New IUK chancellor looks to continue campus initiatives

Jul. 1—Indiana University Kokomo's new chancellor has been on campus long enough to know he likes what he sees.

And he wants to continue the momentum.

Mark Canada is tapped to be IUK's next chancellor, pending IU Board of Trustees approval next month.

Canada replaces Susan Sciame-Giesecke, who is moving to IU Bloomington as its vice president for regional campuses and online education.

Canada served as deputy chancellor last year. He's been executive chancellor for academic affairs since 2015.

As deputy chancellor, Canada helped secure READI grant funding for Innovation Hall, which will house IUK's KEY program (IU Kokomo Experience and You).

Canada said he enjoyed meeting people in the community during the grant process. The outward focus as a chancellor is what drew him to the lead administrator roll.

"I've gotten a pretty good taste of what a chancellor does," he said Thursday. "I really enjoyed that work, and it was an opportunity to keep doing that."

Canada's focus as academic affairs chancellor was on student success, program development, accreditation and faculty recruitment.

He led the effort to begin the KEY program, which is IUK's flagship offering for students.

The KEY program offers students transformative learning experiences through projects, community engagement, partnerships, travel and internships.

"It has been tremendously successful thanks for our faculty and staff," Canada said.

Canada looks forward to the completion of Innovation Hall, located in the west wing of the Kelly Student Center on campus.

The $3 million project ($1.5 million READI grant and a $1.5 million match) will have a technology innovation studio, a business analytics lab, in addition to the KEY center and Multicultural Center.

The tech studio will be a collaborative working space, similar to the ones students will experience if they work for a company such as Google. The studio will also have technology such as 3D printers.

The business lab will have software for data analytics.

Canada said he wants to attract more students by bringing more attention to these opportunities.

"We see ourselves as a destination campus," he said. "We know we have a great educational experience. We're still a well-kept secret.

"I don't want to be a secret anymore."

IUK is also going in new directions, which Canada wants to leverage further.

This includes microcredentials.

Geared toward those who are already working and want to add a skill to their resume, one might take a session in leadership or software packaging; basically, a narrow area of specialization.

Canada said the idea was well received from the business community.

"We're going to be getting more into that," he said.

Another is the KEY Academy.

An immersive learning experience, the KEY Academy is for those looking for intellectual stimulation.

Open to the community, each experience covers a different topic and involves a handful of meetings. The first one was "Religion in Baseball" where the group read a book, discussed it, enjoyed a Kokomo Jackrabbits game and took a trip to Wrigley Field.

"It's an opportunity to immerse yourself in something you're interested in," Canada said.

Canada was tapped for chancellor following a search committee. A town hall forum with students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members helped IUK determine what it should look for in its next chancellor.

"Mark Canada knows and understands the mission of the regional campuses and has been a champion for student engagement and other important initiatives during his tenure," said IU President Pamela Whitten in a statement. "I am confident he will successfully lead the campus and continue to strengthen relationships across north central Indiana."

Canada is from Indianapolis and has an English degree from IU and Ph.D. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to coming to Kokomo, he was an English professor and dean at University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Spencer Durham can be reached at 765-454-8598, by email at spencer.durham@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @Durham_KT.