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Ivy Tech Community College Names Daniela Vidal Chancellor of Evansville Campus

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daniela

Ivy Tech Community College Names Daniela Vidal Chancellor of Evansville Campus

Evansville, IN – Daniela Vidal, vice president of operations at Vidal Plastics, will be the next chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College’s Evansville campus, announced Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann today. 

She will begin her work with Ivy Tech on March 16, replacing Jonathan Weinzapfel who left the college in November following five years of service. The Evansville campus serves a 10-county region with additional sites located in Princeton and Tell City.

Ellspermann welcomed Vidal and cited many of her areas of accomplishment that will benefit Ivy Tech. “We are pleased to welcome Daniela. Her higher education, economic development, innovation, and entrepreneurship experience will serve her well as we continue to reshape the College and programming to meet the changing needs of southwest Indiana communities, employers, and, most importantly, our students,” Ellspermann said. “Ivy Tech is critical to the success of the region’s Talent 2025 strategy. I am confident that Daniela will help us grow and better serve our richly diverse community ensuring all of our citizens are pursuing post-secondary credentials which lead to their prosperity, elevate our communities, and strengthen southwest Indiana’s economy.”

Ellspermann also noted her thanks to Kelly Cozart for her leadership as an interim chancellor. “She has been instrumental in moving the campus forward during this period of transition and we are thankful she will return to her leadership role as Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs at the Evansville campus,” she said.

Vidal expressed gratitude for a new career that will continue to impact the community. “I am deeply grateful for this opportunity and platform to continue to work for a community that I have grown to love dearly,” Vidal said. “I strongly believe in southwest Indiana’s potential and Ivy Tech’s excellent team of faculty, staff and partners who play a key role in fully realizing this potential. We have an opportunity to equip our population, including those hidden and underrepresented parts of our society, with the skills needed to support our vision for economic growth and quality of life. I am committed to fully leveraging my experience, cultural background and passion to make Ivy Tech a beacon of hope for our community.”

State Board of Trustee Andrew Wilson shared his appreciation for the role the community played in the selection process.  “This is an important moment for Ivy Tech and our Evansville campus. It was evident during our search that the Community is excited about the opportunities that come with a new Chancellor. And as State Trustee, I am encouraged by the important role our Chancellor plays in the communities we serve,” he said.

Prior to her work at Vidal Plastics, Daniela served for more than 10 years in a variety of roles at the University of Southern Indiana. Her last role was as director of Opportunity Development, which housed the Center for Applied Research, Eagle Innovations Accelerator and Tech Commercialization, Resource Development, USI @ Innovation Pointe and the I-69 Innovation Corridor initiative.

Previously, she was coordinator of the Advanced Manufacturing and Industrial Supervision degree programs and Engineering instructor. Vidal has also served as a consultant and trainer in the fields of operational excellence, new product introduction, and leadership.

She has also served in a variety of roles at Proctor & Gamble Latin America, Mead Johnson, GE Plastics and Berry Plastics. She holds a chemical engineering degree from Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas, Venezuela, and a Master of Business Administration from USI.

Some of the recent economic and workforce development and strategic planning projects Vidal has been involved in include:
• Growth Alliance Innovation & Entrepreneurship Committee Chair
• Rural Indiana Technology Commercialization Initiative (RITCI)
• The led region in the application for Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership initiative
• I-69 Innovation Corridor leadership team and steering committee; this included the Brainpower and Innovation & Entrepreneurship task forces. 

Vidal is active in the community serving on several boards and is a founding member and president of HOLA. She has been recognized for her leadership and community involvement through such honors as being named an Athena Award finalists, Leadership Evansville award, Top Five Most Influential Women in Evansville, Sydney Berger Community Award, and YWCA 100 Years 100 Women.

Ivy Tech Community College serves communities across Indiana, providing world-class education and driving economic transformation. It is the state’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system. It serves as the state’s engine of workforce development, offering high-value degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its communities, along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.

FOOTNOTE: The City-County Observer first broke this news a couple of days ago by posting the following comments in our “IS IT TRUE “section:

IS IT TRUE  we are told that a former protege of the President of Ivy Tech of Indiana Dr. Sue Ellspermann will be selected as the next Chancellor of Ivy Tech-Evansville?  …that Daniela Vidal and Dr. Sue Ellspermann jointly worked on several academic projects while she was at USI?  …because of Daniela’s extremely positive past working relationship with Dr. Sue Ellspermann’s, it gave Mrs. Vidal the inside track for the Ivy Tech-Evansville Chancellor’s job?  …that Mr. Vidal has an impressive work history in academics that will prove to be very valuable in her new position at Ivy Tech-Evansville? …we congratulated Daniela Vidal for her selection as the next Chancellor of Ivy Tech-Evansville and know that she will do a credible job?
IS IT TRUE that many people were very surprised that the Evansville Deputy Mayor Steve Schaefer wasn’t selected as the next Chancellor of Ivy Tech-Evansville?  …Steve Schaefer was well qualified for this position and has an extremely impressive resume?  …Mr. Schaefer is known as a tireless worker for the local and State Indiana Republican party?  …that Deputy Mayor Steve Schaefer has the reputation of being the glue that keeps Mayor Winnencke’s political agenda going in the right direction?  …if Deputy Mayor Steve Schaefer has been selected as the Chancellor of Ivy Tech-Evansville he would have done an outstanding job?

IS IT TRUE that Kelly Cozart currently serves as the Interim Chancellor for the Evansville campus and Tell City and Princeton locations. …she was appointed as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for the legacy bi-regional campuses in 2014 and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of Evansville in 2017?  …we commend Mrs. Cozart for doing an excellent job as the Interim Chancellor for the Evansville campus and Tell City and Princeton locations during this transition period?  …we hope that Chancellor Daniela Vidal will have the good judgment to offer Mrs. Cozart a key administrative position within her administration?

IS IT TRUE that the three (3) finalists were all extremely qualified and performed well in their campus interviews?

 

VANDERBURGH COUNTY RECENT BOOKING RECORDS

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https://www.vanderburghsheriff.com/jail-recent-booking-records.aspx

What I Am Doing For The Upcoming COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic

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What I Am doing For The Upcoming COVID-19 (coronavirus) Pandemic

by  James Robb, MD UC San Diego

Dear Colleagues, as some of you may recall, when I was a professor of pathology at the University of California San Diego, I was one of the first molecular virologists in the world to work on coronaviruses (the 1970s). I was the first to demonstrate the number of genes the virus contained. Since then, I have kept up with the coronavirus field and its multiple clinical transfers into the human population (e.g., SARS, MERS), from different animal sources.

The current projections for its expansion in the US are only probable, due to continued insufficient worldwide data, but it is most likely to be widespread in the US by mid to late March and April.

Here is what I have done and the precautions that I take and will take. These are the same precautions I currently use during our influenza seasons, except for the mask and gloves.:

1) NO HANDSHAKING! Use a fist bump, slight bow, elbow bump, etc.

2) Use ONLY your knuckle to touch light switches. elevator buttons, etc.. Lift the gasoline dispenser with a paper towel or use a disposable glove.

3) Open doors with your closed fist or hip – do not grasp the handle with your hand, unless there is no other way to open the door. Especially important on bathroom and post office/commercial doors.

4) Use disinfectant wipes at the stores when they are available, including wiping the handle and child seat in grocery carts.

5) Wash your hands with soap for 10-20 seconds and/or use a greater than 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer whenever you return home from ANY activity that involves locations where other people have been.

6) Keep a bottle of sanitizer available at each of your home’s entrances. AND in your car for use after getting gas or touching other contaminated objects when you can’t immediately wash your hands.

7) If possible, cough or sneeze into a disposable tissue and discard. Use your elbow only if you have to. The clothing on your elbow will contain infectious virus that can be passed on for up to a week or more!

What I have stocked in preparation for the pandemic spread to the US:

1) Latex or nitrile latex disposable gloves for use when going shopping, using the gasoline pump, and all other outside activity when you come in contact with contaminated areas.
Note: This virus is spread in large droplets by coughing and sneezing. This means that the air will not infect you! BUT all the surfaces where these droplets land are infectious for about a week on average – everything that is associated with infected people will be contaminated and potentially infectious. The virus is on surfaces and you will not be infected unless your unprotected face is directly coughed or sneezed upon. This virus only has cell receptors for lung cells (it only infects your lungs) The only way for the virus to infect you is through your nose or mouth via your hands or an infected cough or sneeze onto or into your nose or mouth.

2) Stock up now with disposable surgical masks and use them to prevent you from touching your nose and/or mouth (We touch our nose/mouth 90X/day without knowing it!). This is the only way this virus can infect you – it is lung-specific. The mask will not prevent the virus in a direct sneeze from getting into your nose or mouth – it is only to keep you from touching your nose or mouth.

3) Stock up now with hand sanitizers and latex/nitrile gloves (get the appropriate sizes for your family). The hand sanitizers must be alcohol-based and greater than 60% alcohol to be effective.

4) Stock up now with zinc lozenges. These lozenges have been proven to be effective in blocking coronavirus (and most other viruses) from multiplying in your throat and nasopharynx. Use as directed several times each day when you begin to feel ANY “cold-like” symptoms beginning. It is best to lie down and let the lozenge dissolve in the back of your throat and nasopharynx. Cold-Eeze lozenges is one brand available, but there are other brands available.

I, as many others do, hope that this pandemic will be reasonably contained, BUT I personally do not think it will be. Humans have never seen this snake-associated virus before and have no internal defense against it. Tremendous worldwide efforts are being made to understand the molecular and clinical virology of this virus. Unbelievable molecular knowledge about the genomics, structure, and virulence of this virus has already been achieved. BUT, there will be NO drugs or vaccines available this year to protect us or limit the infection within us. Only symptomatic support is available.

I hope these personal thoughts will be helpful during this potentially catastrophic pandemic. You are welcome to share this email. Good luck to all of us!

Jim
James Robb, MD FCAP

FOOTNOTE:  This article was sent to us by our good friend Ronald Riecken of Evansville.

Complaint Dismissed But Hill’s Accusers Plan To Continue Their Fight

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Complaint Dismissed But Hill’s Accusers Plan To Continue Their Fight

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Marilyn Odendahl for Indiana Lawyer

It was a message the four women had heard before.

This time, a federal court agreed the conduct that Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill Jr. is accused of is “disgraceful and reprehensible.” But the court ruled neither the law nor the Constitution can do anything to help the women in their effort to hold the state’s top lawyer accountable.

Chief Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson of the Southern Indiana District Court dismissed the lawsuit March 2 brought by three legislative employees and a state representative who claim they were sexually harassed by Hill, then retaliated against when their allegations were made public. In a 37-page opinion, Magnus-Stinson discussed each of the nine claims filed in the amended civil complaint and found they could not survive.

“There is no doubt that the allegations as to Attorney General Hill’s actions toward the Plaintiffs at the Sine Die Celebration, which the Court must accept as true at this stage of the litigation, describe disgraceful and reprehensible conduct, Magnus-Stinson wrote. “But the highly offensive nature of the alleged acts does not meet the legal standard necessary to establish a violation of any federal law of the Constitution of the United States by Attorney General Curtis Hill.”

The court dismissed with prejudice the plaintiffs’ Title VII discrimination and retaliation claims against the state of Indiana and the 28 U.S.C. § 1983 claims against Hill in his official capacity for sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation in violation of the Equal Protection Clause and violation of the Substantive Due Process Clause.

Also dismissed with prejudice where the federal claims against Hill in his individual capacity for sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation in violation of the Equal Protection Clause and for violation of the Substantive Due Process Clause.

While the court dismissed with prejudice the state law claim for sexual battery against Hill in his individual capacity, it dismissed without prejudice the other state claims of battery, defamation and false light invasion of privacy. This enables the women to file a civil lawsuit against Hill in state court.

Following the decision, Hill said, “I am grateful for the court’s ruling dismissing the federal lawsuit. It is my great honor to serve the citizens of this great state and I look forward to continuing to protect and defend Hoosiers as their Attorney General.”

The plaintiffs were represented by Kimberly Jeselskis, Hannah Kaufman Joseph and B.J. Brinkerhoff of JBJ Legal. In a joint statement released after the ruling, the attorneys invoked Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, who was found guilty of sexual assault Feb. 24, and indicated their clients are prepared to continue their legal battle.

“We understand there is a wide range of opinions on the ramifications and legal significance of Curtis Hill’s actions,” the attorneys said. “Until situations such as Harvey Weinstein, Attorney General Hill’s ‘reprehensible’ conduct at the Sine Die event, and his and the State of Indiana’s behavior in the days and months thereafter, may not fall within traditional fact patterns found in federal cases focusing on Title VII and Section 1983 claims.

“We respectfully disagree with the Court’s decision,” the attorneys continued. “However, yesterday’s order makes several things clear – Hill’s behavior that night towards these four women was unacceptable, that these women have claims they are entitled to bring in multiple forums available to them, including Federal and state courts here in Indiana, and that their pursuit of remedies and justice may and will continue forward.”

Noting the plaintiffs have highlighted their ability to amend their claims in their filings, the federal court seemed skeptical they would be able to realize a different result.

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(a)(1)(B) allows a plaintiff to amend her complaint in response to a motion to dismiss but, Magnus-Stinson pointed out, the plaintiffs had already done that by filing an amended complaint after the defendants moved to dismiss the original complaint.

“The opportunity to amend in the fact of a motion to dismiss is not limitless,” the chief judge wrote, “and the opportunity also is not automatic after the Court rules on a motion to dismiss.”

Moreover, Magnus-Stinson called attention to the Southern Indiana District Court’s docket, which makes it the second busiest district court in the country. The court, she wrote, does not have the time or resources to rule on multiple motions to dismiss just to help the plaintiffs craft their claims.

“Additionally,” Magnus-Stinson wrote, “the Court cannot conceive of how the Plaintiffs could amend their Amended Complaint to cure the deficiencies noted above … .”

The four women – Gabrielle McLemore Brock, Niki DaSilva, Samantha Lozano, and Rep. Mara Reardon – filed this civil lawsuit in June 2019. 

They allege Hill made inappropriate comments and groped them at the 2018 sine die celebration that marked the end of the legislative session.

The women told legislative leaders, and they were interviewed by staff attorneys for the General Assembly. But according to the court’s ruling, Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma told Lozano, “it’s a free country and [the House] can’t stop (Hill).”

The court notes Hill used his campaign website and funds to assert the allegations were false and “a key witness” confirmed her accusation was “materially inaccurate.” Also, his representatives held a press conference and threatened to pursue civil claims for defamation.

Within the Statehouse, the women claim they were ostracized and intimated.

The Indiana Office of the Inspector General and a special prosecutor, appointed by the Marion Superior Court, investigated the plaintiffs’ allegations. Hill was not interviewed directly but was allowed to submit a video-recorded statement with one of his attorneys asking him questions. In the end, the special prosecutor concluded, “[T]here is a little public benefit to be served by filing a misdemeanor charge or charges… .” The district court’s ruling comes as Hill is facing a recommendation that he serves a 60-day suspension without automatic reinstatement for violations of Indiana Professional Conduct Rules related to the groping allegations. The Indiana Supreme Court will have the final say on what, if any, discipline Hill will face.

Meanwhile, the Indiana House yesterday adopted language that would disqualify from the office of attorney general any attorney who has been suspended for 30 days or more. The language would also disqualify AG candidates who have been suspended for 30 days or more in the last five years – language that could jeopardize Hill’s reelection campaign. 

FOOTNOTE: The case is Niki DaSilva, Samantha Lozano, Gabrielle McLemore and Mara Reardon v. the State of Indiana and Curtis T. Hill, Jr., individually and in his capacity as the Indiana Attorney General, 1:19-cv-02453.

Senate Votes To Let School Districts Share Referendum Dollars With Charter Schools

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By Haley Carney
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—School districts can opt to share tax dollars raised through a referendum with charter schools, under an amendment narrowly adopted Monday by the Indiana Senate after Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch cast the tie-breaking vote.

Sen. Linda Rogers, the Granger Republican who offered the amendment to House Bill 1065, said a majority of a school’s governing body would have to agree to share a portion of the tax levy from a referendum to charter schools in their attendance area. Virtual charters, which have come under increased scrutiny since a Daleville virtual school was found to have inflated enrollment in order to get more state dollars, are excluded.

Sen. Linda Rogers, R-Granger, introduced her amendment that would allow school corporations to give money to charter schools. Photo by Haley Carney, TheStatehouseFile.com

And, she added, chances of a school referendum passing might be better if parents of charter school students saw that it might benefit their children.

“This amendment does nothing more than providing an opportunity for school corporations and non-virtual charters to work together if they choose. Again, it’s if the school corporation chooses,” she said.

Rogers cited a South Bend school corporation as an example as to why her amendment would be important, saying they are currently in the process of referendum.

“If they would like to include the charter school, it is up to them if they decide. It’s only to help a specific area and keep local control,” she said.

However, Sen. David Niezgodski, a Democrat who represents South Bend, said no one from there had sought this change. And Sen. J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis, expressed concern that what is an option now, under the amendment, could be made mandatory in the future by the legislature.

Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, noted that while the amendment might sound like a small change, it’s actually a very big change that would apply to the nearly 300 school districts in the state. It was never discussed in the Senate Education Committee, Alting noted, and instead brought up only in the Senate, with school representatives and the public given no chance for input.

Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch breaks a tie in the roll-call vote of an amendment to HB 1065. Photo by Haley Carney, TheStatehouseFile.com

Others objected that this opens the door to shifting more tax dollars to charter schools after they were just given additional state dollars in the budget passed last year. Sen. Vaneta Becker, R-Evansville, said she could not support the bill, noting the state continues to move further away from the original purpose of charter schools as an alternative for public school students trapped in failing schools.

Rogers insisted that “my motive is to provide flexibility to schools and help school corporations. I support public schools, charter schools, everything. I appreciate people asking me questions but I do not have any ulterior motives.”

One Democrat, Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, joined 24 Republicans in supporting her bill, with her vote providing the tie that allowed Crouch to vote yes and pass the amendment. Afterward, Tallian told The Indianapolis Star she didn’t consider the proposal radical, and that districts that authorize their own charter schools might need the tool.

The bill is now eligible for a final vote in the Senate before it returns to the House to see if that chamber agrees with this and other changes to the bill.

FOOTNOTE: Haley Carney is a reporter with TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalists.

EPD REPORT

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EPD REPORT

Language To Reduce Hospital Reimbursements Cut From Bill In Senate

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By Victoria Ratliff
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—Medical professionals rallied at the Statehouse Monday and got what they wanted—language removed from a bill that would have put off-site hospital locations in jeopardy.

House Bill 1004, authored by Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn, included language that would have cut reimbursement to hospitals for services and procedures that are provided in hospital outpatient departments and at off-site locations.

Brian Tabor, president of the Indiana Hospital Association, addresses a large crowd of medical professionals Monday. Photo by Victoria Ratliff, TheStatehouseFile.com

Brian Tabor, president of the Indiana Hospital Association, said at a press conference that it would have allowed the legislature to override contracts between insurance companies and hospitals and would have forced hospitals to take lower rates for hospital-level services at off-site locations.

An amendment to HB 1004 passed in the Senate Monday by a voice vote strips the language from the bill and requires hospitals to report where medical procedures are performed whether they are in hospitals or at off-site locations.

Sen. Vaneta Becker, R-Evansville, said the bill’s original language would have put those receiving care from an off-site location, like a friend of hers, in danger of no longer receiving the care they need.

Her friend, she said, was diagnosed with bone cancer and receives cancer treatment from an off-site location. She said off-site locations provide amazing care, like programs through Riley at the hospital in Evansville her friend goes to.

Sen. Vaneta Becker, R-Evansville, shares the story of her friend who receives care from an off-site hospital location. Photo by Victoria Ratliff, TheStatehouseFile.com

“I think this brings us back to common sense so that everybody knows exactly, at least now we’ve heard from the other side so that we know how it affects our constituents,” she said on the floor of the Senate.

Denise Dillard, chief of advocacy for Method Hospitals in Gary, said at a press conference before the Senate went into a session that the original language would have put outpatient and off-site locations in danger of closing.

“It isn’t just about the bricks and mortar, it is truly about the patients we serve and access,” she said, “making sure that they have a safe, high-quality place to go, that is close to their home, not convenient to our structure.”

Tabor said off-site locations sometimes were built to house technology and equipment older hospitals didn’t have room for.

“In other cases, it was a deliberate strategy to go into an underserved area and create a hospital-based campus because it needed an economic model to be able to provide that care in these underserved areas,” he said.

Author of the amendment, Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, said issues regarding health care are too important to be solved in one session.

“This is the first step in a very long process,” he said. “You have to take the long-term look at this as we move forward.”

FOOTNOTE: Victoria Ratliff is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalists.

Senator Braun Seeks To End Electric Vehicle Tax Credit For The Wealthy

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The Amendments Will Save Taxpayers Hundreds Of Millions In Subsidies Used By Millionaires To Buy Luxury Cars.

With the U.S. Senate working this week on the American Energy Innovation Act, U.S. Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) will offer two modifications to the tax code that will eliminate the Electric Vehicle (EV) tax credit for wealthy families and vehicles that cost over $50,000.  The amendments will save taxpayers hundreds of millions in subsidies used by millionaires to buy luxury cars.

The Ending the Electric Vehicle Entitlement for the Wealthy Act will eliminate the EV tax credit for joint tax returns over $326,600 and individual returns over $163,300.

Meanwhile, the Affordable Electric Vehicle Credit Act of 2020 will limit the EV tax credit for vehicles costing less than $45,000.  Under this provision, the following vehicles would still eligible for the EV tax credit:  BMW i3, Chevrolet Bolt EV, Honda Clarity Electric, Hyundai Ioniq Electric, Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia Niro EV, Mini Cooper SE, Nissan Leaf, Nissan Leaf Plus, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model Y and the Volkswagen E-Golf. 

“As co-founder of the Senate Climate Solutions Caucus, I know we need to promote vehicles that reduce our carbon footprint, but it doesn’t need to be in the form of tax breaks for the wealthy and their luxury vehicles,” said U.S. Senator Mike Braun.  “With Bernie Sanders on pace to secure the Democrat nomination, these two bills should be a slam-dunk for legislators who want to protect the environment while limiting tax breaks for the super-wealthy.”

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, on average, EV owners also own two other cars. Further, 42% of EV owners earn more than $150,000 annually. Between Fiscal Year 2011 and Fiscal Year 2017, this tax credit totaled $2.2 billion in lost revenue. With the increase in sales of EVs, the Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that the federal government will spend $7.5 billion on the EV tax credit from 2018 and 2022. Yet, in 2016, 78% of the credits were claimed by filers with adjusted gross income (AGI) of $100,000 or more. About 7% of credits claimed, and 8% of the total amount of credits, were on returns where the taxpayer’s AGI exceeded $1 million.

Evansville Country Club

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Evansville Country Club

by Pat Sides

When the Evansville Country Club was organized by 143 members in 1900, the rural area had already witnessed much history. Stringtown Road was part of a winding route that extended from the Ohio River to Princeton and other settlements farther north. On the property where the club now stands stood a two-story tavern dating back to at least the Civil War, affording a rare rest stop along the busy trail.

The site was scenic, sitting on seventy acres sprawled across a hill north of Pigeon Creek and south of Buena Vista Road. Aiming to boost membership further, the club’s board of governors set out immediately to improve the grounds, which included a golf course and swimming pool. Streetcars soon facilitated access to the remote property, since it lay outside of the city limits.

This photo appears to have been taken after the clubhouse underwent major renovations in the early 1920s.

OCU Appoints New Athletic Director

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Oakland City University’s president, Dr. Ron D. Dempsey, is pleased to announce the appointment of Tommy Ray (T-Ray) Fletcher II as the new athletic director at Oakland City University starting June 1, 2020.  Fletcher has been head baseball coach of the Mighty Oaks since 1995 with 456 career wins.   His teams set a single season record for wins with 27. Under his tenure the Mighty Oaks made four Final Four appearances (1996, 2002, 2005, and 2016) and an NCCAA National Runner-Up finish in 2005.

Fletcher studied Accounting at OCU, where he played baseball for his entire college career, graduating in 1995.  He was an All-Region performer in 1994.   

“I am excited for this opportunity,” said Fletcher, “and I cannot thank the University administration enough for this chance to help lead our athletic department into a new era.  Having the privilege to lead the baseball program here for the last 26 years is something I will always treasure.  The relationships and memories will last a lifetime but I am excited to take on the next challenge in my career.  We have a great staff in place and look forward to working with everyone of them as we serve our student athletes and University.”

“T-Ray is a Mighty Oak through and through,” stated Dr. Dempsey. “He is a man of great character and I look forward to working with him as our athletic director.”

Fletcher has been serving as interim co-athletic director since summer 2019 along with long time softball coach Patti Buchta, who will assume the position of Associate Athletic Director and Eligibility Coordinator along with her coaching duties.  

Oakland City University hosts 13 intercollegiate athletic teams.  The university has made application to participate in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the River State Conference starting in Fall 2020.

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