The nineteenth meeting of the Indiana Chapter
of the DINFOS Alumni Association was held on
June
14, 2003, at ll:00 am at
The Garrison at
Ft.
Harrison
State Park.
Attached is a listing of those who attended.
The President, Dr. Jack Rubak, opened the
meeting and asked all present to introduce themselves.
He then mentioned Jan Walton’s suggestion
to have students at Ft. Meade complete a post card with
their correct address and send for membership in the Alumni
Association. This suggestion was
approved and seconded.
Dr. Rubak briefed Colonel Hiram Bell’s
update on DINFOS as follows: (A copy of
Colonel Bell’s update is attached)
- The reorganization of DINFOS is
complete.
- The first “official” training seminar
from DINFOS’ new Digital Training Facility (DTF) was
broadcast recently. A digital imaging
workshop was presented to personnel at over 100 locations
worldwide. The DTF enables DINFOS to
provide responsive training support to its customers
worldwide.
- The 2002 Military Photographer of the
Year, Military Graphic Arts of the Year and Thomas
Jefferson Award competitions are complete, and next year
photography and graphic competitions will inaugurate
categories for civilian competitors.
- The school supported a small number of
contingency or mobilization training requirements for
troops deploying to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
- Personnel continue reporting to the
school without required waivers of prerequisites.
- Course development procedures are being
refined to provide a more effective link between DINFOS
training and the “skill sets” required by public affairs
and visual information professionals.
- Currently, DINFOS cannot deliver all of
the class seats requested by the services for the
2004-2009 planning cycle.
- A variety of means is being looked at
to make best uses of the school’s resources.
- This year’s “structured manning
decision review,” began with an April customer conference.
The process was started six months earlier to link
the determination of customer requirements directly to
programming and budgeting processes.
-
DINFOS is working with a variety of agencies
and commands in a comprehensive effort to collect public
affairs (and visual information) lessons learned from
Operation Iraqi Freedom.
- “Student action packages” are being
fully automated to making the process paperless.
This is accomplished entirely on the DINFOS local
area network, seamlessly linked with the school’s student
records databases.
- The current contract with Syracuse
University to provide full academic year advanced programs
in still and motion media photojournalism expired with the
2002-2003 class, and at this time, funding is not
available to start this program in FY03.
- An “Executive Grammar Workshop” will
soon be available for download from the distance learning
portion of the school’s website.
- The PA Officers’ Qualification Course (PAOQC)
will undergo a major revision and will serve as a model
for future development and revision of all DINFOS courses.
- An evaluation of the attrition rates
from the Basic Public Affairs Specialist courses (Writer
and Broadcaster), as they are significantly higher than
the average for most enlisted technical training courses.
- DINFOS staff and counterparts from the
United Kingdom Ministry of Defense and Canadian forces
recently concluded a workshop to develop proposals for
coalition public affairs staff training.
- Following a nearly eight-year hiatus,
senior-level professional training programs will return to
DINFOS.
- Following a competitive portfolio
review, 25 enlisted and civilian photographers and
photojournalists were selected to attend the one-week 11th
annual Department of Defense Photography Workshop.
Dr. Rubak said he had good news to report
on Bob Foster’s condition. Several weeks
ago, Bob suffered an aneurysm and was in intensive care in
the hospital. However, he had made a
miraculous recovery and is doing well.
Next, Caryn Smola, Manager of the Lawrence
Campus of the Community College of Indiana, explained a
handout (enclosed) showing what has been done with the
building where DINFOS was once housed.
The building is now known as the Roosevelt Building.
She discussed the following:
- A problem arose when the Community
College was renovating what had once been the DINFOS
broadcasting studios. A decision was
reached to raise the flooring over the basement space.
-
Enrollment at Ft. Harrison has increased
since the Community College first had classes there to
almost 2,000.
- The college is trying to move all
medical-related courses into the building that will occupy
three-fourths of the building.
-
Plans are being made to move in a school
library.
- The Lawrence
Campus is trying to become the first degree-granting site
away from the main campus. Before this
is done, a science class on-site is needed.
Mrs. Smola ended by saying that the
Community College is trying to carry on the legacy that the
military started.
The next speaker was Don McAllister with
the National Veteran’s Historical Archive.
He explained that his organization videotapes stories
of veterans and their military experiences.
He said if there were any veterans present who would
be interested in having their experiences taped to let him
know.
Bob Dittmer introduced the guest speaker,
Karin Ricketts. Her father was in the
military, and she grew up at Ft. Harrison.
She knows several people from DINFOS to include one
of her former professors, Mr. Pat McKeand, who was in the
audience. She earned her degree from
IUPUI. Upon graduation, she took her
first job at Conseco, and is currently employed at Eli Lilly
where she does a lot of their public relations via the
Internet.
Karin Ricketts began her presentation by
explaining that she uses the web for PR.
The web is another tool to do an easier job.
She displayed slides of steps she takes to get the
word out within the company as well as other countries and
to the news media.
The Deputy Mayor of Lawrence, LTC Chuck
Ricks (USA-Ret) gave an updated report on Ft. Harrison.
He said the Wal-Mart is up and running.
Plans continue to tear down the old Hawley Hospital
and build a new PX and Commissary. MG
Ronald Brooks is working with Senators Bayh and Lugar on
this, and the plan is still on track.
LTC Ricks further
stated he wrote the plans and policy on the military and the
media that is now in practice in Iraq.
With no further business, the meeting
adjourned at 2 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Jack Rubak, President
Helen Stritt, Secretary
Attendees at June 14, 2003, AAS Meeting:
Hal Barron
John & Susan Cheeley
Tom Conrad
Bob Dittmer
Dean Farr
Betty Galbreth
Louie & Mary Hamner, Jr.
Manny & Evelyn Harper
Steve Lawson
Ken & Sandra Lord
Don McAllister
Pat McKeand with 5 guests
Karin Ricketts
Chuck Ricks
Jack Rubak
Carlyn Smola
Helen Stritt
Mary Poole Taggart
Ray Waldkoetter
Roy Whitton
Winnie Withers
