Admiration and thanks to our IU community

As we celebrate Valentine's Day, I decided to share a few things I love about serving as president of Indiana University. I knew IU was special from my earliest visits to campus, and now I experience firsthand the incredible ways each of you affirm that fact daily. Our community is exceptional in the most profound sense, featuring genuine Hoosier hospitality; a bounty of creative, scientific, and scholarly activity that impacts our world; one-of-a-kind college traditions; and a shared passion for driving IU forward. 

I admire our 10,000 faculty who, through innovative teaching and research, help students uncover new ideas and disciplines and imagine new opportunities. They are the engine behind IU's ever-expanding reputation, and their commitment to pursuing extraordinary scholarship is unmatched.

Alongside faculty, our 11,000 staff members — including 1,100 academic advisors and more than 800 student affairs and residence life professionals — embrace IU’s focus on student success. Each of them cultivates a profound sense of community on our campuses across the state. 

I am proud that IU alumni are the second largest network of distinguished graduates among all universities in the country: 764,000 strong and representing the best of IU's past, present, and future. Through networking, guidance, and internship opportunities, they also contribute to the success of our students and recent graduates.

It’s no surprise that I love our almost 90,000 students spanning all of our campuses. They come from all 50 U.S. states and 169 countries to form a culturally rich and inclusive community bonded by love, support, and purpose. Representing the lifeblood of IU, their passion for learning, enthusiasm for life, and insatiable curiosity inspire me daily.

All of us across IU play a role in building the wonderful sense of community and support that are the hallmarks of what so many, including me, cherish about IU. On this Valentine's Day, I extend my heartfelt thanks to each of you who collectively make IU home.

Pamela Whitten

President
Indiana University