The Office of Online Education (OOE) is pleased to welcome several new staff members to the OOE team. These staff members will support the development and implementation of online student services and collaborative academic programs.
Mitchell Farmer, assistant director of campus partner programs, will lead the implementation and management of the online student services program, administered through separate and distinct multi-campus partnerships. As the primary liaison between the campus partner staff members and other university offices, Farmer will ensure strategic alignment and management for the seamless and cohesive delivery of a suite of services in support of online students.
With more than six years of progressively responsible experience at Indiana University, Farmer has managed a variety of programs serving IU students. As interim assistant director for SPEA Connect, he directed the development and implementation of financial, marketing, and programmatic strategies to grow enrollments and facilitate lifetime student engagement. While at SPEA, he also served as coordinator for military and veteran initiatives, where he was responsible for developing and managing recruitment incentives for online students. Prior to joining SPEA, Farmer spent several years with IU’s School of Global and International Studies, providing oversight and management for Department of Defense grant programs within the Summer Language Workshop. Farmer holds a BS in Public Affairs and an MPA from IU.
Nathan Lohr, associate director of student financial services, will serve as a liaison between IU Online students and their campuses. He will create and promote resources designed to help prospective, admitted, and current students understand the financial aid process, estimate costs associated with enrollment, develop effective money management skills, and prepare for successful loan repayment. Lohr will work to connect online students with the financial services experts at their campuses, foster relationships between students and staff, and provide enhanced financial services counseling tools for all of the campuses.
Lohr has more than nine years of experience in higher education, including eight years assisting distance education students with their financial aid. Most recently, he served as assistant director of student financial services at IUPUI, where he focused on providing financial assistance to graduate students in the IU Schools of Nursing and Social Work, developing specialized financial aid materials and administering aid for these schools, and designing and presenting financial aid and financial literacy workshops and webinars for the main IUPUI financial aid office. Lohr has a BA in quantitative analysis from Franklin College and an MBA from Ball State University. He currently serves on the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association executive board.
Kayla Elliott Miller, associate director of online recruitment, will help students navigate the multi-campus admissions and enrollment process. After students engage with IU Online, Miller will guide them through the application process, answer any questions they may have, and provide referrals to other student services. In all engagements with students, Miller will promote the high-quality education available through IU's online programs.
Prior to joining the IU Online team, Miller served as ABC transfer specialist at IU Kokomo. In this role, she worked to implement the ABC Program (Associate + Bachelor’s = Career). The program—a partnership between Ivy Tech Community College and IU Kokomo—incentivizes the completion of the associate degree prior to transfer. Miller actively recruited prospective transfer students, reviewed applicant files, and served as primary transfer advisor to all active ABC students.
The Office of Collaborative Academic Programs was pleased to welcome two new assistant directors this past summer. Samantha Earley, associate professor of English and former dean of the School of Arts and Letters at IU Southeast, and Hitesh Kathuria, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry and former associate dean of the School of Science at IU East, are working with faculty at campuses across IU who are developing new collaborative online programs. They will also be providing ongoing support for these programs as they are implemented.