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History of IU Presidents

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Inaugurations & Installations

The arrival of a new leader to the Indiana University family is a true cause for celebration. IU welcomes new leadership through inaugurations, which mark the of the beginning of a president's term of office, and installations, which recognize the beginning of a chancellor's service on one of the IU campuses.

Inaugurations

The inauguration of a president is a seminal event in the life of a university. IU faculty, staff, students, alumni, state officials, community members, and academic leaders from other institutions come together to celebrate the investiture of the new president. In the inaugural address, the new president outlines his vision for Indiana University.

Indiana University has had only 17 previous presidents in its 184-year history. The university was created by the pioneers who drafted Indiana’s first constitution in 1816. These early leaders mandated the General Assembly to “provide, by law, for a general system of education, ascending in a regular gradation, from township schools to a state university, wherein tuition shall be gratis, and equally open to all.” On January 20, 1820, Governor Jonathan Jennings signed a bill from the Indiana General Assembly authorizing the establishment of Indiana Seminary.

David H. Maxwell, who had helped draft Indiana’s 1816 constitution, was elected the first president of the Board of Trustees of the fledgling institution. Thirteen students enrolled in 1824, the first year of classes. The only subjects taught were Latin and Greek. By 1828, Indiana Seminary had grown sufficiently in stature to earn the title Indiana College. A year later a Presbyterian minister, Andrew Wylie, was inaugurated as the first president of the College. Under Wylie the academic program was broadened to include mathematics, astronomy, Christianity, and moral and mental philosophy. In 1838 the college was renamed Indiana University and was mandated by its new charter to establish departments of law and medicine. In 1852 it was designated “The University of the State” and was requested by the General Assembly to establish a department to prepare teachers for public schools.