Chancellor Ramchand Connects with Students

One of my initial goals as chancellor has been to connect with faculty, staff, and students across our university, to get to know the faces and places that make up our community. Recently, I had the privilege to speak with several large classes and to engage with students. In visiting classes at the Kelley School of Business, the School of Science, and the IU School of Health & Human Sciences, I wanted to find out what drew them to IU Indianapolis.

I have really appreciated students’ willingness to share their insights. The reasons they chose IU Indianapolis fall into a few key areas.

The first reason students mentioned is reputation. Students had heard success stories about Kelley School graduates. They had learned about our faculty’s extensive clinical experience in the health professions, and they had connected with current students during the interview process to enter their programs. These encounters strengthened the campus’s reputation in prospective students’ eyes. In others’ success, they could see their own futures.

The second reason: affordability. Students mentioned that scholarships and financial aid made IU Indianapolis a more affordable and accessible option. Several students also mentioned that campus is close to home, contributing to affordability. This is a great point of pride for our campus as we welcome students from many different backgrounds and foster a diverse learning community in which students encounter different perspectives that add to their educational experience and prepare them for a career that will likely require them to work in teams where they will need to work together, understand one another, and collaborate to find solutions to some of the world’s most vexing problems.

The third reason: opportunity. Students mentioned that IU Indianapolis’s location in the heart of downtown—close to hospitals, the state capital, and Fortune 500 companies—translated into great opportunities, including internships, that would prepare them for their future careers. When I spoke with our physician assistant students, they shared the importance of the hands-on experience they get in the Student Outreach Clinic, a free clinic that provides primary-care medical and dental treatment, as well as social and legal services for the uninsured and underserved in the Indianapolis community.

The fourth reason: familiarity. For many students, the proximity to home made IU Indianapolis more familiar and created a sense of belonging. Some had family members who attended here, which added to their sense of feeling welcomed and included. Others had taken classes through our SPAN Division, which gives area high school students the opportunity to take college courses. They said this was a great way to get to know campus and feel more comfortable during their transition to college.

These discussions were extremely enlightening and helpful, and I want to thank Professors Demetra Andrews, Michael Yard, and Stephanie Sharpe for opening their classrooms to me. I also I want to thank their students for sharing their enthusiasm about our campus and their dreams for the future.

I look forward to connecting with more students and colleagues in the days to come and want to thank you for being part of our Jaguar family.

Go Jags!

Latha Ramchand
Chancellor