Director, Office of Sustainability

The Office of Sustainability works to raise awareness, provide resources, and facilitate community involvement to promote a sustainable future. This position requires a year-round commitment. Duties include, but are not limited to:

  • Grant writing, project development, and implementation

  • Hiring and supervising interns

  • Serving on the Climate Action Plan Implementation Committee

  • Working with campus offices and organizations, including the Office of the Chancellor, SGA, SSC, Cougar Cupboard, Cougar Closet, Facilities, and Alumni Relations

  • Leading and coordinating the sustainability steering committee and subcommittees

  • Offering/awarding/managing undergraduate research and community service grants and awards

  • Serving as faculty advisor for the Student Sustainability Council

  • Developing and holding events on and off campus, including Sustainability Week and service projects

  • Overseeing maintenance of the Main Building courtyard and no-spray ecological preservation areas

  • KEY trips related to sustainability issues

  • Developing and evaluating sustainability courses

  • Coordinating with AASCU’s Stewardship of Public Lands program

  • Proposing and managing office budget

  • Leading climate resilience planning and implementation efforts

  • Working with other IU campuses and Sustain IU on systemwide initiatives

  • Maintaining the campus tree inventory database and Tree Campus USA compliance and designation

  • Working with local beekeepers and maintaining Bee Campus compliance and designation

  • Working with community organizations and leaders

  • Advancing new projects while engaging in long-term planning.

Faculty Advisor, Student Sustainability Council

The Student Sustainability Council of Indiana University Kokomo serves to promote sustainable action, foster new ideas, and invoke environmental awareness on our campus and in our community. The SSC, founded in spring 2022, advises the Indiana University Kokomo Office of Sustainability from the perspectives of the students, working to reduce the negative effects of the University on the natural environment and to promote environmental, social, and economic justice.

 The SSC meets at minimum once per month and also hosts game nights and service projects throughout the year. I serve as their sole faculty advisor. I assist them with all matters, including budgeting, financial records, elections, meetings, service projects, developing workable projects for review by the university, making connections with outside organizations such as the Audubon Society, developing and enacting grant proposals.

Chapter Advisor, Pi Sigma Alpha

PSA is the national honor society for college and university students of political and social sciences in the United States. Its purpose is to recognize and promote high academic achievement in the field of political science. It is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) and adheres to all the standards set by ACHS for an upper-division, specialized honor society. IUK’s chapter of PSA was founded by my predecessor, Dr. Todd Bradley; in 2023, I reached out to students that met PSA’s criteria and was able to reestablish the chapter. The chapter advisor is the link between the national PSA organization and the student members, as well as between the chapter and the home institution. The advisor is key to the success of the chapter and the level of benefit the students are able to derive from membership in it. As such, it is important that the advisor be a faculty member who is dedicated to the needs of students and has good rapport with them and is willing to perform the duties of advisor, which include: recruitment, verifying eligibility, initiation, communication, meetings, grants and awards, and managing finances, reports, and records. The goal of IUK’s chapter is to provide students an opportunity to connect with other PSA members, learn about outside opportunities including internships, jobs, and grants, and recognize their academic achievements while encouraging peers to consider HPSP as a major/minor.

Faculty Advisor, Model United Nations

Lead IUK’s delegation to the Indiana Consortium for International Programs (ICIP) Model United Nations Security Council Conference. Involves teaching POLS Y401: Political Simulations, applying for funding, and overseeing all aspects of preparation and execution. In MUN, students role-play as various countries in the world. They learn about the history, politics, and foreign policies of several countries and begin to understand the importance of the United Nations in the world today. Students become familiar with several international problems or issues and experience the give-and-take of diplomacy as they attempt to pass resolutions in their councils. In addition, MUN provides an opportunity for them to improve their public speaking and debate skills and to learn about parliamentary procedure.

American Democracy Project

The American Democracy Project (ADP) is a network of nearly 300 state colleges and universities focused on public higher education’s role in preparing the next generation to be informed and engaged in an equitable civil society. ADP was established in 2003 as a nonpartisan initiative of AASCU in partnership with the New York Times. It focuses on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement (CLDE). Dr. Paul Cook serves as IUK’s campus contact for ADP and, as a political scientist, I serve as our other faculty representative. ADP organizes national and regional meetings; national programs, institutes, webinars, and workshops; and thousands of campus initiatives, including voter education and registration, curricular and co-curricular projects, professional development, special days of action and reflection, speaker series, and award programs.

POLS GC/MAT Committee

The committee meets monthly to discuss matters related to scheduling, student progress, retention, course offerings, learning outcomes, and other matters related to the online graduate certificate and master’s program in political science at IU. Campuses with multiple political science faculty members traditionally rotate membership on this committee; as IUK’s sole political scientist, I serve on a permanent basis on behalf of our campus. I also work to develop my own graduate-level courses for this program.

Teaching Awards Committee

The committee manages the criteria, guidelines, and procedures for nomination and application of all faculty teaching awards at IUK, then reviews submissions, scores/ranks and otherwise provides feedback on applications, and after meeting and reviewing materials and feedback, makes recipient recommendations to administration. Time commitment varies semester-to-semester depending on the number and type of awards being given and the number of applicants.

Faculty Senate Calendar Committee

The committee has responsibility for making recommendations regarding key academic and other major university dates. These include spring break, fall break, and holidays not already designated by the Board of Trustees, as well as various university deadlines.