Committee appointed to review Jordan namings on IU Bloomington campus

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie has appointed a review committee of six distinguished senior IU faculty members to evaluate the namings on the IU Bloomington campus related to David Starr Jordan, who served as IU's seventh president from 1885 to 1891 and professor of zoology from 1875 to 1885.

Some of Jordan's statements and views have come under particular scrutiny and criticism recently. A number of requests have now been made to remove his name from the building that houses IU Bloomington's Department of Biology and from other locations on the Bloomington campus. The Jordan Committee will conduct its review and submit a report with recommendations for any actions to the president, provost and Naming Committee by Sept. 1.

"In my report to the Indiana University Board of Trustees at their meeting on June 12, 2020, I announced that I would be asking the University Naming Committee 'to begin a systematic review of all named building or structures on all campuses of Indiana University with the goal of trying to identify any of these where the person after whom these buildings or structures are named has been found to have held views in statements, writings or publicly, inimical to the fundamental values of the university and where there is a case for considering the removal of their present names,'" McRobbie said.

"Removing a name from a building is a serious matter that should not be undertaken without thorough research and the preparation of a detailed report and case for removal of, changing or the keeping of a name," McRobbie said in his charge to the Jordan Committee. "Hence, I am asking the Jordan Committee to prepare a report that addresses the process for the changing or removal of names described in the Indiana University Policy of Institutional Naming UA-06."

McRobbie has charged the Jordan Committee to review the following structures and places named after Jordan, and provide for each any recommendation the committee might have about removing, changing or keeping each of these names:

  • Jordan Hall.
  • Jordan River.
  • Jordan Avenue.
  • Jordan Parking Garage.
  • Any scholarships, fellowships or other awards that bear his name.

The committee should seek any and all relevant sources, and should solicit and receive public input as needed to evaluate the various points outlined by Policy UA-06.

Read the full article from News at IU Bloomington