From the Provost

May 20, 2025

As the spring semester winds down and we all take a much-needed breath, I want to take a moment to reflect on what we’ve accomplished together, give a preview of what’s ahead as we move into summer and fall, and share some updates about leadership transitions on campus. 

Celebrating spring successes 

First and foremost, congratulations to our students, faculty, and staff on a successful spring term. From research breakthroughs and teaching innovations to community partnerships and student achievements, this semester has been full of moments that remind us why we do this work. Despite the ongoing challenges facing higher education broadly, I continue to be inspired by the resilience and commitment of the IU Bloomington community. 

What we’ve built together 

Serving as provost over the past three years has been one of the most rewarding chapters of my career. In alignment with the three pillars of IUB 2030, we’ve made meaningful progress across student success, research and creative activity, and public service. These are just a few highlights of the collective progress we’ve made: 

Student success: 

• Grew total undergraduate applications from 52,000 (2022) to 73,000+ (2025), a new all-time record for IU Bloomington, while increasing overall enrollment from 45,328 (2021) to 48,424 (2024)—also a record for IUB. 

• Increased first-to-second year retention from 89.9% (2021-22) to 91.1% (2023-24), with students receiving D, F or W marks declining from 11.8% to 7.7%, reaching their lowest level in over 10 years. 

• Created 16 new degree programs (3 undergraduate, 13 graduate) since 2022 and announced a $75M investment to create five new engineering degrees, with the first launching as early as 2026. 

• Completed Project Inspire renovations of classrooms in biology, chemistry and music, developed a full classroom needs assessment and committed over $1M annually to active learning spaces and faculty development. 

• Improved the graduate student experience, including increasing minimum assistantship stipends by 60% since 2022 and expanding career services for graduate and professional students, including coaching, workshops, and peer support networks. 

Research and creativity: 

• Hired 60+ new additive faculty through the Faculty 100 initiative, targeting key academic and interdisciplinary areas, with continuing plans for faculty growth. 

• Advanced a $45M renovation across eight campus buildings to enhance research facilities. 

• Developed a new campus-wide research space allocation framework and created research “neighborhoods” organized around thematic hubs to better align resources with need. 

• Launched a research incentive program and expanded research development teams and support. 

• Formed cross-campus clusters in aging, environmental health, AI, and quantum science with 100+ faculty participants, increasing interdisciplinary engagement and research proposals. 

Service to our state and beyond: 

• Launched and scaled IU Innovates, resulting in nearly 170 student members this year. 

• Advanced key partnerships with government agencies, corporations, and NGOs, including a $16M Lilly grant to advance innovation in the Bloomington Trades District. 

• Developed a framework to define and expand experiential learning activities across the state and beyond, including througha new IU facility in Washington, D.C.  

• Increased campus fundraising by 35%, from $120M (2022) to $163M (2024). 

• Advanced a community engagement infrastructure for IU Bloomington, including new leadership to align faculty, campus and community efforts. 

All of these successes are shared ones. I’m incredibly grateful to the deans, department chairs, faculty, staff, and students who have worked collaboratively and tirelessly to make this progress possible. 

Thank you 

So, as we close out the academic year, I want to say thank you. Thank you for your support for each other, your collaboration, and your belief in what we’re building together. Change can be energizing, and I’m stepping into this next chapter with a full heart and a clear sense of purpose. 

Here's to a restorative summer, a warm welcome to Chancellor Reingold, and a bright future ahead. 

Warmly,