Chancellor's Message

Thirty-six years ago this fall I began my academic career with Indiana University Kokomo.  In 1972 Victor Bogle had been the campus’ Chancellor for three years, Herbert Miller was the Dean of Faculties, and   John Ryan was the President of Indiana University. Our single building was the Main Building on our circle drive and most faculty members had their offices/cubicles in the basement of this facility.  The majority of the students who attended were adults and we had only three baccalaureate degrees and a smattering of associate degrees.

As I begin my new role as Interim Chancellor, our campus has grown in size, encompassing a footprint that stretches  from Wildcat Creek to the north, south to Lincoln Road; west to Washington Street and east to Lafountain Street.  With the addition of the Johnson property, the campus can continue to grow to meet the current and future needs of our students and community.

We have also added seven additional campus buildings, each of which has responded to a unique set of opportunities and challenges, mirroring the growing maturity of the campus and its academic programs:  the East and Observatory Buildings, the Kelley Center and Library, Early Outreach I and Early Outreach II, and our newest building, Hunt Hall.  These buildings now house our faculty and facilities that enable us to offer more than forty-two degree programs and certificates, including master’s degrees in Business Administration, Public Management, and Liberal Studies.  

We are currently planning our next building. A part of the Indiana University’s capital appropriations request, this facility is specifically aimed at addressing the needs of our traditional age students.  We believe it is time for a new Health and Wellness facility to provide courses and programs related to wellness and to offer the fuller, richer collegiate experience to our students. 

Guided by an outstanding faculty, energetic and dedicated staff, and bright, involved student leaders, the Kokomo campus has become a critical community partner in the region we serve.  As the area’s only public baccalaureate institution, we are committed first and foremast to providing a challenging and stimulating education to our students.  We see their growth and development as our primary mission and responsibility to the region we serve. After all, our students are the future of the region. Our students become the doctors, dentists, lawyers, business leaders, teachers, nurses, public servants, and artists of this community.  It will be their innovations, energy, insights, and capacity for life-long learning and change that will sustain the economic, cultural, and intellectual quality of life in our communities into the 21st Century.

At the same time, we continue to enhance and deepen our direct involvement with our regional partners.  As we do so, we work to integrate our teaching/learning mission, our emphasis on “Knowledge That Works,” into all of our collaborations with business, government, higher education, K-12, and non-profit sectors.  This focus helps us remember why we are here, who we are, and what we do best.  As the region’s public baccalaureate and master’s degree campus, we not only disseminate knowledge; our faculty and students generate new knowledge and creative work through research and artistic activities for and about the communities we serve, locally, nationally, and internationally.

Over the past thirty-six years, I have seen a great many changes at IU Kokomo. Still, some things have remained constant. This campus continues to be a warm, exciting environment in which to work, study, learn, and create; where the faculty still gets to know their students and the staff care about the success of each and every student in their keeping. I am especially pleased that this coming year we will celebrate the graduation of our ten thousandth student. I can think of no more meaningful statistic than this one.   Let me urge you to come see us and become one of the next ten thousand.

In closing, let me say how deeply grateful I am to the faculty and staff of this campus for the opportunity to serve this wonderful institution as its Interim Chancellor for the next two years. 

Stuart M. Green

Interim Chancellor, Indiana University Kokomo