From the Desk of the Provost: June 2016

Dear IU families,

Just four years ago, Grace Boya Shen traveled 7,000 miles from Beijing to Bloomington to attend Indiana University, where she double majored in history and American studies.

During her first weeks on campus, Grace recalls freezing up when someone asked how she was doing, unsure of how to respond in English. When she was shopping or getting coffee, it took her awhile to remember that a chunky nickel was worth less than a slender dime.

Through the support of the IU community and her own self-effort, Grace transformed. She became so involved in activities -- both on and off campus -- that, this past spring, she was selected as IU Bloomington’s 2016 student commencement speaker.

Grace’s story exemplifies the academic excellence and personal growth that we seek to nurture in all of our students, whether they are coming to IU from a small town in Indiana or a city as populated and as far away as Beijing.

During her four years at IU, Grace interned with the state of Indiana, creating a comprehensive listing of all of the buildings in the state that were built during the New Deal. Her translation project received the Provost’s Award for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity. She also took part in the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, which brings together college students and prison inmates seeking to further their education. Grace told the commencement crowd about this experience, saying, "The class totally changed my perspective and challenged my ethics."

Grace wasn’t the only international student who shone on campus during this past year.

And when she traveled back to China with domestic IU students for the IU2U program, a pre-orientation that helps admitted international students learn about campus before they arrive, Yishan was pleased to share her own country with her friends from Indiana.

“I was very proud of introducing them to the places of interest in China,” Yishan said. “The real China is not what they imagined before they actually came there. We exchanged our opinions. I talked to them about what I felt like when I first came to the U.S., and they would tell me what they thought about China when they first went there.”

Young Pioneers

This spring’s Little 500 race included, for the first time ever, a team composed entirely of international students, the Young Pioneers. The inclusion of an all-international team in one of IU Bloomington’s most famous and beloved traditions was a special milestone for the entire campus; it was a sign that our international students are embracing — and adding to — the unique culture of our community.

Grace, Yishan and the Young Pioneers are just a few of the thousands of students from all around the world who have come to IU Bloomington and made our campus a more vibrant, exciting and enriching place to learn and live. We, in turn, have an enormous opportunity to shape these students’ understandings not just of their respective academic disciplines, but of our country.

At commencement, Grace Shen’s fellow students cheered when she described the changes she has seen in herself during her time at Indiana University.

"Four years ago, I got out of my comfort zone and came to a foreign country with a small dream to see a different world,” she said. “IU did not let me down. ... I came to IU with my three suitcases, but I left with the fourth suitcase full of abilities, curiosities and experiences."

All my very best,
Lauren Robel
Provost