Ivy Tech Community College names Erik Coyne as Chancellor of Bloomington campus
Ivy Tech Community College announced today that Erik Coyne will become chancellor of Ivy Tech Bloomington effective May 1. Coyne will leave his position as chief operating officer of a private software company, which he co-founded, to join the College. Coyne, a Monroe County native and product of Monroe County public schools, holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the United States Air Force Academy, a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from National War College, a Master of the Arts in Public Administration from Bowie State University, a Master of Science in Military Operational Arts and Sciences from the Air Command and Staff College, Air University, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Baltimore School of Law. He is a 24-year veteran and retired colonel of the United States Air Force. During his military service, he initially oversaw Air Force installation support programs and later served in a variety of key positions including Deputy Legal Counsel in the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and lead one of the Air Force’s largest base legal offices.
As chancellor, Coyne will provide oversight for campus operations and services and will ensure the campus is meeting enrollment, completion, retention, and student success goals. Coyne will build upon employer and community outreach and partnerships, ensuring the availability of the College’s instructional and student support services, strengthen fundraising efforts, and lead a team to successfully meet the needs of a diverse community and student body on campus.
Coyne will take the reins from retiring Chancellor Jennie Vaughan to continue community partnerships like the Pathway to Licensure partnership with the Monroe County Community School Corporation and the Regional Opportunities Initiatives (ROI) education and workforce work in the 11-county Uplands region. He will ensure continuity with employer partnerships with Cook Group, French Lick Resort, Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane (with logistics and overall training through Ivy+ Career Link) and others. He will work to implement a recent $500,000 grant from Indiana University Health to health-related trainings within the service area, among leading other new initiatives.
Coyne is a published writer, a member of the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington, and an adjunct professor of public policy at Indiana University.
Zestful atmosphere of Uranus seen in new image
Following in the footsteps of the Neptune image released in 2022, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has taken a stunning image of the solar system’s other ice giant, the planet Uranus. The new image features dramatic rings as well as bright features in the planet’s atmosphere. The Webb data demonstrates the observatory’s unprecedented sensitivity for the faintest dusty rings, which have only ever been imaged by two other facilities: the Voyager 2 spacecraft as it flew past the planet in 1986, and the Keck Observatory with advanced adaptive optics.
The seventh planet from the Sun, Uranus is unique: It rotates on its side, at roughly a 90-degree angle from the plane of its orbit. This causes extreme seasons since the planet’s poles experience many years of constant sunlight followed by an equal number of years of complete darkness. (Uranus takes 84 years to orbit the Sun.) Currently, it is late spring for the northern pole, which is visible here; Uranus’ northern summer will be in 2028. In contrast, when Voyager 2 visited Uranus it was summer at the south pole. The south pole is now on the ‘dark side’ of the planet, out of view and facing the darkness of space.
How Hoosiers can see Uranus:
Uranus rise and set in Indiana. Fairly close to the Sun. Visible only after sunset. Bring binoculars (but don’t look at the Sun!). Uranus is just 30 degrees from the Sun in the sky, so it is difficult to see. You may need binoculars, but only use them when sun is down.
First 100 Bloomington homes ready for connection to new fiber internet network
The City of Bloomington announced that one hundred homes in the South Griffy neighborhood are now ready for connection to Hoosier Fiber Network’s fiber internet network, with an additional 3,700 homes expected ready for connection by the end of May. Since the project began, nearly a quarter million feet of fiber optic conduit have been laid, and 3,676 homes passed throughout Bloomington.
Only fiber is robust enough to deliver the stability and symmetrical upload and download speeds needed for remote work, education, and healthcare. It is less prone to outages due to built-in redundancies, and it is a generational solution with nearly unlimited scalability and adaptability to future applications. GigabitNow announced service and pricing plans, including a $69.99 2Gbps internet subscription, a 5Gbps Internet plan for $149.99, and a connection up to 10Gig for $199.99. The company does not require a contract, installation is free, and all GigabitNow plans offer symmetrical upload and download speeds.
Designed to be accessible to every Bloomington resident, regardless of income level, the City and Hoosier Fiber Networks continue to collaborate on one of the country’s most comprehensive, inclusive, and innovative public-private partnerships to help low-income and digitally disadvantaged households access top-quality internet service. Eligible low-income residents may qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Plan (ACP) to receive at least a symmetrical 250 megabits per second (Mpbs) plan at no cost to the user if ACP is applied. The City and Hoosier Fiber Networks will together provide the “drop” connection to qualifying households. Residents can find more information about low-income qualifications by visiting GigabitNow’s website at: gigabitnow.com/bloomington
This Week in Hoosier History
1965 – On Palm Sunday, April 11th, Indiana was one of six Midwest states to be raked by deadly tornadoes. In all, 47 tornadoes killed 271 people and injured over 1,500. This was the fourth deadliest tornado outbreak in U.S. history and the deadliest of all Indiana outbreaks.
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