Steven Combs, Ph.D., began his new role as vice chancellor for academic affairs at Ivy Tech Community College-Columbus/Franklin on May 16.  Among the multiple and broad responsibilities of this important position, he will provide vision, leadership, coaching, and direction to all academic employees for the delivery of academic programs.  He will also have responsibility for the inclusion of emerging technologies in program areas and for budgetary planning, partnership initiatives, enrollment management, community services activities, and student retention efforts.  He will participate in the strategic planning process of the campus and will provide direction for accreditations and for dual credit, transfer, and articulation programs with area secondary schools, colleges, and universities.

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I tell stories for a living; they are the best way to unravel the past.  I teach history at Ivy Tech Community College.  Over the course of a semester, my students and I analyze the major events of American history.  When it comes time to talk about World War II, I get a little help from Studs Terkel.  

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The 8th annual Ivy Tech Community College-Columbus/Franklin Couch Tater 5K Run/Walk is scheduled for Saturday, April 28, beginning at 9:00 a.m., at the campus on Central Avenue.  Participants—individuals and groups—are invited to run, walk, or take a leisurely stroll and to bring their “tater tots and little sprouts in strollers.”  True couch taters can relax in the VIP lounge and watch the others run while enjoying potato-themed dishes! 

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Identity theft.  Online privacy.  Software pirating.  Viruses.  Trojans.  Hackers.  You have heard all of these words at home, at work, and in the media.  Recently there was much publicity around bills in the Senate and the House of Representatives whose goals were to stop online pirating and to protect intellectual property.  The ideas behind these bills were good, but the suggested methods of implementation caused a great backlash from the private industry, and the bills did not move forward.  Much of the negative feeling revolved around the idea of government trying to control private industry in the name of national security against hackers and cyber-crime.  Now there is a new bill being introduced by Senators Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), John D. Rockefeller IV, (D-W.Va.), and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) called the Cybersecurity Act of 2012.

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