About

Two hundred years and counting...

The Indiana University Bicentennial was a multi-year, multi-campus program that was academically driven, historically grounded, intellectually stimulating, and enjoyable. Through focused study and criticism, reflection, celebration, and documentation, the Bicentennial demonstrated how Indiana University has served as a “people’s university.” The Program included a dynamic series of Bicentennial Signature Projects complemented by activities stemming from individuals, departments, schools, and campuses.

The Goals of the IU Bicentennial were:

  • Celebrate and recognize
  • Chronicle, document, and explore
  • Inspire and engage

Moments in IU history

Edwin Sutherland as part of IU's War Council

Edwin H. Sutherland: The IU Scholar Who Revolutionized the Study of Criminology

1941

Sutherland’s contributions to sociology have changed more than just the course of sociology and criminology. His emphasis on criminality as a social phenomenon rebuked the then popular notions of eugenics and other race-based theories.

Read Sutherland's story

IU East

1971

Indiana University East started as an extension center at Earlham College in 1946. Ball State and Purdue joined the arrangement in 1957, and the center was called the Eastern Indiana Center of Earlham College. It wasn't until 1971 that Indiana University East got its name and moved to Richmond, Indiana, becoming Indiana University's sixth regional campus.

Read the history of IU East

In December 2014, the IU Board of Trustees approved the Bicentennial Strategic Plan—a visionary, comprehensive and wide-ranging plan to prepare IU for its next century of greatness and beyond. This plan was complemented by the aligned plans of campuses, schools, departments, and other units. And in September 2015, the public phase of the For All: The Bicentennial Campaign for Indiana University was launched. At $3 billion it is IU’s largest campaign ever and its first all-campus campaign.

In January 2016, IU President Michael A. McRobbie charged a 30-member university-wide Steering Committee to develop a set of recommendations concerning how IU should celebrate its Bicentennial both in the period leading up to the Bicentennial year and in the year itself. The Steering Committee’sReport was endorsed by the IU Board of Trustees in June 2016.

The Office of the Bicentennial launched projects and events in fall 2016. The 2019–20 academic year was designated as the official Bicentennial year. Additional Legacy Projects will extend the Bicentennial into our Third Century.