IVY TECH PREPARES FOR SECOND ANNUAL O’BANNON INSTITUTE

April 25, 2005      

BLOOMINGTON, IN – Ivy Tech Community College –Bloomington continued preparations for its second annual O’Bannon Institute for Community Service by announcing its panelists for the 2005 event. Panelists include nationally known experts, leaders from statewide organizations, and local non-profit, higher education and political leaders (a full list of panelists is included below). The event will culminate on Friday in a discussion with former United States Senator Birch Bayh facilitated by nationally known journalist Ken Bode.

The 2005 theme for the Institute is Engage. Serve. Lead: Leadership in an Involved Community. A panel entitled Take this Job and Love It: Developing Leaders in a Non-Profit Community will begin at 9:00 a.m. and will tackle the problems non-profits face in attracting and retaining leaders for their organizations. Dr. Leslie Lenkowsky, the Director of Graduate Programs for Philanthropic Studies at the Center on Philanthropy at IUPUI and the former CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service will lend his expertise to the panel, as will Roger Frick, the President of the Indiana Association of United Ways. Bob Zaltsberg, Editor of the Herald-Times, will facilitate the discussion.

At 10:30 a.m., higher education experts will discuss the leadership skills that students gain when they participate in service learning programs. Eureka! We have Leaders: The Unexpected Value of Service Learning will feature higher education experts from Indiana University Bloomington, IUPUI, Purdue University, and the University of Evansville. John Fernandez, a current member of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, will serve as moderator.

The afternoon panel on political leadership will focus on the challenge our divided nation faces in convincing young people to become involved in public service. The Purple Haze: Encouraging Young Political Leadership in a Divided Nation will include panelists from the Republican, Democratic, and Libertarian parties as well as the policy director of Common Cause of Indiana. The President of the Democratic National Committee’s organization for young adults, Chris Gallaway, will serve as a panelist and Don Pratt, A.M. 1370 WGCL’s Program Director, will facilitate what should be a spirited panel.

At 2:30 p.m., the second annual “O’Bannon Conversation” will feature a one-on-one discussion between former Indiana Senator Birch Bayh and former CNN Senior Correspondent and moderator of Washington Week in Review Ken Bode. Senator Bayh will share with the audience his views on public service leadership, how he came to choose a career in politics, and reasons why it is important for people to dedicate themselves to service.

The O’Bannon Institute was launched in 2004 in an effort by Ivy Tech – Bloomington to bring the community together with leaders from the non-profit, higher education, and political arenas to discuss issues related to public service and to encourage students to become active in their communities. The Institute is part of Ivy Tech –Bloomington’s broader initiative to create a Center for Civic Engagement that will be focused on service learning, volunteerism, and institutional community involvement.

Those interested in attending the O’Bannon Institute should contact Anne Cady (acady@ivytech.edu) at 812-330-6001 or toll free at 1-866-447-0700 ext. 6001 to make a reservation. Registration can also be made via the Internet at http://obannon.ivytech.edu. The Friday event is free and open to the public.