Understanding the past, embracing the future

By Myles Brand, President of Indiana University

Looking back over the last year at Indiana University, one sad event stands out—the death of Chancellor Herman B Wells in March. To the last days of his life, he remained a priceless resource for the university he loved. I and many others depended on his common-sense wisdom. The celebration of his life held in Bloomington provided us with an opportunity to remember all that he had contributed and to rededicate ourselves to continuing his legacy.

IU has many committed students, faculty and staff members who do exactly that, in big and small ways, every day. In considering the past year, any quick summary of IU’s Fulbright and Truman Scholars, our winners of national teaching and research awards; our faculty members who were named to the nation’s most distinguished honorary societies; or our winners of other notable awards and commendations would invariably leave out many honorees. Such a listing is a great reminder of the high aspirations that are apparent on all of IU’s campuses.

Our pursuit of excellence is being recognized and rewarded. In the past year, IU set records for private giving, when measured by total money raised and by the number of individual donors. Total enrollment on our campuses is increasing.

I am gratified by the tremendous backing for Indiana University from our alumni, friends, students and parents. That support both reflects and helps maintain our university’s strength. It allows us to grow, to meet the needs of the next generation of students and the next.

Backed by generous funding from government sources, Indiana University has been able to move forward with plans to build facilities to create even more vibrant and well-rounded learning communities. Signs of that progress can be seen, and sounds of construction heard, on several of our campuses.

This brief summary is a reminder why it is so worthwhile—this time of year or any other—to stop and consider what we have all accomplished. It creates a sense of optimism about our ability to meet the challenges ahead.

http://www.indiana.edu/president/

E-mail President Brand at prez@indiana.ed