From the President's Desk - December 2025

As we wind down 2025, we, as a Society, need to look forward to 2026. 2025 showed steady growth in all the Society does. As we approach the new year, we need to prepare and plan for future growth. 

With all that the Society does—the programing, museum exhibits, fund raising, digitizing, public appearances—I foresee continued growth. My concern and HGSIC Director Jonathan Bogert’s concern is that we will not be prepared for that growth and that the Society could  become overwhelmed by it. Our fear is that stress of growth will make the congenial atmosphere disappear and that people will stop serving on the Board and stop volunteering.

I look back on my career as a teacher and my 12 years as an Indiana Borough Councilor for how to prepare for more growth in the Society. As teachers, we start the school year with a plan called a curriculum. Week to week and month to month, planning is filled with a lesson plan. As a Borough Councilor, we developed a 20-year plan to prioritize and plan for future growth, projects, and spending. One thing that all of these plans have is that they are fluid; they can be adapted and modified. The key is to have a plan and to occasionally revisit it to make changes, if needed.

Initially, this may seem undoable, even threatening. I understand that feeling. But I have learned throughout my life that we can move mountains, so to speak, by chipping away at them. I did this while I was in grad school and working full-time at the same time. Many of you did this while raising children, managing a household and marriage, and working full-time.

The Society has a five-year strategic plan. The Executive Committee and Jonathan will update that plan if needed and present possible changes to the Board. 

As we continue to do exhibits, programming, fund-raising and such, I would like us to develop guidelines as to what needs to be done and in what time frame. An example might be something like:

• A year out, we formulate an idea and pick a project or topic.

• At ten and eleven months, we research and figure out what we will need.

• At nine and eight months, we put it on the HGSIC Event schedule.

• In the remaining months, we flesh it out, make calls, arrange for publicity, gather what we need, get volunteers, ask for assistance from high school Key Clubs and from IUP organizations such as sororities and fraternities, athletic teams, Cook Honors College, and such.

  
  

Jonathan and I would like a system in place so that prior projects and timeline plans are all digitally stored. If anyone of us has to step away from HGSIC work, we would like another person to be able to step in without having to redo everything from the start. I also want future volunteers and Board member prospects not to be overwhelmed by not knowing what to do or how to do it. I do not want this to be the reason that they do not volunteer or serve on the Board.

This planning work can be done as we progress through 2026. We can work thorough all of this together to help ensure that our future growth is manageable and that the atmosphere and climate at the Armory and Clark House be one of congeniality, excitement, and fun.