Cheers to a vibrant beginning of spring classes and the return to coursework, research, and the countless activities that — despite the freezing temperatures — bring the campus to life. Clearly, we have hit the ground running.
While there are innumerable efforts to celebrate as we move forward in the new semester, let me first affirm our endless commitment at IU to the well-being and success of all members of our community. As I discussed with the Bloomington Faculty Council this week, it continues to be a challenging time in our world, and we may not always agree how best to uphold our highest values as an institution. Please know our efforts as a university and campus to ensure all members of our community find a true sense of belonging and the fullest opportunities to succeed here are constant and more vital than ever. We also remain steadfast in our commitment to academic freedom and the spirit of intellectual inquiry that makes us, us. Thanks for all that you are doing to make IU the special community it is.
IUB 2030 moves forward
I am excited for our ongoing work to implement the IUB 2030 strategic plan. I hope you saw the recent detailed update shared by deans Rick Van Kooten and Stacy Morrone, who are co-chairing our executive leadership team for the plan. I am encouraged by the many collective efforts across campus to improve the student experience, expand transformative research, and increase our impact.
Through the 2030 plan, we are continuing to strengthen the graduate student experience and ensure that IUB is a national leader in graduate education. Last week, Graduate School Dean David Daleke shared important updates on career, DEI, and other new efforts, including an increase in the minimum stipend for student academic appointees.
Commitment to arts and humanities
We also recently posted a new and exciting position for IUB, an Executive Director for Arts and Humanities.
This new campus leadership position will help to increase student and community engagement with IUB’s extraordinary offerings in arts and humanities, foster new creative collaborations with cultural institutions and community organizations, and broadly grow visibility and recognition for IUB’s local and global leadership in arts and humanities.
A search committee chaired by Judah Cohen, associate dean and professor of musicology in the Jacobs School and professor of Jewish Culture in the College, has agreed to chair this search, and the search committee will be formally charged in the coming days. I encourage all to help share this fantastic new opportunity widely.
For ongoing efforts, our office will continue to provide support for the campus’s Arts and Humanities Council and dedicated staff, as well as the Gayle Karch Cook Center for Public Arts and Humanities.
I hope you are as excited as I am about the news of Jacobs School of Music’s collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera to host the world premiere of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Mason Bates and Gene Scheer, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Michael Chabon. It is wonderful, though not surprising, to see the rich talent in JSOM be recognized at the national stage. Kudos to Dean Abra Bush and the JSOM faculty for this achievement.
Dean searches in progress
We were thrilled over the past week to have candidates for the position of dean of the Hamilton Lugar School on campus. I look forward to reviewing your perspectives on our candidates and welcoming an excellent new leader in this critical role.
We are also continuing recruitment through January for the position of dean of the School of Education. We expect to welcome candidates to campus for that role in early March.
In this new year, I wish for us the inspiration and courage to make the world a better place for all, through all that IU Bloomington has to offer.
