March 24, 2021
Dear friends and colleagues,
It has been a tremendous privilege and honor to serve as your provost and colleague for the past many years. I write to let you know that I will be stepping down at the end of June. I couldn’t love the place more, or believe more strongly in the importance of what we do and the level of excellence and collegiality at which we do it. It is now time for me to return to the academic work that is the greatest joy at the center of our mission.
The Indiana University Bloomington campus is the most beautiful in the country, and that beauty goes much deeper than the physical surroundings we cherish. It includes, most of all, the people here. The integrity, loyalty, discernment, and heart of our staff make our campus sing. Our talented and innovative faculty are among the best in the world, and they have shown nothing but professionalism and a commitment to doing brilliant work at the highest level, no matter what has been thrown at them, from academic reorganizations to global pandemics. Together, you make this Big 10 campus both humane and human-scale. I am proud to be a faculty member here, and grateful for the opportunity the past nine years have given me to support the academic values that underlie the critically important mission of public higher education.
Thank you for the kindness, support, and compassion you have shown me during my tenure in this office, most especially during this last most challenging year. I look forward to continuing as your colleague from my home in the Maurer School of Law.
My very best,
Lauren
Lauren Robel
Val Nolan Professor of Law
Executive Vice President and Provost