TERRE HAUTE —
The Rose-Hulman campus traditionally quiets down this time of year, yet for me I sense a renewed energy from the phenomenal year just closing. It’s also a natural time to be retrospective as well as to look forward to the coming year.
It goes without saying that the passing of President Matt Branam in April was a sad and tragically unexpected challenge in our journey through Rose-Hulman history. Matt accomplished much in his relatively short time with us as president and is sorely missed. However, with the strength and determination of an extremely dedicated group of faculty, staff and students working together, we’ve kept our footing and kept our momentum forward as an institution.
As an example, I believe one of the most significant events of the year for us was the creation of our Strategic Plan 2013-2018, “The Next Steps.” I also believe that our method of engaging more than 2,000 alumni, retirees, students, faculty and community members in this year-long planning process was just as important as the resulting document. Whether it is from my vantage point as interim president, as a longtime employee here, or just as someone who is fascinated by the collective talents at Rose-Hulman, our new Strategic Plan has infused the campus with bolder ideas, renewed passion, and stronger collaborations.
In addition, I hope you share my pride in a great Terre Haute institution as I recap for you just a few additional accomplishments and accolades for the year:
• We welcomed the largest freshman class ever this fall; a class that is also the most geographically diverse, includes a record number of female and international students, and is one of our strongest classes academically.
• Rose-Hulman was included in the Best 300 Professors book published by Princeton Review. Six of our fine professors were profiled, and we were also the only Indiana institution of higher education included in the book.
• We received our 14th consecutive No. 1 ranking by U.S. News & World Report.
• We were also ranked as the ninth “Smartest College” by the national Lumosity report — listed in the same company as MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Northwestern, and Yale. This same report stated we were No. 1 in the nation for student memory.
• Rose enjoyed international attention thanks to Siemens Global who featured one of our Senior Design Projects within their online film which featured an eight-year-old Rockville boy who was the recipient of a prosthetic forearm created by two of our seniors.
• In October, we hosted a 19-member Japanese delegation on campus, celebrating our 20th year of partnership with the Kanazawa Institute of Technology — our sister institution in Japan.
• During fall break, we hosted the NCAA Division III Cross Country Nationals, which brought hundreds of visitors to our community.
Also, Rose-Hulman attracted some top-drawer specialists from around the globe to enlighten us all on various topics, including:
• Inventor extraordinaire Dean Kamen, who inspired our 2012 graduates at Commencement.
• Alumnus Michael Mussallem, Chairman and CEO of Edwards Lifesciences, who spoke on the topic of minimally invasive heart valve innovations.
• Revolutionary cancer therapy researcher Dr. Bruce Horten, who discussed targeted cancer therapies.
• Alumnus Dr. Felda Hardymon from the Harvard Business School and a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners discussing entrepreneurship.
• Intercultural communications expert Dr. Milton Bennett direct from Milan, Italy.
We’ve had a milestone year by several measures, but it has always been a Rose-Hulman tradition to reach even higher each year, and 2013 promises to be no exception.
We are proud to be a part of the Terre Haute community, and wish to thank you for your continued pride and support of our work at 5500 Wabash Ave. As a community, we all do our best work when we work together, and all of our lives are all richer for it.
Have a safe and prosperous New Year.
— Rob Coons, President
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Opinion
FLASHPOINT: Milestone year for Rose-Hulman
- Opinion
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RONN MOTT: Mushrooms = Hoosier happiness
Someone wrote or said a few years ago a statement that would define the word “Hoosier.” According to this urban legend, a Hoosier is somebody dribbling a basketball around the Indy 500 while eating a fried, morel mushroom. It did not define me, at the time.
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EDITORIAL: Insult to an independent press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
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READERS' FORUM: May 17, 2013
Hinduism doesn’t deserve ridicule — Shefali Purohit, Terre Haute
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RONN MOTT: Israel’s Air Force
Recently the Israeli Air Force bombed and rocketed a convoy leaving Syria going to Lebanon with rockets that were going to be used to attack Israel. It did not get there. It was destroyed.
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EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news: Dashing finish for the Sycamores
It’s always thrilling to see Indiana State University’s athletic teams do well in high-level competition, and two specific teams rose to impressive heights last weekend in the Missouri Valley Conference outdoor track and field championships.
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Readers' Forum: May 16, 2013
Moving Deming folks sounds ‘nuts’
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Readers' Forum: May 15, 2013
Participants rise to the challenge: I would like to write a letter congratulating all the Wabash Valley Roadrunners that competed in the One America Indianapolis Mini Marathon.
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RONN MOTT: Media merry-go-round
Round and round it goes, where it stops nobody knows. That isn’t a unique phrase to this writer or to this era in time. But, when it comes to the musical chairs of broadcasting, it certainly applies.
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LIZ CIANCONE: Courts see a different appearance than cops
Have you ever noticed the transformation between the arrest of an accused lawbreaker and the first appearance in court?
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READERS' FORUM: May 14, 2013
ISTEP failure exposes flaws
Community hasn’t changed its spirit
Egregious threat to nation’s defense
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READERS' FORUM: May 13, 2013
• Women’s group criticizes Bucshon
• Let’s hope this doesn’t come true
• Many get thanks for fest success
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MARK BENNETT: Life at face value: Mom’s simple advice still presents a valuable daily challenge
Most moms don’t base their advice on scientific research.
(Unless, of course, your mother is a scientific researcher. If so, carry a No. 2 pencil and take good notes.) -
EDITORIAL: Better monitoring needed to prevent local environmental messes
The nasty, hazardous messes lurking in the community raise a bottom-line, red-flag question. Could these environmental problems have been monitored and, thus, prevented?
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GUEST COLUMN: Nursing more than medicine and bandages
Being a nurse … Like most nurses, I chose this profession because I had a strong desire to help others and no other career would allow me the opportunity to touch lives the way I have been able to through nursing.
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READERS' FORUM: May 12, 2013
Vigo Youth Football, entering 45th year, seeks new support
Media ignoring important case on abortions
Proud to be old-fashioned
Guns in school? What’s next?
Promoting hate not a ‘brave’ act
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FLASHPOINT: Again in 2013 General Assembly, middle class generally ignored
Last year, the people of Indiana entrusted the Republican Party with some of their most precious possessions.
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RONN MOTT: ‘Raccoons II’
In the Algonquin Indian language, raccoon means “working with hands.” They are really cute little fellows until they injure a child, or a pet, or leave feces around where you certainly do not want it.
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Readers’ Forum: May 11, 2013
I just wanted to express my disappointment at the lack of response shown by President Obama after the Boston Marathon bombings.
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Readers' Forum: May 10, 2013
CANDLES event plants new seed: On April 26, CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center hosted an event called “Sowing Seeds of Peace: A Celebration of Spring” at the Apple House. Our purpose was to introduce people to our concept of forgiveness as a seed for peace.
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RONN MOTT: ‘NRA Convention’
At the recent NRA Convention in Houston, Texas, where the right-wing political hot air almost lifted the convention's building off its foundation, the NRA trotted out the forever yours political dame of the right wing, Sarah Palin. Sarah did not disappoint.
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EDITORIAL: Memo to U.S.A.: You can ‘SPPRAK’ just as we do in Vigo County
Our kids, truly, are ‘Making a Difference’
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Some words in praise of boring government — Indiana’s
A conservative Republican governor has super majorities in both branches of the legislature. One might suspect such one-party government leads to major changes in public policy. This did not happen in 2013 in Indiana.
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EDITORIAL: Doc’s prescient prescription
Viewed through a 2013 prism, Doc Bowen’s response to the AIDS epidemic looks merely prudent, routine.
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RONN MOTT: ‘Heritage gone’
The last high school I attended was being torn down just a few days ago. I didn't learn about it until I saw classmate Dick Mills on television and a display he had put together about State football championships in the middle 1930's. I began elementary school with Dick Mills. That was Matthew South Elementary School on South Sixth Street in Clinton, Indiana. After seeing Dick on TV, it dawned on me that all schools I had attended in Clinton have been torn down.
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LIZ CIANCONE: We always want more than we need
Washington seems more preoccupied with the unemployment rate than they are about the constant stalemate. Still with thousands out of work and the unemployment rate hovering somewhere between 7 percent and 9 percent, it does deserve more than a passing nod.
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FLASHPOINT: Indiana lawmakers reinforced school safety mechanisms
Nothing is more important to me than the safety of my children. Every parent has felt that instant, apprehensive rush when their child plays too close to the street or falls down while playing soccer and it is our responsibility as parents to implement every safety mechanism we can muster to protect our kids.
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READERS’ FORUM: May 6, 2013
• Money drives our newfound ‘needs’
• Guns not the only dangerous objects
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MARK BENNETT: Should I stay or should I go?
Some have their Bill Clinton-era Cavalier packed (with the trunk bungee-ed shut), apartment cleaned (except for the fridge), and iPhone GPS locked onto the fastest route out of Terre Haute. Others are staying — until they find a better job, or because they’re starting a career here, or because this town feels like home. In each case, a new stage of life begins today.
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EDITORIAL: Education remains worth the cost
Within the next few weeks, each of the local colleges will have conducted graduation ceremonies. A few days later, a different Class of 2013 will don caps and gowns for commencement — the seniors at five Vigo County high schools. It is still a smart, worthy aspiration for those high school grads to replicate the achievement of those college students by earning a higher-education degree.
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College Class of '13 gets a little extra advice
Local college grads will hear commencement speakers offer life and career advice this month. We’re offering them an extra dose here from folks who’ve found success in various vocations and regions of the nation. Many have Terre Haute roots.
- More Opinion Headlines
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Emma Watson Goes Pantless
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Cindy Crawford Stuns At Cannes
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Miranda Kerr Looks Sexy in a Bikini Photo Shoot
Hatchet-wielding viral video star, once a hero, now a murder suspect
