Chancellor Ramchand Visits IU Columbus and IU Fort Wayne

Last week, I traveled the state to visit what are officially known as our regional education centers. Although they are administered by IU Indianapolis, both IU Columbus and IU Fort Wayne feel like campuses, with their own spaces, their own faculty, staff, and students, and their own personalities. I was excited to visit both places, was impressed with their operations, and felt embraced by the faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members I met.

IU Columbus

The warm welcome I received at IU Columbus truly made my first visit to campus special and one that will stand out in my memory. Students shared with me that they appreciated faculty listening to their concerns, supporting them in their journey of learning, and helping them with their coursework and their careers. Faculty and staff are highly engaged, and overall I left with the feeling that this was a family that cared for each other. In addition, the advisory board is very connected to campus, and supportive. As guides and advisors, they are what a leader hopes for in all that they do to serve as a conduit between campus and community.

Thank you to Vice Chancellor Reinhold Hill and everyone who took the time to meet with me, for making my first visit so memorable and for sparking conversations that I look forward to continuing on upcoming visits.

IU Fort Wayne

I also had the opportunity to visit the IU Fort Wayne for the very first time, and it was nothing short of inspiring! From the moment I stepped foot on campus, I was greeted with warmth and enthusiasm by community leaders, elected officials, industry chiefs, and very engaged alumni, students, faculty, and staff. To really experience the momentum and appreciate the growth opportunity that makes Indiana’s second largest city so vibrant, one has to visit Fort Wayne in person. The impressive health professions-focused education and research being done by our faculty, staff, and students, including those in the School of Medicine, at IU Fort Wayne is exciting. This is an area of critical need for our state and for the nation as a whole, all of which amplifies the importance of our presence in Fort Wayne. It’s clear that this campus is a hub of creativity, collaboration, and academic excellence.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who met with me throughout the day and to Vice Chancellor Deborah Garrison for her leadership in Fort Wayne. Another thank you to the design and build team at Electric Works, who hosted us for part of the day, for the amazing facility they have created that is a shining example of a public private partnership geared to support the region.

I can’t wait to see what the future holds for IU Fort Wayne and IU Columbus

Go Jags!

Latha Ramchand
Chancellor