required to complete a routine lasting no less than two minutes and no more than three minutes. They were also allowed to provide their own music for their routine

The divisions included a women’s and

men’s division, a tall and short division, a master’s, an open, and an overall winner. The different divisions were meant to appeal to different body types so that the contest would be fair. The Overall Wabash Valley Women’s Champion and open winner was Kaylee Terwoord. The master’s winner in the women’s division was Bonnie Ave. The winner of the men’s overall and short division was Brandon Smitley. The tall division winner was Zach Merritt, and the men’s master’s winner was Robe Fazekas. The winning contestants were awarded trophies at the end of the competition.

By Raelyn Francis

Biceps bulge at fitness contest

Left: The winners of the fitness competition competed in cardio and strength training events

Top Right: Steps were used at various heights for multiple events.

Bottom Right: Men and women competed in the fitness event at stations located on the courts of the Rec Center.

Photos: Jon Garcia

ISU graduate strives to improve education

C ory Graham, an Indiana State University alumnus and an elementary and special education major, has become a beacon

of pride for the university. At the age of 27, he has already made great progress in his goal of securing a safe, effective education for Indiana’s young people.

After graduating from ISU, Graham got

a teaching contract in Warren Township, Ind. While teaching there, he went back to college and earned his master’s in educational leadership. Shortly after, he accepted a job offer to be dean of scholars at Arlington High School in Indianapolis. In association with EdPower, an organization that provides educational services to needy schools, he became involved

Photos: ISU Communications & Marketing

By Esther Perisho

in a turnaround for Arlington, which has safety concerns, as well as other problems.

Graham spent an academic year at Arlington, after which he accepted the offer to be founding assistant principal of culture at Tindley Collegiate Academy – an all-female middle school. Graham orchestrated a field

trip for Tindley students to tour ISU, where 80 students got a taste of college life. He said, “I believe if I stay grounded and humble, doors will continue to open as long as I’m here for the right reason and that’s to care about kids and show them the power of education.”

I’m here ... [to] show kids the power of education. - Cory Graham, ISU alumnus

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For the past decade, Indiana State University has participated in various bat research projects, experiments and

events because of the significant role bats play in the Midwest and the country. Due to recent climate changes, certain species of bats in the Midwest, especially the Indiana bat, are in danger of extinction and forced migration. Scott Bergeson, an ISU doctoral student in biology, has researched Indiana bats and hopes his research will give him a better understanding of their survival. He became interested in bats from his freshman biology professor and has been working with bats since 2009.

An ISU research team trekked out to Plainfield, Ind., to investigate the Indiana bats, which were federally declared endangered in 1967. Rising temperatures and increased rainfall will force bats to adapt their survival methods. There is also a considerable loss of summer habitat for these bats. Local citizens have been cutting down and removing big plots of land, cutting the size of their habitat. Since climate change is driving bats out and compelling them to adapt, the bats need all the land they can get.

Climate change isn’t the Indiana bat’s only threat. A syndrome commonly referred to as “white nose” is also depleting the bat population. White nose is caused by a contagious bacterial fungus that hits when bats are enduring hibernation. If one bat is infected with these bacteria, it will infect and kill 99 percent of the hibernating bats in the cave.

Bergeson hypothesizes that Indiana bats will be able to adapt by varying their thermoregulatory behaviors. These behaviors are crucial for survival because they allow

for body temperature regulation based on the environment. One of Bergeson’s research strategies includes nets to catch the bats along the East Fork of White Lick Creek, southwest of Indianapolis International Airport. This creek is the home of the Indiana bats’ summer habitat and will contribute necessary research to the Indiana State University bat research team. Bats will be captured to attach transmitters to the backs of the bats. The transmitters will track the bats’ behavior in order to understand their adapted survival methods.

Along with Bergeson, there are many people, clubs, scientists, professors, students and organizations that participate in bat research and conversation.

State graduate studentgoes to bat for Indiana batsBy: Nikki Jones

Photos: Scott Bergeson

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By Esther Perisho

ISU music education graduate earns John W. Moore award

Photo: ISU Communications & Marketing

Sean Carey has graduated from ISU, but not without snagging a prestigious award on his way out of college. He is this year’s

recipient of the John W. Moore award, which is given to a President’s Scholar in recognition of academic excellence. Carey, a music education major with a passion for community service, has definitely proven he deserves this recog-nition. During his time at ISU as a Service-Learning Scholar, he launched an after-school music program called Da Capo Strings for the students of Deming Elementary school in Terre Haute. The graduate has high aspirations for his future teaching career.

“My dream is to teach elementary general music and also be the orchestra director for a neighboring middle school,” Carey said. He will soon begin his student teaching in two elementary schools in Dyer and Schererville. In the future, Carey plans to work in inner-city

public schools and hopes to go to graduate school.

“My ultimate goal is to change the lives of my students through music and serving my community,” Carey said. With all his ardent dedication to bettering himself and the commu-nity, Carey is already well on his way to achiev-ing his goal.

My ultimate goal is to change the lives of my students through

music and serving my community

- Sean Carey, ISU graduate who received the John W. Moore Award

What started as a search for elusive prime numbers has advanced into a hunt that is involving 150 computers

and seven departments – and it is all running behind the scenes at ISU. Professor Geoff Exoo and Assistant Professor Jeff Kinne kick started their project last summer with the six students and the funding of the Indiana Academy of Sciences and the ISU Office of the President.

The search for prime numbers can be dated back to as far as the 16th century, and as our computers have increased in processing power we have increasingly been able to find larger numbers. This mathematical quest has turned into an international affair known as the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search, and with the efforts of thousands of individuals and computers, the largest prime number discovered is 17 million digits long. Exoo and Kinne have put their own twist on the search for these complicated numbers.

“We have a similar setup of using many PCs in the search, but we wanted to look at different ways to generate the prime numbers,” Kinne said. He and Exoo have created their own software to search for prime numbers. The software is currently using the full processing power of 75 computers on campus, while 75 other computers are running the software during the weekends.

Even though this enormous search’s main purpose is for pure scientific inquiry, large prime numbers have their use in internet security. Cryptographers use prime numbers to encrypt security codes which are incorporated into our everyday Internet transactions.

Exoo and Kinne have discovered the 208th largest known prime, which is more than 712,748 digits long, along with several other large twin and Sophie Germain prime numbers. The two professors don’t intend to stop any time soon, however.

“With primes, there’s no end,” Kinne said.

By Esther Perisho and ISU Communications & Marketing

Faculty track elusive prime numbers

Photo: ISU Communications & Marketing

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Sycamore finds success through University CollegeBy Esther Perisho

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The mission of ISU’s new University Col-lege takes the idea of student support in a whole new direction. The University

College supports freshmen success by helping them learn how to navigate college life. Joseph Seyforth, a freshman athletic training major, has thrived under the guidance of the University College.

“I got hurt playing football in high school and I helped out as a student athletic trainer and fell in love with it,” he said about his choice of major. “I chose to come to Indiana State because they had a great athletic training program and it just felt right every time that I came here to visit.”

Seyforth has been working hard since he started attending Indiana State. He is a University Honors student who made the dean’s list this fall semester. He credits a lot of his academic success to the resources made available to him through the University College.

“My adviser explained to me reasons why I should pursue help with the math center and I found myself going there two to three times a week. I received an A in my math course and found going to the math center as being a big

reason why it was possible,” he said. Seyforth is also grateful for the college survival tips that his adviser has given him, such as how to handle stress and break his schedule into more manageable pieces.

In addition to giving practical advice, Seyforth’s adviser is also really friendly. “He always makes a point of asking how I am doing outside of classes.”

Seyforth is very satisfied with his time with the University College. “I have had a great experience thus far with the academic advising program and have received excellent help in moving forward with my classes.”

I received an A in my math course and found going to the math center as being a big reason why it was possible.

- Joseph Seyforth, freshman, athletic training

Top Right: Seyforth used university resources like the Math and Writing

Center to enhance his grade.

Bottom Right: Seyforth made the dean’s list in part because of the help from ISU’s new

University College.

Photos: Jon Garcia

Photos: ISU Communications & Marketing

Landini AwardsThe Richard G. Landini

Outstanding Junior Award was bestowed on Katherine Lugar, Brooke Rust, Mitchell

Wasmund and Allison Young Herzog as a

gesture of appreciation for their exceptional accomplishments at

ISU.

This is it. Graduation Day. This is the day every college student dreams of and fears. Many breathe a sigh of

relief – no more time spent cramming for finals, writing papers at 2 a.m. or corralling stragglers in group projects. Right after that sigh, however, often comes a few tears. Sure, cramming for a final is stressful, but studying with friends over pizza was actually fun. Yes, the never-ending chain of research papers can get tedious, but acing that final draft felt amazing. Of course, group projects are more annoying than helpful, but spending time with someone from a different background really opens eyes.

All through college students can’t wait to graduate and on that incredible day, as

they celebrate their achievements, they realize that who they were as a freshman is drastically different than who they are now.

And that’s an amazing thing.

Celebrating happy endings and new beginningsBy Sara Palmer

Winter and Spring

Commencement

A snowy send-off

Graduation is the end of a chapter, but also the start of a new one. Come graduation, students tend to forget their

upcoming responsibilities, instead only seeing the finish line for their college years. Some graduates need to be reminded of their life responsibilities and skills. Speakers at Indiana State University got the opportunity to tell winter grads to continue service and remember important virtues like time management and building strong relationships. One speaker, Joe Weiss, finds time to engage in his community even with a strenuous lifestyle. Weiss worked as an emergency medical technician, taught EMT classes and engaged as a full-time student at Indiana State University, but he somehow still found time to strongly care for others and his community.

“I strive to treat everyone I encounter as if they are the most important person in the world, right there in that moment,” he said. “I encourage you to do the same. Make it your daily goal to be the reason one stranger smiles.”

Keith Ogorek, vice president of marketing for Author Solutions, also spoke to the graduates. Ogorek gave the graduates a framework for building relationships and time

management, along with crucial insight and advice for the present and future.

“Time will pass more quickly than you can ever imagine,” said Ogorek, a 1982 ISU graduate, “Take time to make your life as good as it can be.”

By Nikki Jones

Photos: ISU Communications & Marketing

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Photos: ISU Communications & Marketing

COMMENCEMENTSTATISTICS:

Degrees:260 bachelor’s 75 master’s

40 doctorates

Demographics:34 U.S. states and territories

11 countries

Popular Majors:nursing criminology

human resource development

A day to celebrate

Students run across campus holding blue caps tightly to their heads. Faculty fan themselves uncomfortably in their thick

velvet robes. Boyfriends clutch bouquets and girlfriends clutch boyfriends. Confused families drive the wrong way down Eighth Street.

It’s Spring Commencement time again.Indiana State University celebrated its 143rd

commencement on a beautiful, mild May 3, 2014. Thousands flocked to the Hulman Center to cheer for the more than 1,700 graduates that turned their tassels that day.

“I couldn’t be more proud,” said Deborah Zeedyk, mother of ISU graduate Joe Zeedyk, sports management, in an interview with the Terre Haute Tribune- Star. “This was the perfect school for him.”

Despite all the focus on the end, graduation day can really sneak up on students. “It didn’t really sink in until I woke up this morning that I am graduating,” Cassandra Guarino, an elementary education major, said. “It doesn’t feel real until you are in the full regalia and you are standing here.”

Commencement is always bittersweet and even sometimes a little scary. These graduates have a long road ahead of them, but the foundation they built at ISU will serve them well.

“College is much more than intellectual development,” Josh Powers, vice president for student success, said. “It is also about personal development, about learning to give back, to analyze, to fail, to get back up, to reinvent oneself. A degree opens doors like nothing else.”

By Sara Palmer

Photos: Jon Garcia

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Photo: Jon Garcia

SPRINGCOMMENCEMENT

STATISTICS:

Degrees:1,400 bachelor’s

300 master’s and doctorates

Alumni Commencement Speaker:Sally Neville

1974 graduate ISU School of Nursing

Graduating Sycamore Speaker:Tanika Lyles, sports management