Guided by these principles, Wells influenced
IU’s future as a research university in pivotal ways—among them,
his unshakable support of Alfred Kinsey and the Kinsey
Institute’s research on sexuality, his recruitment and support
of Nobel Prize-winner Hermann Müller, and his promotion and development
of area studies centers that have since brought scores of international
faculty and students to IU. Wells did much for creative activities too—the
IU Auditorium is just one example
of a love for the arts he shared with the school he loved no less.
All that Wells accomplished as president
and university chancellor was done with the unfailing charm and personal
touch for which he was legendary. In an April 1994 conversation with Vice
President for Research George E. Walker, which appeared in Research &
Creative Activity, Wells recalled stories he would use to describe to
state legislators the life of a research university. One anecdote was about
walking with his mother through campus at night.
“She would say, ‘Why are all
those lights on?’“ Wells told Walker. “And I would say, ‘They
are all up there in the laboratories working.’ When someone would complain
about those who ‘go around campus working with strings,’ saying
‘He’s just goofing off,’” Wells continued, “I would
explain the importance of research [in] mathematical theory.“
Wells understood and respected the hard
work that goes into research and creative activity. “For the most part,
you work sacrificially,” Wells said in 1994. “It’s a bunch
of monkey business about industry being more efficient. Here, our product
is not profit.”
No one understood the true product of a
university better than Herman B Wells. IU has profited greatly from his
life and spirit.
Regular readers of Research & Creative
Activity may note a new associate editor’s name in this issue.
Michael Shermis, affiliated with R&CA for seven years, took his
talents to the world of the Web last spring. He is now Projects Process
Manager at WisdomTools,
a creator of Web-based training tools for corporations and higher education.
Although Michael holds degrees in philosophy and religious studies, he was
mastering new technologies before most of us had sent our first e-mails.
He has, in fact, long been known for his distinctive e-mail username, “shermism.”
According to my dictionaries, the suffix
“-ism” defines a process or practice, a distinctive manner of
action. If ever there was someone who is process, practice, and action combined,
it’s Michael. His boundless energy and influence have made an impact
on every part of this magazine, from the themes of the issues to the cover
designs. As his successor, I’m fortunate to have been preceded by such
ingenuity. More fortunate still, the magazine will continue to benefit from
Michael’s presence on its advisory board.
I’ve yet to attain the status of “-ism”
in my e-mail (or any other area of life, for that matter). Nevertheless,
I look forward to carrying on the tradition of Research & Creative
Activity, and I welcome your comments, suggestions, and ideas. Please
feel free to send them to me at rcapub@indiana.edu.—Lauren
Bryant
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