Indiana State University Newsroom

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Dubbed "the Crossroads of America" Terre Haute will be the site of the 2009 Indiana Student Affairs Association (ISAA) conference on Friday, Oct. 9, on the campus of Indiana State University. More than 200 professionals will attend the conference titled "Partnering at the Crossroads of Change."

"The conference has never been hosted by a community," said Al Perone, associate dean of students at Indiana State and conference chair. "It's not just Indiana State University - it's Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, St. Mary-of-the-Woods College and Ivy Tech Community College. We work together all the time and hosting this conference is just a continuation of those efforts."

"It's a great opportunity to spotlight the Indiana State campus and the city of Terre Haute," said Tom Ramey, vice president for student affairs at Indiana State and 2009 ISAA president.

Founded in 1949 as the Indiana College Personnel Association, the organization ceased operations in 1992, and for nine years no formal meeting of Indiana student affairs professionals existed. In 2002, the ISAA was formed with the simple goal of bringing together student affairs professions from across the state once a year for a fall meeting. The meeting gives individuals an opportunity for professional development, to discuss and learn about trends in higher education and student development especially as it pertains to our state, and to increase collaboration and innovation of new approaches to student services and learning through networking and focus groups. In addition to student affairs professionals, the conference welcomes students.

"The importance of the meeting is the networking that occurs," Ramey said. "This is the only time each year when student affairs professionals from Indiana public and private colleges and universities meet to exchange ideas and discuss current topics of concern."

In addition to networking, attendees are able to attend breakout sessions ranging from developing future student affairs professionals, advising organizations, creating and maintaining partnerships, and socialization to legal issues.

"There are a total of 30 breakout sessions," Perone said. "Seven of those sessions are being presented by Indiana State personnel."

Four presidents from Terre Haute's higher education institutions - David G. Behrs, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College; Matt Branam, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Jeff Pittman, Ivy Tech Community College - Wabash Valley and Daniel J. Bradley, Indiana State - will discuss the challenges in higher education today in Indiana. This discussion is hosted by Indiana State's educational leadership, administration and foundations department and moderated by Mary Howard Hamilton, a professor in Indiana State's student affairs and higher education program.

Luncheon speakers include Maureen K. LeBoeuf, a retired Army brigadier general and a helicopter pilot who was the first woman to chair a department at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and Dick McKaig, retired vice provost and dean of students at Indiana University and past president of ISAA.

Will Keim will be the conference's closing keynote speaker presenting "Leadership for the 21st Century: Improving Your Serve." His background as an educator, residence hall director, educational program director, athlete and campus minister enables him to understand students and the major issues they face today.

Keim, founder of The Character Institute, has spoken to more than 2 million students, faculty, and staff on 2,000 campuses in all 50 states in the United States and most provinces of Canada.

He is the author of several books including "The Education of Character: Lessons for Beginners,""Life after College," "The Truth About College." Keim is a contributing author to "Chicken Soup for the College Soul," "Let Your Leadership Speak," and "Greek Inspirations."

While gaining knowledge at the conference, attendees are encouraged to donate money to Covenant Cooperative Ministries, a local Christian ministry committed to promoting voluntarism, developing and strengthening families and the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.

Indiana State has hosted this event three other times - 1955, 1967 and 1976. This year's conference was planned by a committee composed of individuals drawn from campuses around the state. Each year, a different Hoosier institution of higher learning plays host to the event. The 2010 conference will be in Indianapolis, hosted by University of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College-Central Indiana and Marian College.

-30-

Contact: Al Perone, associate dean of students at Indiana State and conference chair, 812-237-8111

Writer: Paula Meyer, ISU Communications & Marketing, 812-237-3783 or paula.meyer@indstate.edu