South Bend’s campus is growing and changing

By Una Mae Reck, Chancellor of IU South Bend

The work involves the installation of a fountain, designed by Professor Tuck Langland, near the Student Activities Center. The unveiling will occur in the spring.

The fountain is an example of how things are changing at Indiana University South Bend. The campus continues to grow and develop, and we won’t keep it under wraps.

I have been a member of the IU family for eight months. During this time, I have learned a great deal about the culture and commitment of the campus by listening and meeting with faculty, staff and administration. Dedication to student learning, research and service to the community continue to be highly emphasized.

Our working together has resulted in many successes this past semester. Bill Frascella recently received a two-year appointment as director of elementary, secondary and informal education for the National Science Foundation.

One of IU South Bend’s business professors, Fred Naffziger, received international press coverage for his essay on the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. Roy Schreiber recently edited a rare manuscript from the Elizabethan period. And pianist Alexander Toradze and members of his studio were featured in the New York Times. Campus celebrations and galas have featured the naming of the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts, IUSB Fest and the installation of the chancellor.

We saw further success with the approval from the Indiana Commission on Higher Education for a major in actuarial science.

This semester, we will be drafting a campus academic master plan, as well as an overall strategic plan. Approval for the major in informatics and residential housing also are our goals.

The transition continues to progress smoothly as the campus-endorsed parameters of engagement—communication, teamwork, civility, respect, integrity and commitment—guide our interaction. We have many reasons to celebrate and to be proud.

At my installation, I promised that IUSB would continue to dance, never sitting on the side, always moving forward. We continue to move forward, defining more distinctly our mission as a public comprehensive university, serving in-state, out-of-state and international students, and complementing Indiana University.