IU Northwest’s historic 2019 is full of milestones, improvements and accomplishments. Best of all, every one of them in some way contributes to the fulfillment of IU Northwest’s strategic priorities:

• Student Success
• Valuing People
• Leveraging Diversity and Inclusive Excellence
• Building and Sustaining Community
• Financial Planning and Management

In this way, the year in review is the story of our campus community. Read on for the highlights of IU Northwest’s 2019.

By the Numbers

A look at IU Northwest by the numbers reveals a snapshot of its impact in Northwest Indiana.

• 5 schools and academic divisions
• 100+ online courses
• 70+ clubs and organizations
• 12 men’s and women’s varsity sports teams 
• 200,000+ service-learning hours
• 65+ academic programs
• 830 degrees granted in 2019
• 27,000+ alumni around the world

Bicentennial

The 2019-20 academic year kicked off IU’s much-anticipated Bicentennial Celebration. The yearlong, multi-campus observance of the University’s 200^th birthday on January 20, 2020, included several IU Northwest contributions.

In March, the educational conference “Exploring Partnerships for the Future,” examined the pressing concerns of the region, related to educational access and achievement and community-based partnerships as potential solutions.

In September, IU Northwest dedicated a historical marker for Tamarack Hall at the former site of the campus’s first building.

Of the 25 Bicentennial Professors selected to collectively represent every discipline of IU and make appearances across every Indiana county, IU Northwest is proud to have William Allegrezza as our Bicentennial Professor.

Campus facelifts and more

In total, IU Northwest made facilities improvements totaling more than $11.5 million in 2019. The most notable makeover was to the one-acre Anderson Library and Conference Center Plaza in the center of campus. The $1.25 million project created a more contemporary, and fully accessible, gathering space.

Other major improvements for 2019 included mechanical and interior renovations to the library, a new home for Academic Affairs after the demolition of Lindenwood Hall, and improvements to sidewalks, restrooms and some classrooms.

Research

Faculty members had their work published in scholarly journals, many of which included students listed as co-authors.

One highlight was the study published in the Journal of Veteran Studies. Three School of Business and Economics professors made the business case for hiring veterans, citing higher stock performance among military-friendly firms.

For the first time, IU Northwest planned a Celebration of Faculty Research as part of the IU’s statewide 200 Festival in September. While the inaugural showcase may have been a bicentennial event, it gets a place under the “research” heading in the 2019 Year in Review.

With so much incredible academic activity taking place on campus every day, an annual event was created to showcase faculty research and scholarship. The event showcased 14 individual projects in its first year.

Philanthropy

Friends of IU Northwest keep the campus growing and thriving. In 2019, IU Northwest thanked its philanthropists with a few signature events, including the Chancellor’s Medallion, and the Annual Scholarship Celebration.

Philanthropy Week is an annual event that rallies the support of the campus community and builds awareness about philanthropy and its impact on students. At this year's event, IU Northwest students, alumni, faculty and staff made over 250 gifts, wrote nearly 800 thank-you notes, and contributed more than $12,000 in support of IU Northwest. 

Also in 2019, the Department of Athletics received a $100,000 gift from Terry and Karen McMahon, earmarked for the establishment of a resource center where student-athletes can come together as a team. The room will be used by teams to host pre- and post-game press conferences and new student-athlete signing, and as a location to host prospective student-athletes for recruitment visits and pre-game events.

Campus Events and Major Milestones

The year 2019 was also the year that the campus and community commemorated 50 years of Black Studies at IU Northwest.

As the One Book … One Campus … One Community … reading initiative kicked off the 2019-20 academic year, the chosen book’s author, Hanif Abdurraqib packed the house with a book reading, Q&A and autograph session.

The same year, IU First Lady Laurie Burns McRobbie had headlined the previous year’s signature event, leading a panel discussion about Women and Power by Mary Beard.

IU Northwest' 12 varsity men's and women's sports teams spent 2019 competing in a new athletic conference, the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC).

Student Success

Success looks different for every student and includes a multitude of individualized experiences. Research, internships, student clubs and athletics, and opportunities to study abroad are just a few examples of the experiences that build success for students.

In 2019, four students traveled to Bilbao, Spain, and another four made their way to China.

Our favorite time of year is Commencement, when we celebrate our students and their individual success stories in grand fashion. In 2019, IU Northwest’s Office of Marketing and Communications showcased six students, a mere snapshot of the 830 that walked across the stage to collect their diplomas in May.

Programs / Innovation

With each passing year, IU Northwest continues to implement new programs and innovations that enhance an IU Northwest degree and the student experience. In 2019, IU Northwest added an undergraduate degree in neuroscience, as well as a master’s degree in computer information systems. Two new online degrees became available to IU Northwest students, thanks to partnerships between IU campuses who jointly administer undergraduate programs in business administration and criminal justice/public safety. Those interested in managing a sports facility can now enroll in a sports management certificate program.

Existing programs received top honors and accolades, too. The School of Nursing was named a best-value nursing school, according to Nursing Explorer, and the Health Information Management (HIM) program made it to the top of the 40 Best Bachelor’s Degrees in HIM, published by the Healthcare Administration Degree Programs educational website.

The Center for Urban and Regional Excellence announced Collaboratory, a new cloud-based software tool that curates community-based activities.

* This summary represents only some highlights from a prosperous 2019. It isn't possible to feature every moment, every milestone, every achievement, that has made 2019 such a great year for IU Northwest. If there is anything that our editors omitted in this summary, or that we should explore in 2020, please drop the marketing and communications team a line at marcom@iu.edu.