Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Alumni Association to recognize four
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The USI Alumni Association will honor an administrator, a faculty member, and two alumni with awards on Saturday, May 10, at the Graduation Celebration Reception and Dinner. Award recipients are Dr. M. Edward Jones, Special Recognition Award; Dr. Jeanne K. Barnett, Faculty Recognition Award; Jamie L. Wicks ’91, M ’97, Alumni Service Award; and Wayne S. Trockman ‘81, Distinguished Alumni Award. All are residents of Evansville. Special Recognition Award Dr. M. Edward Jones, associate vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of Extended Services, has been at the center of the University’s development since he joined USI in 1974 as founding director of Continuing Education. Serving 202 people taking noncredit courses in its initial year, Extended Services is a comprehensive regional engagement division today that provides programming for more than 15,000 Tri-state residents annually. Jones has supplied the vision that fit perfectly with the USI mission of outreach and service to the region. Under his leadership, the following operating units in Extended Services have been developed: the Bachelor of General Studies Adult Degree Completion Program; Centers for Applied Research, Human Resource Development, Education Services; Continuing Education; Service Learning; Historic New Harmony; Historic Southern Indiana, Southern Indiana Japanese School; and Instructional Technology Services/Distance Education. Partnering with a variety of community organizations and groups to promote regional economic and workforce development, Jones provides resources to the Growth Alliance of Greater Evansville (GAGE), Innovation Pointe, Metropolitan Evansville Chamber of Commerce, The Southwest Indiana WIRED District, the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana, and WorkOne. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to Continuing Education at USI and at the state and national levels, Jones received the prestigious University Continuing Education Association Walton Bittner Citation for Outstanding Service in 2000. Faculty Recognition Award Dr. Jeanne K. Barnett, professor of biology, is a dedicated educator whose caring personality, combined with her expertise as a teacher and advisor, have gained her the enduring respect of her students and colleagues. Since she joined USI in 1989, Barnett has been instrumental in teaching and advising students in the areas of pre-medicine, immunology, and virology. In addition to her teaching and advising responsibilities, since 1990 she has been a coordinator for the successful Presidential Scholarship Program. Attracting and assisting Indiana’s brightest students, she encourages these valedictorians and salutatorians to become academic pacesetters at USI. Barnett has been instrumental in mentoring the over 200 Presidential Scholars who have earned baccalaureate degrees. Barnett also oversees the Baccalaureate/Doctor of Medicine Scholarship program implemented in 2000. To increase the number of physicians providing medical services in southern Indiana, six pre-medicine students are selected each year to receive full-tuition waivers to complete undergraduate work at USI and graduate coursework at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Barnett holds a Ph.D. in microbiology (molecular virology) from Duke University Medical Center. Over the past 35 years, she has co-written many research papers published in national science journals and has presented numerous papers at professional meetings. Barnett is an engaging professor who integrates the results of her research into the classroom creating enhanced learning and enthusiasm among USI students. Alumni Service Award Jamie L. Wicks ’91, M ‘97 personifies the Alumni Association’s mission to serve and develop a committed body of alumni dedicated to promoting and enhancing the excellence and reputation of the University. Wicks, 1991 business administration and 1997 Master of Business Administration graduate, served as president of the USI Alumni Association 2004-05 and Alumni Council member from 2000-06. A member of the USI Foundation Board from 2004-06, she is past chair of the Alumni Annual Fund Campaign, and a Phonathon volunteer. Additionally she has provided leadership to Alumni special events, Alumni Benefits & Services Committee, Alumni Travel Committee, and Advocates for Higher Education. She is the immediate past president of the Junior League of Evansville, board member of ANEW, Evansville Estate and Financial Planning Council, and the Museum Guild, as well as volunteering for her church, the Komen Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, United Way, Girl Scouts, and Junior Achievement. One of USI’s most ardent cheerleaders and volunteers, Wicks continuously spreads the word of USI and its academic programs to the community and area students. Wicks is assistant vice president, trust officer at Fifth Third Bank. Distinguished Alumni Award Conferral of the Distinguished Alumni Award provides recognition to a graduate who has made outstanding achievements in career or in public service. This year’s recipient, the Honorable Wayne S. Trockman ’81, has distinguished himself as an innovator of court programs. Trockman, a 1981 management graduate, was appointed to the Vanderburgh Superior Court bench in December 1998 by Governor Frank O’Bannon. He was elected to a six-year term in 2001 and was re-elected for another term in 2007. Trockman served as chief judge of Vanderburgh Superior Court from 2003-08. In 2001, Trockman organized and implemented the first drug treatment court in Vanderburgh County. The court serves as an intensive sentencing alternative for non-violent felony drug offenders who have committed crimes in the county. The program has been made successful in part by creative funding efforts by Judge Trockman. A non-profit foundation was established to seek private community support for the program, along with various state and federal grants. Trockman is chairman of the Indiana Judicial Center Court Administered Drug Program Committee, serving as chair of the Drug Court Sub-Committee. He is also a member of the board of Governors of the Indiana Judicial Center and remains active in the Evansville Bar Association. Trockman has received numerous awards including a 2004 Jefferson Award for Public Service from the American Institute for Public Service. |
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