Indiana University at Bloomington

About Indiana University Bloomington

Indiana University Bloomington (abbreviated "IU Bloomington" and colloquially referred to as "IU" or simply "Indiana") is apublic research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. With over 48,000 students, IU Bloomington is the flagship institution of the Indiana University system and its largest university.

It is a member of the Association of American Universities and has numerous schools and programs, including the Jacobs School of Music, the School of Informatics and Computing, the Kelley School of Business, the School of Public Health, the School of Nursing, the School of Optometry, the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, the Maurer School of Law, the School of Education, the Media School, and the School of Global and International Studies.

As of Fall 2015, 48,514 students attend Indiana University. While 55.2% of the student body was from Indiana, students from 49 of the 50 states, Washington D.C., and 165 foreign nations were also enrolled. The university is home to an extensive student life program, with more than 750 student organizations on campus and with more than 17 percent of undergraduates joining the Greek system. Indiana athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are known as the Indiana Hoosiers. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference.

Among IU Bloomington’s many graduate-level programs are the Kelley School of Business, School of Education, School of Public and Environmental Affairs and Maurer School of Law. Indiana’s law school has a program with a first-year team-based approach, a diversion from the typical legal education. Notable Indiana alumni include composer and songwriter Hoagy Carmichael, who penned “Georgia on My Mind"; John Chambers, executive chairman and former CEO of Cisco Systems; and Mark Cuban, billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Landmark Theatres, and Magnolia Pictures.

In terms of academics and other criteria, IU Bloomington ranks in top 100 national universities in the United States and the top 50 public universities in the country. The school's sports teams are notorious competitors in the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference, and, since Indiana University does not have a mascot, all teams are known simply as Hoosiers. There are more than 650 student organizations on campus, and more than 5,000 students go Greek in the school’s large community of fraternities and sororities.

History of Indiana University Bloomington

Indiana's state government in Corydon established Indiana University on January 20, 1820 as the "State Seminary." Construction began in 1822 at what is now calledSeminary Square Park near the intersection of Second Street and College Avenue. The first professor was Baynard Rush Hall, a Presbyterian minister who taught all of the classes in 1825–27. In the first year, he taught twelve students and was paid $250. Hall was a classicist who focused on Greek and Latin and believed that the study of classical philosophy and languages formed the basis of the best education. The first class graduated in 1830. From 1820 to 1889 a legal-political battle was fought between IU andVincennes University as to which was the legitimate state university.

In 1829, Andrew Wylie became the first president, serving until his death in 1851. The school's name was changed to "Indiana College" in 1829, and to "Indiana University" in 1839. Wylie and David Maxwell, president of the board of trustees, were devout Presbyterians. They spoke of the nonsectarian status of the school, but generally hired fellow Presbyterians. Presidents and professors were expected to set a moral example for their charges. After six ministers in a row the first non-clergyman to become president was the young biology professorDavid Starr Jordan, in 1885. Jordan followed Baptist theologian Lemuel Moss, who resigned after a scandal broke regarding his involvement with a female professor.

Jordan (president 1884–1891) improved the university's finances and public image, doubled its enrollment, and instituted an elective system along the lines of his alma mater, Cornell University. Jordan became president of Stanford University in June 1891.

Growth of the college was slow. In 1851, IU had nearly a hundred students and seven professors. IU admitted its first woman student, Sarah Parke Morrison, in 1867, making IU the fourth public university to admit women on an equal basis with men. Morrison went on to become the first female professor at IU in 1873.

Mathematician Joseph Swain was IU’s first Hoosier-born president, 1893 to 1902. He established Kirkwood Hall in 1894; a gymnasium for men in 1896, which later was namedAssembly Hall; and Kirkwood Observatory in 1900. He began construction for Science Hall in 1901. During his presidency, student enrollment increased from 524 to 1,285.

In 1883, IU awarded its first Ph.D. and played its first intercollegiate sport (baseball), prefiguring the school's future status as a major research institution and a power in collegiate athletics. But another incident that year was of more immediate concern: the original campus in Seminary Square burned to the ground. The college was rebuilt between 1884 and 1908 at the far eastern edge of Bloomington. (Today, the city has expanded eastward, and the "new" campus is once again at the center of the city.) One challenge was that Bloomington's limited water supply was inadequate for its population of 12,000 and could not handle university expansion. The University commissioned a study that led to building a reservoir for its own use.

In 1902, IU enrolled 1203 undergraduates; all but 65 were Hoosiers. There were 82 graduate students including ten from out-of-state. The curriculum emphasized the classics, as befitted a gentleman, and stood in contrast to the service-oriented curriculum at Purdue, which presented itself as of direct benefit to farmers, industrialists, and businessmen.

The first extension office of IU was opened in Indianapolis in 1916. In 1920/1921 the School of Music and the School of Commerce and Finance (what later became the Kelley School of Business) were opened. In the 1940s Indiana University opened extension campuses in Kokomo and Fort Wayne. The controversial Kinsey Institute for sexual research was established in 1945.

In 1960, the IU student body elected Thomas Atkins, an African-American from Elkhart, Indiana, to the position of president of the student body. A throng of white students protested the result by parading around campus waving Confederate flags and allegedly blamed Atkins' victory on a "bunch of beatniks." When the protesters approached the female dormitory on campus, they were apparently met with "a barrage of cosmetic bottles, old shoes and other objects."

Accreditation

Indiana University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (http://www.ncahlc.org) (312-263-0456) and is a member of the North Central Association.

Rankings

• Indiana University is one of 62 members of the Association of American Universities, an organization of leading North Americanresearch universities.
• Forty graduate programs and four schools at Indiana University are ranked among the top 25 in the country in the U.S. News & World Report's 2016 rankings
• The Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked IU Bloomington 101-150 in the world and 51-61 nationally in 2016. Additionally, it gave the university global rankings of 29th best for economics/business and 35th best for the social sciences in 2015.
• Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranked IU Bloomington 40th out of the "Best Values in Public Colleges 2015".
• On the 2011 Green Report Card, issued by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, the university received a B.
• Upon assuming leadership of Indiana University, one of President Adam Herbert's biggest initiatives focused on "mission differentiation" for IU's eight campuses, which includes making the flagship Bloomington campus choosier among freshman applicants. Under the proposal, IUB would educate the professionals, executives and researchers while the regional campuses would educate the state's remaining labor force. Advocates believe it will rejuvenate Indiana's economy while critics argue it betrays the university's mission of educating more of Indiana's populace

Student life @Indiana University Bloomington

Find your group (and yourself). Get involved in student organizations.

When we say there’s a lot to do at IU, we’re not bragging. There are more than 750 student organizations currently on the books—and that number is always growing.

Some are familiar, like the Chess Club, the Cycling Club, and the IU Student Association.

But did you know that IU has a Chinese Calligraphy Club? Or a Gamer’s Guild? And not one but six comedy groups?

Help your community, or the world

IU students completed more than 30,000 hours of community service last year—and that’s just in Bloomington!

Many students embark on service trips to countries around the globe during spring break and the summer months. Many more belong to service groups focused on addressing global issues.

Make professional connections in an informal environment

IU is home to dozens of academic and professional organizations, ranging from business-oriented groups like the Investment Banking Club to more academic-oriented endeavors like the Folklore Association.

These clubs enable you to connect with people who share your passions—and create the beginnings of a network that will help you throughout your career.

Go Greek

With more than 70 fraternities and sororities on campus, there is a tremendous amount of variety within the Greek system.

Almost 20 percent of IU students belong to a Greek organization—and not just because of the lifelong friendships Greek life helps them build. It’s also a great way to get involved in the community, learn about leadership, and make a real difference with philanthropic efforts.

Explore your artsy side

Whether you’re an accomplished vocalist, a film buff, an artist, or a dancer, at IU, you'll find plenty of groups populated by people just like you.

We take the arts seriously here—even when we’re playing around. Did you know that the a capella group Straight No Chaser got its start at IU?

It’s true. Join us and who knows? Someday we might be talking about you.

Recreational Sports

As an IU student, you have access to state-of-the-art fitness, athletic, and recreation facilities.

The Student Recreational and Sports Center (SRSC) and Wildermuth Intramural Center (WIC) offer everything you could want, whether you're a committed athlete or a casual fitness enthusiast.

You can schedule court time for a game of pickup basketball. Check out free equipment and play some tennis. Swim laps at one of the many indoor and outdoor pools. Drop into any of the 80+ group exercise classes offered each week. Or just work out using the latest strength training and cardio equipment.

Try club sports on for size

Club sports are a lot like traditional team sports. You have organized practices, and you play other schools, but you don’t have to try out for an official Indiana University team.

Even better, anyone can sign up to play, regardless of experience level! IU has more than 40 club sports on its roster, including everything from aikido to water polo.

Explore intramural sports

If you want to compete, but don’t want to travel to other campuses, intramural sports could be just the thing.

IU has an ever-changing menu of intramural sport leagues and tournaments. Basketball and soccer are perennial favorites. But sports as diverse as futsal (indoor soccer) and dodgeball are frequently available.

Leagues are split by experience level, but at the end of the day, the goal is just to have fun!

Fight for the glory of old IU

Assembly Hall. Memorial Stadium. The Fieldhouse. Bill Armstrong Stadium.

No matter which of the 13 IU athletics facilities you find yourself at, you’ll feel the same fierce pride and undeniable sense of belonging.

As a Hoosier, you already know you’re a part of something bigger than yourself. But when you show up to cheer on your team, you feel it at a far more visceral level.

That’s the power of IU athletics.

Hoosiers work hard and win big

All Hoosier athletes pour their heart and soul into their sport—and it shows. Our teams have brought home 24 NCAA Team Championships, produced 145 NCAA individual champions, and won 169 Big Ten Team Championships—including the men’s basketball championship in 2016.

There’s only one way to make sure you don’t miss out on the next championship-winning event—be there.

Live the college dream on campus

We have plenty of traditional residence hall options, with shared rooms, communal living spaces, and handy food courts.

You’ll also find apartments for those who need some space, private rooms for those who tend toward the introverted side, and co-op kitchen facilities for those who want to cook their own food.

Services of Indiana University Bloomington

Libraries

The Indiana University Bloomington Library System supports over twenty libraries, and provides access to more than 7.8 million books, 800 databases, 60,000 electronic journal titles, and 815,000 ebooks. The system is the 14th largest library in North America by volumes held.

Herman B Wells Library

IU's Herman B Wells Library holds more than 4.6 million volumes. Prior to a ceremony in June 2005, when it was renamed for IU's former president and chancellor, this building was simply called the Main Library. Built in 1969, the building contains eleven floors in the East Tower (research collection) and five floors in the West Tower (the undergraduate core collection). In 2014 the first floors of both towers were renovated and reintroduced as the Learning Commons and Scholars' Commons. The library is also home to Indiana University Press and the University Graduate School.

An oft-repeated urban legend holds that the library is sinking because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building. An article in the Indiana Daily Student newspaper debunks this myth, stating, among other things, that the building rests on a 94 ft (28.6 m) thick limestone bedrock.

Branch libraries

In addition to IU's main library, the Bloomington Libraries support more than twenty additional libraries:

• Archives of African American Music & Culture
• Archives of Traditional Music
• Black Film Center/Archive
• Business/SPEA Information Commons (Library for the Kelley School of Business and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs)
• Chemistry Library
• Education Library
• Fine Arts Library
• GLBT Library
• Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Center for Disability Information and Referral (CeDIR) Library
• Indiana Prevention Resource Center Library
• IU Libraries Moving Image Archive
• Kinsey Institute Library
• Law Library (Library for the Maurer School of Law)
• Life Sciences Library (Library for the Biology Department, Medical Sciences Program, and Nursing Program)
• Lilly Library (rare books and manuscripts)
• Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Library
• Optometry Library
• Ostrom Workshop Library
• Residential Programs and Services Libraries
• Sinor Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies
• University Archives and Records Management
• William & Gayle Cook Music Library
• Wylie House Museum

Lilly Library

The Lilly Library is one of the largest rare book and manuscript libraries in the United States. Founded in 1960 with the collection of Josiah K. Lilly, Jr., of Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, the library now contains approximately 400,000 rare books, 6.5 million manuscripts, and 100,000 pieces of sheet music. The library's holdings are particularly strong in British and American history and literature, religious texts, Latin Americana, medicine and science, food and drink, children's literature, fine printing and binding, popular music, medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, and early printing. Notable items in the library's collections include the New Testament of the Gutenberg Bible, a first edition copy of the Book of Mormon, the first printed collection of Shakespeare's works, Audubon's Birds of America, one of 25 extant copies of the "First Printing of the Declaration of Independence" (also known as the "Dunlap Broadside") that was printed inPhiladelphia on July 4, 1776, George Washington's letter accepting the presidency of the United States, Abraham Lincoln's desk from his law office, a leaf from the famous Abraham Lincoln "Sum Book" c. 1824–1826, Lord Chesterfield's letters to his son, the manuscripts ofRobert Burns's "Auld Lang Syne", the Boxer Codex, J. M. Synge's The Playboy of the Western World, and J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan, and typescripts of many of Ian Fleming'sJames Bond novels. The library also owns the papers of Hollywood directors Orson Welles and John Ford, the poets Sylvia Plath and Ezra Pound, and authors Edith Wharton,Max Eastman and Upton Sinclair. In 2006, the library received a collection of 30,000 mechanical puzzles from Jerry Slocum. The collection will be on permanent display. Special permission is not required to use the collections, and the library has several exhibition galleries which are open to the public.

Within the Lilly Library is the Ruth E. Adomeit collection of miniature books, one of the world’s largest.[35] Among the collection are rare miniature books such as "From Morn Till Eve", a miniature book that presents biblical quotations in a devotional form, with one phrase for each morning and evening of a month. The Online Computer Library Center(OCLC) had listed that, "the only known copy as being in the collection of famed miniature book collector Ruth E. Adomeit", which is now in the Lilly Library.

Fine Arts Library

The Fine Arts Library houses Indiana University's books and journals in the fields of the visual arts, art history, architecture, design and related disciplines and supports the academic needs of the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts, the Department of Art History, as well as the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art and other campus stakeholders. The collection comprises over 140,000 volumes and 322 periodicals, and a non-circulating collection of over 1200 artists' books.

IU's first Fine Arts Library was established in the late 1930s as part of the Departmental office on the second floor, east wing of the University Library which was then located in Franklin Hall. In 1941, two important events occurred: art historian Henry Radford Hope became chairman of the Fine Arts Department in the Fall and the Fine Arts Center was created by remodeling Mitchell Hall Annex. The Fine Arts Library moved into its current quarters inside the IU Art Museum designed by I.M. Pei in August 1981.

William and Gayle Cook Music Library

The William and Gayle Cook Music Library, recognized as one of the largest academic music libraries in the world, serves the Jacobs School of Music and the Bloomington Campus of Indiana University. The collection comprises over 700,000 catalogued items on 56,733 linear-feet of shelves. It occupies a four-floor, 55,000 square-foot facility in a wing of the Bess Meshulam Simon Music Library and Recital Center, dedicated in November 1995.

Health, Wellness & Safety

The Indiana University Health Center

If you’re an IU student (or the dependent of an IU student), the IU Health Center can serve as your primary medical resource.

It offers a full-service medical clinic, laboratory and radiological services, a pharmacy, and even physical therapy.

You can make an appointment by calling 812-855-7688, or just show up during walk-in clinic hours.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

Each year, thousands of IU students find themselves facing mental health challenges that they don’t know how to fix.

Whether you’re feeling depressed, are struggling with substance abuse, or are just struggling to cope with college life, CAPS can help. It offers counseling options and workshops to assist with virtually any mental health issue.

Crimson CORPS

Sometimes you just need to talk to someone who understands. Someone who knows what you’re going through—and faces the same challenges.

That’s where the Crimson CORPS comes in. Every Crimson CORPS member is a student just like you. But they have undergone extensive training to recognize the signs of mental distress and learn how to help.

Housing & Dining

We have plenty of traditional residence hall options, with shared rooms, communal living spaces, and handy food courts.

You’ll also find apartments for those who need some space, private rooms for those who tend toward the introverted side, and co-op kitchen facilities for those who want to cook their own food.

• IUPUI scholarships