Indiana University East will kick off its 40th anniversary celebration with the Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 13.  The campus will continue the celebration throughout the fall, concluding with Homecoming Week in November.

IU East has launched a new website – iue.edu/40 – to commemorate the 40th anniversary and to invite alumni, the community and campus to join in the celebration.  The website features an event listing, the history of the campus, photo galleries and the opportunity for alumni and friends to share their experiences and memories of IU East.

“The university has touched countless lives over the past 40 years,” said IU East Chancellor Nasser Paydar.  “Impacting students – who then impact the intellectual, cultural, and economic vitality of our region – is the focus of our work and the reason for our growth.”

Also on the website is the special anniversary logo IU East has developed. The logo includes one of the campus’ most recognized buildings, Hayes Hall, and represents the beauty of the campus.

On July 1, 1971, the Indiana University Board of Trustees created Indiana University East.  At the time, IU East offered classes in Carpenter Hall on the campus of Earlham College.  With funds raised by area citizens, the trustees purchased 225 acres of land in Richmond near the junction of U.S. 27 and Interstate 70.  Construction of the first building, Whitewater Hall, was completed in January 1975, and IU East moved from Carpenter Hall to its new home.  Although IU East opened its doors in 1971, the Earlham College-Indiana University Extension Center in Richmond was first established in 1946.  The center was renamed the Eastern Indiana Center at Earlham College in 1967 and then the Eastern Indiana Community College in 1969.

Doug Bennett, president of Earlham College, will receive an Indiana University Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at IU East’s May 13 Commencement Ceremony.  The honorary degree is the highest academic recognition Indiana University can bestow.

“As President Bennett retires, the honorary degree recognizes his immense contributions to higher education over his distinguished career,” Paydar said.  “Given IU East’s deep roots to Earlham College, this recognition becomes even more meaningful to us as we celebrate our 40th anniversary.”

Today, IU East is a flourishing campus, with over 50 academic baccalaureate and master’s programs, exceptional faculty and staff, and record enrollment.  Enrollment has grown by more than 50 percent in the last three years and has eclipsed 3,000 students.  Over 85 percent of alumni remain in IU East’s service region.

For more information about IU East’s 40th anniversary, contact Terry Wiesehan, director of Alumni Relations and Campus Events, at (765) 973-8221 or email twiesaha@iue.edu.