OUR POINT THIS WEEK: Butler looks to the future with new majors, improved facilities and new administration. | VOTE: 33-0-1

One word defined Butler University during the 2011-12 academic year: transition.

From the inauguration of a completely new president to the installation of a new fireplace in the Market Place at Atherton Union, the changes kept rolling all year.

While all major changes are sure to bring about some less-than-desirable outcomes, the promising improvements on campus tend to get overlooked.

Looking back, new programs have blossomed, new facilities are being constructed and the strategic discussions on this campus have become extremely forward thinking—all during the course of one academic year.

Butler has much to be excited about and has many new opportunities to explore, but we can’t rest on our laurels. There is much room to expand on the achievements we have already made.

Dance, theater and music students will finally get a larger, necessary recital hall when the Howard L. Schrott Center for the Performing Arts opens. The budding art + design program recently received much needed studio and gallery space by expanding its program into the former Academy of Dance Annex.

Arts aren’t the only programs to gain ground this semester. Entirely new majors, such as the peace studies, risk management and communication organization programs will be available next semester.

All these new programs are ripe for inter-college collaboration, something that university administrators and deans  should focus on as Butler moves forward.

While academics are thriving, Butler’s athletic programs continue to set a high example of professionalism, despite increased outside scrutiny in the national collegiate athletic arena.

President Jim Danko and his cabinet are doing the right thing by putting an increased focus on compliance with federal and local laws. Moving forward, Butler needs to make sure that any potential violation is investigated and resolved  so that Butler maintains a clean slate.

Administratively, Danko came in ready to institute real change and listened to student concerns from his first day.

While his national tour to promote Butler kept him busy, he didn’t stop responding to student emails personally and holding student office hours. This needs to continue.

Another promising sign: When ideas have gone awry and problems have developed, Danko’s administration generally remained transparent, even though it sometimes meant answering difficult questions and admitting potential flaws.

Moving forward, Student Government Association should strive for better transparency and openness, as well as strive to hold its members more accountable to following the SGA constitution.

Butler is not perfect. We don’t live in a utopia. But we made considerable progress over this past year, especially during a transitional period.

Butler will only continue to improve as long as every member of the community continues to strive for positive, dynamic change.

Jim Danko’s installation ceremony on Saturday at Clowes Memorial Hall was a historical event, full of the pomp and circumstance that the Butler University community expected.

After months of wondering how exactly Danko planned to imagine all the possibilities at this institution, I waited on pins and needles to see what—if anything—Danko would announce during his inaugural address.

By the end of the address, audience members’ curiosities were definitely satiated.

The only problem with the installation ceremony on Saturday? No one saw it.

There couldn’t have been more than 500 people sitting in attendance at Clowes.

More students should have taken an hour or two to witness the inauguration.

After seeing the installation advertised in the Butler Connection, on poster boards, in emails and on the covers of numerous issues of The Collegian, there really was no excuse not to know when and where the event was happening and that the entire Butler community was invited.

If you missed the installation, you missed Butler’s leaders, as well as a U.S. senator, express their views of Danko.

If you missed the ceremony, you missed the chance to see former president Bobby Fong adorably singing the Alma Mater.

But most importantly, if you missed the installation, you missed Danko’s announcement of a $5 million idea fund that he and his wife personally have invested in, designed to put great ideas from the Butler community on a funding fast track.

Student Government Association President Al Carroll said he has plenty of ideas for the $5 million fund but would be excited to hear from the rest of the student body about their ideas for where the money should go.

“As soon as he announced it, my mind started running a thousand miles a minute,” Carroll said.

Regardless of whether students attended the event, they should take their ideas to Carroll, or any administrator who will listen, especially because students who attended the event have a leg up on coming up with Butler’s next great idea.

The purpose of attending the inauguration ceremony wasn’t for students to hear about how great Butler is. It was a time for students to get excited about the school’s future possibilities.

The inauguration of a new president doesn’t happen every day. Since Fong’s inauguration was 10 years ago, unless a student is taking a 10th victory lap at Butler, they haven’t seen anything like it.

Parts of Danko’s inaugural address are available online at www.thebutlercollegian.com. If you happened to miss the event, go check them out, and then start developing ideas to send to Danko about how he should spend parts of that $5 million idea fund, or another student who made it over to Clowes Saturday morning will beat you to it.

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• Photos

Photos

Here are photos from Jim Danko’s installation ceremony Saturday, Nov. 12, at Clowes Memorial Hall.

 

Jim Danko will soon don his academic regalia and be inaugurated Saturday as Butler University’s 21st president.

Danko said he envisions the event as a moment to think about both the present and the future of Butler.

“I hope [the inauguration] energizes the community to think beyond the current ways of thinking,” Danko said. “It’s an inflection point that reopens the spotlight on the community. It’s also self-reflection and a chance to celebrate community.”

The inauguration, “Imagine the Possibilities,” will honor and officially welcome the Danko family to the university.

The entire Butler community is invited to the installation ceremony, college exhibits and an orchestra concert to celebrate the occasion.

Students said they are looking forward to the inauguration festivities.

“Some of my friends are singing in the inauguration ceremonies,” said Faith Lindsay, a senior biology major. “I’m excited for them.”

Student Government Association President Al Carroll said he wants Danko and the inauguration to highlight the best aspects of the university.

“I want to get a sense of community that would otherwise be unmatched,” Carroll said. “We want a president that’s devoted to the university and to students of the university.”

Kate Langdon, a junior philosophy major, said faculty, staff and students have put a lot of time and effort into the inauguration, and it will be a good time to consider the state of the university.

“The inauguration gives us time to reflect on what Butler University does,” Langdon said. “It’s an opportunity to step back and see where we are and where the future needs to go. The inauguration is a great time to do this.”

Sally Childs-Helton, special collections and rare books librarian at Butler, said she believes the inauguration marks a pivotal moment in Butler’s history.

“It marks a major transition point, and it marks a time to reassess where the university is and where it’s going,” Childs-Helton said.
She said a university’s history is important, but so is its future.

“It’s important to pay attention to the history of the university and use it to gauge  the future,” Childs-Helton said.

First Lady Bethanie Danko said she hopes her husband’s inauguration will be a special time for the Butler community.

“Attendees should expect to be inspired and excited about the future,” she said.

The installation ceremony will take place Saturday, Nov. 12 at 11 a.m. in Clowes Memorial Hall.

Inauguration Week Events

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 9
Innovation and Impact: An Inaugural Exhibit
9 a.m.-6 p.m.—Irwin Library

THURSDAY, Nov. 10
Innovation and Impact: An Inaugural Exhibit
9 a.m.-4 p.m.—Irwin Library

Campus Reception for Innovation and Impact
4-6 p.m.—Irwin Library. Invitation only.

FRIDAY, Nov. 11
Innovation and Impact: An Inaugural Exhibit
9 a.m.-6 p.m.—Irwin Library

Butler Faculty and Staff Reception
2-4 p.m.—Reilly Room in Atherton Union
3:15 p.m.—Remarks

SATURDAY, Nov. 12
Innovation and Impact: An Inaugural Exhibit
10 a.m.-6 p.m.—Irwin Library

Student Breakfast
9-10 a.m.—Johnson Board Room in Robertson Hall

Installation Ceremony
11 a.m.—Clowes Memorial Hall

Delegates Luncheon
1 p.m.—Reilly Room in Atherton Union. Invitation only.

Inaugural Gala
6 p.m.—Indianapolis Museum of Art. Invitation only.

SUNDAY, Nov. 13
Innovation and Impact: An Inaugural Exhibit
10 a.m.-6 p.m.—Irwin Library

Butler Symphony Orchestra Concert
3 p.m.—Clowes Memorial Hall. Community reception immediately following the concert.

As Family Weekend rolls around, the inauguration committee prepares to unveil its first official inauguration event—”Innovation and Impact.”

The exhibit, sponsored by the academic division, will take place in Irwin Library Nov. 4 from noon to 6 p.m. and will highlight Butler University’s connection to the community.

“The academic division was invited to come up with a vehicle to celebrate and display innovative things that have been happening in our academic programs in recent years, with a particular emphasis on community engagement,” said Mary Macmanus Ramsbottom, chair of the committee in charge of creating the exhibit.

At Irwin, there will be three components that make up the whole exhibit.

Special collections
The first display visitors will see is from the special collections of the library. The display will discuss Butler’s history and founder Ovid Butler’s vision of the school as an inclusive institution. The information and presentation all come from the university’s archives.

“I do not know a lot about Butler’s history, so I think I’ll go see it,” freshman pharmacy major Liana Tzanetakos said. “Hopefully I can learn something from it.”

Colleges
The exhibit will also include displays from each of the university’s six academic colleges and academic programs, including the core curriculum, Center for Global Education and Center for Citizenship and Community.

The displays will use video and media displays to demonstrate how the groups relate to the community. Some of the videos will have captions and others will be heard with the use of earphones.

Some of these exhibits will also use photographs, posters and printed material to relay their message. Ramsbottom said this is beneficial because people who want to spend a short amount of time at the exhibit can still learn something.

“If somebody wants to spend a fair amount of time at any individual exhibit they could do so because they can listen to all the videos and materials,” Ramsbottom said. “If some people just want to pass through quickly, they will be able to get something out of it as well with these passive displays.”

Darlene Waddell, who represents the College of Education on the committee, said she thinks the exhibit is a great way to demonstrate Butler’s connection to the community.

The COE’s exhibit will present the college’s work with the Indianapolis Public Schools’ Lab School 60 and Shortridge Magnet High School.

“I think the exhibit will draw in the community and showcase Butler’s academic side,” Waddell said. “I hope the community will see that we can still have dreams and to use their imagination to reach them.”

Kiosk
To go with the inauguration’s theme of “Imagine the Possibilities,” Ramsbottom said the committee decided to set up a kiosk with a computer, where visitors can suggest new possibilities for Butler.

The ideas will be given to President Jim Danko after inauguration events end.

Once visitors enter their suggestions, they will be able to view them as they run on the screen on a continuous loop.

Ramsbottom said there are plans to make the kiosk movable so it can be placed in other venues on campus for people to express their opinions.

“I really like that idea,” junior marketing and Spanish major Ali Harre said. “I think that shows the university is really serious about taking student opinions with regards to campus and our future. I am definitely going to go write something on it.”

Ramsbottom said she hopes community members learn more about how Butler’s academic division works and its community involvement.

“I think a lot of the activities on display may be known to students in a particular major, but it is a rare opportunity for this information to be accessible to the public in an entertaining way to see a full range of activities,” Ramsbottom said. “Another theme one sees is how much collaboration across colleges happens naturally when there is a focus on experiential education.”

Butler University President Jim Danko said he wants his inauguration to usher in a new era for the university and its students.

Danko spoke to students at the Student Government Association meeting on Oct. 5 about his vision.

“I want to know how students want the university to be in 2020 or 2030,” Danko said, prompting students to speak their minds about what they want from the event.

Many students said they want the administration to focus more on academics in this new time in Butler’s history.

“I think Butler has good academics already, but I want to see Danko take it to the next level,” senior chemistry major Eric Shoemaker said. “I think that would make Butler more prestigious.”

Junior English writing major Andrew Erlandson agreed with Shoemaker’s sentiment.

“I was at the SGA meeting when Danko talked, and I liked his idea of getting national recognition for academics for Butler,” Erlandson said. “I think now we are pigeon-holed in basketball being our thing, but if we can expand in terms of academics, that would be great.”

Junior history and anthropology major Megan Cullen said she thought diversity could help Butler.

“In this new era I would hope the focus would be more diversity, academic-wise and within Butler in students,” Cullen said. “I would want to see more institutions and classes just to bring more options on campus.”

Others said they want Danko to focus on preparing students for life after college.

“I want him to make sure students come first,” freshman physician assistant major Emma Sprague said. “I think he and the faculty should do all they can to prepare us for the next stage after college.”

Some students said they like the path the university is on and do not want many changes.

“I actually like the direction [Butler is] headed in now,” sophomore engineering major Caitlin Wunderlin said. “If President Danko wants to take us in a new era, I think he should keep Butler like it is now and keep the university small and like a community. That’s one of the reasons why I came here.”

Danko said he would consider all the thoughts of students.

“The inauguration is not about me,” Danko said. “It is about the university. I want students to know that their opinions matter, so I want the students to let me know what they want to see from me.”

Other members of the inauguration committee said they hope that the efforts are apparent to students during the event.

“I think Danko is doing an excellent job of listening to everyone, and I hope the student body recognizes that,” Committee Chair Gary Butkus said.

Students can participate in the inauguration by attending the robing ceremony in the Johnson Board Room in Robertson Hall at 9 a.m. Nov. 12.

At the ceremony, students will robe Danko in academic regalia, officially welcoming him to the university. From there, students will escort Danko to the Installation Ceremony at Clowes Memorial Hall at 10 a.m.

“[The committee] wanted to incorporate something that was very student focused,” Inauguration Butkus said. “This event is very significant because students will be bringing Danko as president into the university.”