JASPER, Ind. – The Vincennes University Board of Trustees held its first meeting of the 2019-20 academic year on Aug. 28 at the Center for Technology, Innovation and Manufacturing on the Vincennes University Jasper Campus.

Trustees appointed new Vice President of Financial Services Linda Waldroup Treasurer of the University, and received updates about early fall enrollment numbers and developments on the VU Jasper Campus.

“Enrollment appears to have stabilized with encouraging pockets of growth. There have been increases at some campuses and declines have slowed at others,” Director of Admissions Heidi Whitehead said.

The highest growth was seen at the Aviation Technology Center in Indianapolis, which is up 45 percent over last year. Whitehead attributed the growth to VU’s growing partnerships with the aviation industry.

Whitehead also reported the gender gap is narrowing on the Vincennes campus and the quality of VU students continues to rise all sites. The caliber of students, especially among students from Illinois, is going up based on high school grade point averages, college readiness, and other measures.

VU President Chuck Johnson referring to a report issued earlier this summer by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education told the Board VU’s success numbers are improving significantly and trending in an upward direction.

“The on-time graduation rates as reported by the Indiana Commission are up 169 percent over a five-year period for cohorts entering Fall 2011 through Fall 2016,” Johnson said.

He cited the major impact of the student success and retention efforts the University has undertaken over the past several years as contributing to this growth.

The Board also heard from VU Jasper Assistant Vice President and Dean Christian Blome about a myriad of impressive things happening on the VU Jasper Campus. Most notably are increased partnerships with regional schools, as well Hub 19, a career and innovation hub supporting Dubois County, and the establishment of more career and technical education programming with the Patoka Valley CTE Cooperative, leading to the development of the Automation and Robotics Academy.

Blome commended Patoka Valley CTE Director Jarred Howard and CTIM Jacob Berg for their work in helping create this new academy.

The ARA is a groundbreaking program that immerses high school juniors and seniors in the Patoka Valley CTE Cooperative within a learning environment that combines dual credit with work-based learning for apprenticeship type experience and lab instruction. Students take classes at the CTIM three days a week and intern with an industry partner two days a week.

“This high school program is one of the first of its kind,” Blome said. “It gives students both classroom and on-the-job experience in a critical industry sector for Dubois County and Indiana.”

Students receive both high school and college credit, earn a paycheck while working in an internship, and gain real-world experience in advanced manufacturing.

“The Automation and Robotics Academy builds on VU’s successful work in CTE Early College and work-based learning programs and aligns well with Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb’s agenda of more work-based learning opportunities and skill training education for all students,” Johnson said.

In his report, Blome thanked the VU Jasper Foundation for its support of the new Dubois County Scholastic Excellence Award. The scholarship covers tuition, fees, books, and provides a laptop computer. He also reported that VU Jasper is offering a new engineering program starting this fall that gives students a path to transfer to Purdue University through a Direct Admit Agreement with VU.

In other business:

*Board of Trustees Chair John Stachura and President Chuck Johnson expressed gratitude to Brianna Jobe, who served her final meeting as a student trustee. Jobe’s term expires at the end of September.

VINCENNES UNIVERSITY - Indiana’s First College

VU is state-supported with campuses in Vincennes and Jasper, the Aviation Technology Center and American Sign Language program in Indianapolis, Early College Career and Technical Education Centers, and additional sites such as the Gene Haas Training and Education Center in Lebanon, the Logistics Training and Education Center in Plainfield, and the Gibson County Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics in Fort Branch. A leader in developing Early Colleges statewide, VU also offers instruction at military sites throughout the nation.

In addition to offering a wide range of associate degree and certificate programs, VU also offers bachelor’s degree programs in technology, homeland security, nursing, secondary education programs in mathematics and science, and special education/elementary education.

VU enrolls students from throughout Indiana, 35 other states, and 17 countries. Tuition and fees are the lowest among Indiana campuses with residence halls. VU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Founded in 1801, VU is Indiana’s first college and is the only college in the nation founded by an individual who would later become President of the United States. William Henry Harrison, the ninth U.S. President, founded VU while serving as governor of the Indiana Territory. More information is available at www.vinu.edu.

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Vincennes University Newsroom

MARCIA MARTINEZ, University Life Reporter & Sports Information Director
   812-888-4164 office, 314-599-1519 cell, VUNews@vinu.edu, mmartinez@vinu.edu
VINCENNES UNIVERSITY, Department of University Relations, www.vinu.edu/news/newsroom