Beginning May 2026, graduates of Fort Wayne Community Schools’ and 3DE® by Junior Achievement’s instructional model will be able to transfer credits obtained from the program toward the course requirements for an Ģ����Ƶ degree program. In addition, these students will be eligible for a 3DE Scholarship, which is the equivalent of a 20% reduction of tuition for online undergraduate programs at Ģ����Ƶ or the Traditional Merit Scholarship, which ranges from $5,000 to $18,000 per year. This agreement can create a substantial savings in time and money for FWCS 3DE students who choose to pursue a degree at Ģ����Ƶ.

“The 3DE model resonates well with Fort Wayne Community School students who are looking for real-world education that will prepare them well for what is next in their lives,” said Ģ����Ƶ Senior Vice President for Enrollment Management, Dr. Steve Herendeen. “Those are the kinds of students who will flourish at Ģ����Ƶ—a university that, for nearly 100 years, has dedicated itself to guiding students of all ages toward meaningful careers, competitive salaries, real-world skills and a clear pathway to the workforce.

The 3DE learning model was developed by Junior Achievement, integrating core academics with real world business challenges to engage students and allow them to explore local career opportunities. Under the Junior Achievement umbrella, a network of local, regional and national businesses collaborates with students to bring learning to life. Schools using the 3DE model have shown higher graduation rates, improved attendance and increased student engagement. 3DE is being implemented at all five Fort Wayne Community High Schools.

FWCS students who successfully complete the annual 3DE curriculum from their freshman year on can earn up to 12 credits toward their Ģ����Ƶ education. That’s a savings of approximately $16,000. 3DE curriculum immerses students in, among other things, public communication, interpersonal communication, and other essential skills like critical and analytical thinking, and cultural agility. What makes 3DE by JA so unique is it’s an integrated model, so students are engaged through their entire four-year high school career.

“This agreement is a powerful validation of the full four-year 3DE experience—not just a single year—affirming that sustained, real-world learning translates into meaningful college credit and readiness. More importantly, it creates a clear pathway for FWCS students to earn an Ģ����Ƶ degree faster and at a lower cost, accelerating both their academic and career journeys,” said Pat Morello, 3DE by JA market lead, Northern Indiana.

For more information about this program, contact Erica Lay, Ģ����Ƶ associate director of admissions, at eclay@indianatech.edu, or 260.215.9275.

Warrior Life is an opportunity offered for free to students on the autism spectrum by accessibility services, a department in Ģ����Ƶ’s Office of Student Success. This optional program aims to help students transition to college life and settle into new routines ahead of the academic year, while working to meet each student’s individual perspective and needs.

Services provided by Warrior Life include early move-in to facilitate familiarity and comfort with campus, personalized activities and weekly meetings with program leaders. The goal is to help build a diverse and inclusive community that encourages growth and skill development for participants.

Angela Williams is the assistant director of accessibility services for Ģ����Ƶ. She says the program began as a two-day offering in response to students on the autism spectrum struggling with the “invisible curriculum” of college life–things like where to eat, how to make maintenance requests and accessing laundry facilities.

As the first set of Warrior Life students prepares for graduation, Williams says she’s impressed with the effort those students have put in to mentoring newcomers.

“What continues to amaze me most is the organic growth of leadership and confidence among the students; it is never forced, it simply happens,” she said. “We provide the tools, and the students show us what they are capable of accomplishing. Watching them not only complete their degrees but truly succeed has been incredibly rewarding.”

One of those graduating students is Sam Adams, a criminal justice major with minors in psychology and humanities. He says Warrior Life helped him settle into his comfort zone and establish himself academically.

“It allowed me to meet people I could come to for help if anything was going wrong, and allowed me to adjust to campus and get my bearings,” Adams said. “I was able to acquire personal skills like how to talk to college faculty, who to talk to when I need help as well as meeting new people who had a similar situation to mine.”

That connection to community was echoed by Ava Miller, an information systems major and women’s wrestler at Ģ����Ƶ.

“Warrior Life helped me move in early, connected me with resources and helped find other people like me on campus,” she said. “The program is a good thing for neurodivergent students and a good way to start the year.”

Beau Kendall recently earned a cybersecurity degree from Ģ����Ƶ after three years. He was also a member of the first cohort of Warrior Life students, making him the first participant of the program to graduate.

Kendall said the program was crucial in getting him used to campus and making his transition to the university smoother.

“Warrior Life helped me with socializing, peer-to-peer communication and problem-solving,” he said. “It is very beneficial for people that need assistance with adjusting to college residency and understanding what resources they have while there.”

For incoming students on the autism spectrum that are concerned about transitioning to college life, Adams says Warrior Life helps put everything into perspective.

“As a freshman I was nervous and worried I would fail in some way, but now I realize just how much Warrior Life helped prepare me for all four years of school,” he said.

Williams notes that Warrior Life was able to evolve from a two-day program to four days thanks to a generous contribution from a donor in its third year, and her office continues to fundraise annually through Ģ����Ƶ’s Day of Giving.

She emphasizes that it’s important for accessibility services to do what it can to keep the program free.

“After the first year, we noticed something remarkable: only one student had withdrawn, and many were eager to return for their second year,” she said. “With cohort sizes averaging five to six students, it became clear we were onto something meaningful.”

Williams added that accommodations specialist Andrew Bray and the Office of Institutional Advancement are actively pursuing grant opportunities to help sustain the program’s funding and preserve it as a free resource to students who need it in the future.

Warrior Life registration for the 2026-27 school year is open until July 30, and can be found on the .

“Ģ����Ƶ is excited to be part of this event because it gives students a chance to experience live music, connect with the Fort Wayne community, and explore opportunities in the area,” said director of student engagement Jared Harvey. “It also supports our goal of creating strong student experiences through local partnerships.”

Middle Waves is grateful to Ģ����Ƶ to come alongside and partner with us as to present this hype event! This is a way for our community to get excited for the festival in June, discover local artists, and help expand public access to the arts for students. The Middle Waves Music Festival will take place at Headwaters Park on June 6 and will feature Passion Pit, Beach Bunny, The Paradox, Los Aptos and Man of the Flood.

Doors open at 7 p.m., with the show starting at 8 p.m. ALT 99.5/102.3’s “Homegrown Showcase” host Zack will be the emcee for the evening.

A limited number of complimentary tickets will be offered to Ģ����Ƶ students, employees and community partners.

TICKETS: $10 for the general public or $5 for those with a student ID. Tickets can be purchased at , and at the STAR Bank box office at the Embassy at 125 W. Jefferson Blvd (M-F, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and two hours prior to performances).

Get tickets at:

About the Middle Waves Music Festival: Middle Waves is a one-day music festival held in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana. Our mission is to connect the Northeast Indiana region through unique, jaw-dropping, pride-inducing music and art experiences. The festival was created in 2016 by community volunteers. To ensure the growth and longevity of the festival, the Embassy Theatre acquired Middle Waves in the summer of 2023. For festival details, visit .

Middle Waves Music Festival Fort Wayne LLC is a wholly owned and controlled subsidiary of the Embassy Theatre, a 501(c)three charitable organization.

Realizing the Dream scholarships are awarded to first-generation students by ICI for outstanding achievement in pursuit of their bachelor’s degrees. The awards also acknowledge an “influential educator” that left a lasting impact on them, as chosen by the student.

White, a health science major, was born in Taiwan and moved to Fort Wayne with her family in 2007. After completing her degree, she will enter the accelerated nursing program, offered through a partnership between Ģ����Ƶ and Huntington University.

“My dream is to become a travel nurse so I can help people in rural areas, especially in places that don’t have a lot of medical equipment, resources, and staffs,” she said. “With the background I come from, I can realize how much of an impact this can have in certain communities.”

White selected Erin Baumgartner, a teacher at Fort Wayne’s North Side High School, as her influential educator.

You can view White’s full video submission for this year’s Realizing the Dream scholarship .

The scholarships are funded by the Lilly Endowment. Each student receives $4,000, while their influential educator gets $1,000. Twenty-nine students across the state were recognized for the 2025-26 academic year.

ICI is a non-profit association that represents Indiana’s 28 private, non-profit colleges and universities.

The recognition is based on the 2025 Compass Survey, which is part of the annual Women in the Workplace Report. Awards are determined by an organization’s placement in four categories: leadership, compensation, benefits and policies and recruitment and retention.

Ģ����Ƶ earned the Silver Award, meeting or exceeding the criteria in three of the survey’s four categories.

• Women hold at least 32% of Ģ����Ƶ’s top leadership roles (vice president or higher) and roughly 40% of middle management positions.

• Ģ����Ƶ earned praise for offering all of the survey’s qualified financial and retirement benefits, in addition to its zero-tolerance sexism and harassment standards and parental and family leave policies.

• The university was recognized for offering a majority of qualified recruitment and retention policies, while providing a minimum of five professional development opportunities.

Ģ����Ƶ also earned the Silver Award from the 2024 survey and the Gold Award for 2023.

More information on the 2025 Women in the Workplace Report can be found at the .

Clark, who is autistic, helps people with disabilities gain life skills and become successful adults. He does this by combining the art of magic with a message that’s dear to his heart: that “differences are nothing to be scared of, but simply a different way of thinking.” Clark performs at schools, colleges, corporations and non-profit organizations, showing his audiences what it’s like to live with autism as well as how lives can change with acceptance of others.

This is a free performance, and the entire community is welcome to attend. To learn more about Clark, visit .

The Senior Digital Skills Technology Workshops will be held at the Parkview Family YMCA Community Room, 10001 Dawsons Creek Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN 46825.

These workshops are being made possible by a grant awarded to Ģ����Ƶ in August 2025 by the Ball Venture Fund. The intent of the grant is to design and deliver hands-on training that makes today’s technology more understandable and accessible for our senior community. 

Ģ����Ƶ received four grants during 2025 totaling over $650,000 for AI-related research as it works to position itself as the leading university in the region for AI resources and education.

Register by Tuesday, March 31. Each workshop lasts from 8:30 to 10 a.m.

Dr. Clarke has over 10 years of experience in higher education, including the last 43 months at Ģ����Ƶ. She became the College of Business’ associate dean on July 1, 2022, and has served as acting dean since July 1, 2025. Dr. Clarke also has more than 20 years of experience in risk management, audit and information technology consulting services. She has served in various roles, including as division director of the Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership at the University of Saint Francis and as AVP of IT Internal Audit at Lincoln Financial Group. 

“I am excited to continue to work alongside our distinguished faculty, dedicated staff and engaged alumni to prepare our students for an increasingly complex and technology driven workforce. Together, we will continue to strengthen our learning community through our academic and interdisciplinary programming, experiential learning, professional development and meaningful industry partnerships,” Dr. Clarke said. “In addition, by embracing innovation, fostering curiosity and integrating emerging technologies, we can open new pathways that empower our students to thrive in their careers and in the future.”

College of Business programming is accredited by the International Accreditation Council for Business Education and is comprised of a wide range of programs for students at various stages of their careers. The college offers 26 certificates, 30 undergraduate degrees, 18 graduate degrees, a PhD in Global Leadership and a Doctor of Business Administration. Its PhD in Global Leadership, launched in 2009, was the first doctoral degree offered in the region.

“I am pleased to announce Dr. Eve-Lynn Clarke as dean of our College of Business,” said Ģ����Ƶ President Dr. Karl W. Einolf. “The college has a strong tradition of partnering with employers to deliver relevant, career-focused programs that help students launch and advance successful careers. I am excited about the fresh ideas and innovation that Dr. Clarke will bring as we continue expanding industry partnerships and strengthening our position as a leading provider of business education in the region.” Dr. Clarke holds a Doctor of Technology degree from Purdue University, an MBA from Indiana University and a B.S. in Accounting from Ģ����Ƶ.

• $135,973 was raised to fund student success
• 514 donors stepped up from around the country
• 7 areas were supported directly

To the Warrior community: thank you for believing in our mission and investing in our growth.

A senior academic leader with more than 16 years of experience in higher education and a foundation as a secondary science teacher, Dr. Anderson comes to Ģ����Ƶ from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana. At IWU, she was dean of the School of Integrated Learning & Development, providing executive leadership for online undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs that serve adult and working learners. 

That experience will fit nicely at Ģ����Ƶ, where helping students achieve meaningful careers, competitive salaries, real-world skills and a clear pathway from education to the workforce is paramount. 

“Dr. Anderson is an accomplished academic leader whose experience and values align strongly with Ģ����Ƶ’s mission,” said Ģ����Ƶ President Dr. Karl W. Einolf. “Her commitment to student success, workforce relevance and academic quality—across both traditional and online programs—will be a tremendous asset to our university. This is a victory for academics at Ģ����Ƶ, and we are excited to welcome her to our team.”

Dr. Anderson brings to Ģ����Ƶ a mission-driven commitment to career-focused, professional education, leading institutionally complex academic portfolios for traditional and online student populations. Her leadership experience spans education, human services, student engagement and online education, with demonstrated success in enrollment growth, accreditation oversight, program innovation and faculty development. 

“Ģ����Ƶ’s mission-driven focus on academic quality, workforce relevance and student success strongly resonates with me, and I’m eager to contribute to the opportunities that lie ahead. The university’s emphasis on workforce-aligned programs, student success across modalities and meaningful partnerships creates powerful opportunities for academic impact,” Dr. Anderson said. “I look forward to partnering with faculty and academic leaders to support innovative teaching, meaningful learning experiences and programs that connect education to real-world outcomes.”

Dr. Anderson earned a Master of Science in Science Education from Aquinas College in 2008, and a PhD in Post-Secondary and Adult Education from Capella University in 2014.