Thank you and welcome to all of you who have braved today’s cold to be here.
And a very special thank you to all of the indispensable employees from Capital Planning and Facilities, Auxiliaries, Student Life, Public Safety and more, who worked tirelessly over the weekend and yesterday to keep operations running for our students and to clear the campus of snow and allow us to resume full operations. Their contributions to our operations—today and throughout the year—are essential to our campus success.
Since this group last gathered, our Indiana Hoosiers football team captured the national championship and the attention and curiosity of the nation about our storybook undefeated season. Each step of the way, they were supported by our fabulous Marching Hundred, who take the field for each game regardless of heat, cold, snow, sleet, or rain. Kudos to our student performers as well.
I am proud that among on our championship team, 6 starters and 30 football players overall were Academic All-Americans, excelling on the field and in our classrooms.
As the fortunes of our football time rise, the campus fortunes do as well. We know that 43% of donors to 杏吧原创Athletics also support another part of IUB with their philanthropic dollars. Beyond that, I am mindful that as the nation looks to Bloomington because of the success on the gridiron, it is also a moment when we can celebrate—and shine a light on—our noteworthy accomplishments in teaching, scholarship, and engagement in our south central region, state, and beyond.
On the topic of our engagement, I am pleased to report that IUB has earned the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification from the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. We are among 237 institutions who received that designation this year. The Carnegie Classification is awarded to institutions that exemplify American higher education’s commitment to community partnership by sharing knowledge and resources to enrich scholarship, research and creative activity; catalyzing real-world learning experiences for students; and engaging and equipping citizens to fuel innovation and build prosperity in support of the greater good. Please join me in thanking Rachael Jones McAfee, Paige Andersson, Vicka Bell-Robinson, Danielle Buehrer, Kyla Cox Deckard, Angela Gast, Caroline Gilley, Tom Pappas, Vasti Torres, and Michael Valliant, who compiled the submission on behalf of our campus. Their documentation and your good works in this community and beyond are at the heart of the Carnegie Community Engagement designation.
A wonderful manifestation of that spirits was demonstrated in conjunction with our campus MLK Day Breakfast, which features student speakers and performers and kicked off a wide array of service activities. Thank you to the organizing committee and all who attended and volunteered.
Last week, it was my pleasure to welcome the Estonian ambassador, Kristjan Prikk, during his visit to campus. Indiana University-Bloomington has been a stronghold for the study of Estonian language and culture in the Hamilton Lugar School of International Studies’ Department of Central and Eurasian Studies for decades. Our faculty leaders pioneered this area studies program, starting with Professor Alo Raun in the 1950s, carried forward by Professor Toivo Raun from 1990s until the 2020s, and led currently by Senior lecturer Piibi-Kai Kivik.
Before I conclude, let me address an item that was discussed in our last meeting regarding the court decision to remove disciplinary letters from faculty files. Today, I can share that the Counsel’s Office is working on details of our compliance with the court order and the removal of those letters from faculty files.
That concludes my report. Thank you, all, for your work here on behalf of the campus. All of our work contributes to making Indiana University Bloomington the great university it is.