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IU Southeast School of Arts & Letters Indiana University

A&L’s Outstanding Grenadier Award Winners

Posted on by Arts & Letters

This award recognizes undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional leadership through their involvement in campus activities, student organizations, and community service. These individuals have established themselves as role models on our campus and will continue to make a lasting impact both here and in the greater global community.

Congratulations to the following award winners:

  • **Alyse Baker, Fine Arts BFA and Honors, Junior
  • **Lane Shirley-Schantz, Neuroscience with Minor in Communication, Junior

A&L Staff Member Honored at Campus Commitment Awards

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The Outstanding Faculty/Staff Award honors individuals who demonstrate exceptional support for students’ education, academic success, and involvement, embodying everything that makes IU Southeast exceptional. This award recognizes faculty and staff members who go above and beyond to support students, contribute to campus initiatives, and actively engage in programs that enhance the student experience. Whether through advising student organizations, facilitating important training programs, or offering their time and talents to campus events, these individuals make a lasting impact on the IU Southeast community.

  • Cheryl Young, School of Arts & Letters

IU Southeast Alumni John Boyle Relishes His New Role at NPR Regional Newsroom

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English majors rejoice—according to LinkedIn, the most in-demand skill that most employers are looking for is clear and persuasive communication skills.1 Despite the push towards artificial intelligence, good old-fashioned “soft skills” are highly prized now more than ever.

Establishing strong communications skills is a process that requires constant practice and critical thinking. John Boyle, (B.A. in English ’16), took full advantage of his time at IU Southeast to develop his voice as a writer and these skills combined with real-world experience put Boyle on a path for success. He honed his craft as a features reporter for the campus newspaper The Horizon, assistant editor for the fiction magazine The Review, and contributor for the campus magazines The Voice and Transformations.

“At IU Southeast, I just noticed how big of a difference it can make when you really get time to explore who you are, not only as a student, but as a person,” said Boyle. “With a lot of majors, you go in learning how to perform a particular skill. But in English and in a lot of the other humanities and arts-based majors, that’s not what it’s about. It’s learning how the world works, how people work, and you get this much deeper kind of understanding and appreciation for just how to view the world and how it operates.”

Turning Creativity into Public Service

Boyle credits four professors and lecturers at IU Southeast with shaping his perspective on how to turn creative writing into a journalism career serving the public. Jeremy Wells, Ph.D., Jeffrey Perry, Ph.D., Tom O’Neal and Adam Maksl, Ph.D., all encouraged Boyle and instilled confidence in his writing.

“All of these mentors opened doors for me but it was Dr. Maksl that got me through the threshold and into this career pathway to put my skills to use for public service such as community journalism,” said Boyle. “The world desperately needs people who can be a conduit of information. We’re the people that help present information in a way that is accessible, informative, and gets to the point, rather than all that jargon.”

Boyle started his career at the local Southern Indiana community newspaper News and Tribune in 2016 as a reporter, pivoted to a job as an investigative health reporter and researcher in New York City, returned back home to the News and Tribune, then joined the national service program Report for America as a corps member and began his career at Louisville Public Media in 2020.

He was a rising reporter and editor at Louisville Public Media before he became Deputy Managing Editor of National Public Radio’s new regional hub, the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, and Interim News Director at member station WUOT in Knoxville, Tenn.

Boyle also spends time mentoring the next generation of journalism students at IU Southeast.

“I really believe in community and adding value to it and informing the public about issues that they need to know about or diving deeper into things that other folks aren’t taking a look at,” said Boyle.

“None of us get into journalism for the money. It’s just where my heart is – to be a channel to amplify the voices of the people who live around me. I started off locally at the newspaper, and now here I have the opportunity to do that on a national level. Our goal in the new Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom is to spotlight everything that makes our region interesting and beautiful and quirky.”

You can check out stories from the Appalachian + Mid-South Newsroom on collaborating stations West Virginia Public Broadcasting, WPLN, LPM, WEKU-Lexington/Richmond, WKMS-Murray, WKU Public Radio, and WUOT | 91.9 FM, Knoxville.

Write Your Own Success Story at IU Southeast

“My education was superior at IU Southeast because of the class size and the ability to get individual attention,” said Boyle. “That was pivotal, having somebody there who cared about me – finding out about who I wanted to be in the future and what I wanted to do. There’s a lot of value in coming back to IU Southeast and any of the other IU satellite campuses. It’s the same degree; it’s the same curriculum but you get so much more as an individual.”

1 Bessalel, Sonya. “LinkedIn 2024 Most In-Demand Skills: Learn the Skills Companies Need Most.” LinkedIn, 8 Feb. 2024, www.linkedin.com/pulse/linkedin-2024-most-in-demand-skills-learn-companies-need-bessalel.

headshot of man in green shirt with mustache
2016 IU Southeast alumnus and NPR Regional Newsroom editor John Boyle.

 

Spring 2025 Graduate Kiri Mitchell Advocating for School Safety

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School safety is an important issue for graduate student Kiri Mitchell. While pursuing her M.I.S. in Organizational Leadership and Communication, she has been advocating for an end to school violence and has made an impact in the Kentuckiana region.

Mitchell began taking action after a school shooting at Antioch High School outside Nashville, Tenn. in January. As a 2004 Antioch alumna living in the Louisville area and as a mother, Mitchell said she felt a strong push to take action.

“Seeing a place I loved become the site of violence fueled a sense of urgency in me,” said Mitchell. “Advocacy became more than just speaking up — it became about taking action to protect students and staff.”

Mitchell successfully advocated for the installation of weapons detection equipment at Antioch High School, then turned her attention locally to push for changes at JCPS. Her children attend Eastern High School and Crosby Middle School. JCPS implemented weapons detection systems last year and expanded to all middle and high schools by March 2025. Mitchell says her education at IU Southeast has been instrumental in strengthening her advocacy efforts.

“It’s given me the tools to better communicate across different audiences, the leadership skills to organize initiatives effectively, and the strategic thinking necessary to navigate complex systems like school boards and local government,” said Mitchell.

“My coursework has helped me develop a clearer vision for sustainable change and provided a foundation to build broader coalitions. It aligns perfectly with my goals of leading community-centered initiatives and eventually influencing school safety policy on a larger scale.”

Mitchell is continuing her advocacy efforts as a Brand Ambassador for Evolv Technology, a company focused on weapons and threat detection. She is also a columnist for their blog, sharing her perspective as a parent and advocate for school safety and innovation. She is also working to continue the conversation around school safety locally.

“Lately, my focus has been expanding the conversation around proactive school safety measures, particularly in the Southern Indiana and Louisville area,” said Mitchell. “I’ve been working to educate parents, school leaders, and community members about the benefits of modern safety technologies like weapons detection systems and non-invasive screening. I am advocating for schools to adopt more comprehensive safety plans that not only address emergencies but also foster environments where students and teachers feel protected on a daily basis.”

Mitchell said she believes in building partnerships between parents, educators, and decision makers as a way to create solutions that are both effective and compassionate. She said the Organizational Leadership and Communication program at IU Southeast stood out to her in connection with her advocacy goals.

“I chose IU Southeast because of its strong reputation for cultivating leadership and communication skills — both of which are essential in advocacy work and in my broader career goals,” said Mitchell. “I wanted a program that would not only sharpen my skills, but also keep me grounded in the values of service, equity, and empowerment — all things I found at IU Southeast.”

After graduation, she plans to continue moving forward in the field of organizational leadership, with a focus on corporate and community impact roles. She’s also committed to expanding her advocacy work into a formal nonprofit or community initiative centered on school safety education and policy reform.

“I envision working collaboratively with schools across the region to build safer, more nurturing environments for all students,” said Mitchell. “Long term, I’d love to contribute to national conversations about school safety and youth advocacy through leadership, consulting, and public speaking.”

Mitchell wants people to know that anyone can step into advocacy work.

“I hope my journey encourages others to use their voices, their skills, and their hearts to create positive change, wherever it’s needed,” said Mitchell. “Every small action we take can ripple outward in ways we can’t even imagine.”

IU Southeast student and school safety advocate Kiri Mitchell

IU Southeast Alumni Award of Excellence

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Catherine “Cat” Moutoux was an Advertising (now Strategic Communication) major at IU Southeast, graduating in 2015. While in college, Moutoux set a goal to work on the Maker’s Mark brand at Doe Anderson, and reached her goal in fewer than 10 years. Before her tenure at Doe Anderson, Moutoux interned at the Kentucky Derby Festival, worked as a project manager at Humana, and served as the Senior Marketing Manager at FranNet.

In December 2022, Moutoux worked on a Maker’s Mark campaign that was featured in Forbes magazine.

In June of 2023, Moutoux won the prestigious American Advertising Federation – Louisville’s HOT 10 Award. This highly coveted honor is given to the top ten advertising professionals in the local market, based on their accomplishments, innovation, leadership and service to the industry.

Moutoux is always willing to come and speak to StratComm courses, review senior portfolios, and, more importantly, she is an ambassador for IU Southeast. She is quick to tell anyone that you do not have to go to the “big cool university” to land the “big cool job.”

Outstanding Students Recognized

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During a graduate reception held on April 21, 2025, A&L’s outstanding students were recognized.

Congratulations to the following students:

Victoria Dineen                                  Spanish
Zoie Lind                                              English – Writing
Simon Banda Resendiz                  General Studies BGS – Humanities
Dakota Busby                                    Interdisciplinary Studies
Anneliese Crumley                           Communication – Multimedia Journalism
Marin Kernen                                     Communication – Strategic Communication
Jeric Usi                                               Fine Arts – Digital Art
Rachel Rhodes                                   Fine Arts – Drawing
Cassidy Wright                                  Fine Arts – Painting
Hailey Cruz Pereyra                         Fine Arts – Ceramics
Meghan Sanjay Higginbotham     Fine Arts – Graphic Design
Jesse Crull                                           Theater – Technical
Ashlynn Rife                                        English – Literature
Bailey Warner                                     Communication – Organizational Communication
Alex Hupp                                            Music – Music Education
Daniel Miller                                        Music – Audio and Stage Production
Jessica Hartman                               Fine Arts – Art Education

Authors at the Root

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On Saturday, April 26, three IU Southeast faculty members and one student represented the university at the first-ever “Authors at the Root” event in downtown New Albany.

The Root is a coworking space that allows writers, artists, and other content-creators to connect with people with business experience and technological expertise. Professors Samantha Earley, Tom O’Neal, and Jeremy Wells were invited to attend. Student Rian Marquand joined them. Marquand is a managing editor of the award-winning IU Southeast Review, copies of which were shared with attendees. The faculty members met with local writers and discussed ways of collaborating in the future.

Dr. Brian Harper Receives Distinguished Rank of Full Professor

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The milestone reflects years of dedication to excellence in teaching, impactful scholarship, and meaningful service to IU Southeast’s campus and community. More was learned about this outstanding professor through his Pinnacle Presentation.

Dr. Harper’s personal reflection of receiving the rank as full professor, “Reflecting on my promotion to full professor, I thought a lot about my lifelong passion for building environments that connect people—a core belief that strength emerges through interconnection. While preparing my dossier, I deliberately illustrated how my teaching, research, and service are deeply intertwined rather than separate pursuits. In my experience, the most compelling and impactful projects transcend traditional boundaries. My work founding and nurturing a nonprofit arts organization exemplifies this integration, simultaneously embodying teaching, research, and service. These multidimensional endeavors excite me most—initiatives that reject siloed thinking, bridge disciplines, and weave threads connecting people through shared interests and purpose.”

We celebrate Dr. Harper’s remarkable accomplishments and contributions to the mission of IU Southeast!

Student Soundwave

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Students Trevor Robinson and Daniel Miller produced a mini music festival as an independent study project called Student Soundwave in Stiefler Recital Hall on Saturday, April 5.  This all-original music show featured student performers Josh Rivera, Corinne Hiers, Harmony Hornback, Jared Burch, Trevor Robinson, and Britt Budell.

Popular local music acts Catalyst the Band performed, featuring IUS student Cam Stevens on drums.  Also performing was the band Firewatch, featuring alumni and Ogle Center audio engineer, Mick Burdette and Louisville Orchestra stage manager, Kasmira Frazier, who anchored the show. 

The tech crew were all students, featuring Gavin Jackson as lighting designer, Daniel Miller as audio engineer, with Kimiya Shariff as assistant audio engineer, and stagehand Carleigh Huston.  The three hour show was a community outreach attended by 75 audience members.  This was a tremendous opportunity for students to take what they learn in classes and put it to the test in the real world.

IU Southeast Horizon Media

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The IU Southeast Horizon Media Creators have settled into their new surroundings in Knobview Hall, room 003.  This group produces a live podcast twice a week, Monday and Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.

The Horizon Radio Station broadcasts 24/7/365 at www.iushorizonradio.com. Podcasts can be found on YouTube (www.tinyurl.com/horizon-video) and Spotify (https://tinyurl.com/IUS-Horizon-Podcast).

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