December 17, 2024
Nearing winter break in Bloomington, I am filled with the joy and energy of the season. As highlighted in the recent State of the University address, it has been a semester of great progress and continued growth and evolution for IU.
Exemplified by the transformative new $138 M commitment to IU from the Lilly Foundation, our efforts as a campus and university are more relevant to the success of our state and communities than ever. We are joining with business and community leaders, residents, and key supporters and contributors to create a brighter future for us all. I could not be prouder of our collective effort or more excited for the opportunities ahead.
All these accomplishments are only possible through your creativity and commitment -- and those of our colleagues and collaborators. In the spirit of the season, I would like simply to share a list of thanks.
- Thanks to the greatest student body anywhere, our largest ever at IUB this fall, at 48,424 students. Our students come to Bloomington from across Indiana and the world and enrich our campus in every way imaginable. I am grateful you have chosen IUB as your home, and please know we are doing everything possible to help you succeed and flourish here.
- Thanks to the dedicated work of our more than 3,000 faculty, more than 6,000 staff, nearly 2,500 graduate assistants, more than 430,000 alumni, and numerous contractors, community partners, collaborators, donors, and all others who make our teaching, research, and service missions come alive every day. I am grateful and awed every day by the talent we have in Bloomington. Your inspiration makes IU the magical learning community it is, and I am deeply grateful.
- Thanks to a fantastic group of faculty leaders, deans, vice provosts, associate and assistant deans, department chairs, directors, and their unsung staff, who propel so many of our efforts across IUB. I am extraordinarily grateful for your leadership and colleagueship. Whether or not we always agree, I continually believe you have the best interests of IU close at heart, and it is a privilege to serve alongside.
- Thanks to wonderful leaders in our city and county government and community, who are truly committed to ensuring Bloomington is a thriving community for years to come. From Mayor Kerry Thomson and her team; John Fernandez and the Trades District team; Tina Peterson and the Regional Opportunity Initiatives team, Denzil Ross and IU Health, leaders at Cook, Catalent, and many other Bloomington businesses and non-profits, I am grateful for your insightful collaboration and stewardship of our community, with much more to come.
- Thanks to the newest members of our community, the more than 225 academic appointees and 555 staff, who have joined us this fall. I am grateful for your contributions and look forward to the exciting collaborations you will inspire in the days ahead.
- Thanks to our enterprise-level and IU-wide colleagues, who we are working with and learning from more than ever. We have increasing interests in common across IU, and I am grateful for the amazing opportunities for impact ahead.
- Thanks to the many individuals, from our custodians to groundskeepers, who help upkeep the historic IUB campus. The warm limestone beauty of IUB and the Old Crescent make me smile and reflect every time I am near. I am grateful that we live and work in such a special place.
- Thanks to all who call Indiana home. I am grateful to be a Hoosier.
Best wishes for a restful and restorative break. Thanks for all that you do for IU. May we reach new heights of discovery and togetherness in the year ahead.
In gratitude,
