• January 21: Mark Spencer, senior associate AD, Oregon State University
• January 23: Kelley Hartley Hutton, interim AD and head women's volleyball coach, IPFW
• January 27: Nona Richardson, executive senior associate AD/senior woman administrator, UC-Davis
• January 30: Darin Montgomery, AD, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

IPFW will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. today (January 15) in the Walb International Ballroom from 7 to 9 p.m. The event will feature a spoken word tribute commemorating King's life and legacy by the following poets:

• Ketu Oladuwa, executive director of Three Rivers Institute for Afrikan Art and Culture
• Michael Patterson
• Condra Ridley, storyteller, portraying Coretta Scott King 
• E. Anne Henning Byfield, spoken-word artist and author of The Essence of My Existence
• Brandon "XplicitPoet" Thornton, educator and spoken-word artist  

Everyone is welcome to this free event. For more information, contact Christopher Riley at 481-6847 or rileyc@ipfw.edu. 

Java 7 Update 51 was recently released to the public. IPFW IT Services recommends against installing this current update, as it will have an adverse impact on systems used at IPFW, such as Blackboard Learn. IPFW users will be notified when this current update is available and approved to be installed. If you have installed this update and are experiencing issues with systems, such as Blackboard, please contact the help desk at helpdesk@ipfw.edu or 481-6030 for steps to uninstall the update. 

Purdue has elected to increase the duration of time a password can be used; therefore, IPFW has also increased their duration. The hope is that an increase of time will lead to stronger passwords. Rules for creating tough passwords include:

• Longer is better!
• Add numbers and special characters
• Do not use single word passwords

Examples of good passwords are blind_mice3, ih8myboss, my2dogs_h8cats, and winterrain2snow. Hackers can easily invade privacy if passwords such as password, baseball, master, or superman are used. Password requirements for IPFW accounts 

Get answers about the healthcare exchanges, the effect of the law on Medicare and Medicaid, and what your options are. Join in a free panel discussion Sunday, January 19, at 1 p.m. at the downtown Allen County Public Library, conference room C. The panel will focus on:

• subsidies and exchanges;
• HIP and the lack of Medicaid expansion; and
• the law's effect on Medicare programs (basic, supplements, and Advantage).

Panelists include Abraham Schwab, Mary Haupert, and Dr. Jonathan Walker. View flyer (PDF) 

A new cross-campus initiative aims to offer students an alternative to a typical spring break. Alternative Spring Break: Urban Plunge will take place the week of March 10-14 right here in Fort Wayne. Coordinated by United Way of Allen County, specifically for University of St. Francis (USF), Ivy Tech and IPFW students, the program will run Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

Renaissance Pointe YMCA of Fort Wayne, Indiana-Purdue Student Government Association, and the IPFW Center for Healthy Living: Campus Clinic and Wellness Program are co-sponsoring a Zumba-thon, Thursday, January 16.  

Participants will start dancing at 11 a.m. and continue until 1 p.m. in the Walb Union Ballroom. This event is free and open to the public. For more information contact Christopher W. Riley at 260-481-6847 or rileyc@ipfw.edu.  

Five faculty members have been selected for a new service learning initiative funded by the Office of Research, Engagement, and Special Projects (RESP). The IPFW Faculty Fellows program offers opportunities for service learning course development in the form of five $500 "mini-grants" available for new course training, project creation (or modification of existing course), and conference presentations for select faculty member fellows across multiple disciplines. The five faculty members are Stephen Buttes, Ph.D. (Spanish), Kimberly O'Connor, JD., (Organizational Leadership), Rachel Rayburn, Ph.D. (Public Policy), Jordan Marshall, Ph.D, (Biology) and Chenwei Li, Ph.D. (Management and Marketing).

Every conference is different and can sometimes be intimidating if you have never attended one. Getting the Most Out of a Professional Conference will aid you in preparation, managing your time wisely, who to talk to, what goals to make, and how to conclude your time at a conference. The Mastodon Career Call webinar is January 16 from noon to 1 p.m. and is sponsored by IPFW Career Services, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, and Quincy Recycle.  Register for webinar

IPFW Athletics continued its dominance at home by sweeping all three events over the weekend. Men's basketball took care of business against pre-season conference favorite North Dakota State with an 82-71 victory, followed Saturday by a close victory against South Dakota State, 82-75. Men's volleyball continued the momentum Friday with a straight set victory over Sacred Heart, 25-18, 25-18, 25-20.

Women's basketball looks to keep the home court advantage alive Thursday with conference foe Denver University, and again Saturday against South Dakota University. Upcoming games at the Gates Athletic Center include:

• Women's basketball vs. Denver, Thursday, January 16, 7 p.m.
• Women's basketball vs. south Dakota, Saturday, January 18, 2 p.m.
• Men's basketball vs. IUPUI, Saturday, January 25, 7 p.m.

Tickets are still available for both homes games this week and can be purchased at the box office, online, or by calling 481-6555. For group rates, contact Tyler Baker, director of ticket sales, at 481-6372 or baketd02@ipfw.edu.