D. Thomas Curriculum Vita
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January 2007-2010 Executive Director Indiana University Northwest Center for Regional Excellence Indiana University Northwest (IUN) Academic Appointment – School of Education
Executive Director Indiana University Northwest Center for Regional Excellence Indiana University Northwest (IUN) Academic Appointment – School of Education Indiana T1- In-
Position Description: Chief Administrative Officer for the Center for Regional Excellence Reported directly to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and served as a member of the Vice Chancellor's Academic Core Leadership Team. I served as the university's primary facilitator of community outreach and scholarly engagement for the collaborative advancement of the institutional academic mission of excellence in research, teaching, and service. My duties included implementing a mutually-beneficial and reciprocal strategic agenda of academic excellence and regional development for the seven counties of northwest Indiana which were included in the university's regional constituency. The Mission of the Center for Regional Excellence (CRE) was to foster learning, scholarship, discovery, creativity, and service. The CRE served as the "Open door to authentic university and community engagement." Our programmatic agenda was designed to promote regional stewardship and to improve the overall quality of life in the region. As the "Open Door," we facilitated collaborative partnerships in six areas of focus including: education, economic development, environmental sustainability, health disparities, arts, and culture. In these areas, the Center offered multiple university and community engagement opportunities in the six strategic goal areas to achieve the following:
Education – P-20 initiatives with area schools to advance excellence, equity, and access
Economic Development – Collaborations with corporations, businesses, non-profits, as well as regional planning and workforce development organizations
Environmental Sustainability – Regional initiatives with environmental organizations, consortia, and institutions throughout the northwest Indiana region as well as Chicago
Health Disparities – Cooperation and service with regional and local healthcare facilities, professionals, organizations, committees, commissions, and boards
Arts – Collaboration with regional arts councils, organizations, and institutions
Culture – Joint initiatives with regional and local cultural councils and social justice groups
Selected Center for Regional Excellence Grant Funded Signature Initiatives
The Non-Profit Institute - provided education, research, assessment, and technical assistance that increased the capacity and sustainability of non-profits for fund development, service, strategic planning, programmatic design, and governance.
The Faculty Fellows Program - provided support to faculty members university-wide through funded research fellowships to advance research, teaching, and service.
The Student Internship Program - fostered inquiry-based experiential learning as a meaningful co-curricular process to enable undergraduate and graduate students to serve in community organizations, corporate, and non-profit organizations while simultaneously engaging in quantitative and qualitative research with faculty members.