A year of promise across IU

Across all of IU’s campuses this week, there are constant reminders that the beginning of a fall semester and a fresh academic year brings the promise of new opportunities and new experiences.

To our incredible incoming class of almost 22,000 undergraduate and graduate students, welcome home. You are joining a student body that is nearly 90,000 strong and hails from every county in Indiana, every state in the nation, and 168 countries worldwide. It is also one of the most diverse in university history. Enrollment of students of color increased by more than 4 percent this year, and students of color now comprise almost 32 percent of our overall student body.

There is much to celebrate across all of our campuses.

This year marks the final stages of the work for the exciting transition from IUPUI to IU Indianapolis, strengthening IU’s presence and service in our capital city. The coming year will also be foundational to our progress toward our ambitious IU 2030 strategic plan. We are focused on providing one of the nation’s most robust, vibrant, and supportive student experiences with ever-expanding academic opportunities, strong career pathways, and strengthened advising and mentorship programs. At the same time, we are taking on the vital work of advancing transformational research and creativity and building on our teaching and research mission in ways that contribute to the vitality of the state of Indiana and beyond. 

To our students, I urge you to take full advantage of the countless opportunities for growth IU offers, not only in the classroom and lab but also by actively participating in our vibrant array of sports, clubs, arts, and theater programs. Your success matters deeply to me and to our exceptional IU faculty and staff, and we look forward to all you will accomplish. This fall, I can’t wait to see you at football games in Bloomington, the Regatta in Indy, and strolling across our beautiful regional campuses.

Finally, to our faculty and staff, thank you for your dedication and service. Please join me in welcoming our extraordinary new and returning students as we look forward to a year of thought-provoking instruction and learning, innovative collaboration, and life-changing research and discovery. 

Pamela Whitten

President
Indiana University