Indiana University Northwest, and higher education institutions nationwide, are embarking upon an unprecedented time—one that will bring out our resilience, our versatility, and our strengths in ways they never have before.

This is the unique environment that greeted Ken Iwama, the new chancellor of IU Northwest, who succeeded William J. Lowe.

In just the first few days of his arrival on campus, he met with first-year medical students and witnessed them recite their physician’s oath, and stopped by the Urban League of Northwest Indiana.

And even before his official start on August 1, Iwama was already meeting with faculty, staff and other key campus players. He admits that all of this early activity isn’t typical for incoming chancellors. The pandemic presented Iwama with a unique opportunity to set him up for early success.

“In normal times,” he said, “I would have physically visited IU Northwest a few occasions prior to my official start as chancellor, to meet with faculty, staff and students and get oriented with the campus. But because the campus was already immersed with conducting meetings remotely, I gained the opportunity to engage extensively with all constituents."

Iwama estimated he participated in well over 100 meetings by the time he arrived, allowing him to immediately roll up his sleeves and set to work without skipping a beat.

Already at home

Iwama, a Jersey Shore native, comes to IU Northwest from Staten Island in New York, where he headed economic development, continuing studies and government relations for the City University of New York.

He feels at home in the Gary area, he says, which bears many similarities to his suburban life in Staten Island.

“The more I explored, the more similarities I found,” he said. “When I saw Lake Michigan,” Iwama says, “I felt like I was looking at the Atlantic Ocean on a calm day.”

The similarities are more than geographic. His K-12 background, and the job of navigating partnerships and resources in order to best serve students, is a reality he is familiar with.

“New York’s struggling schools share similarities with Gary’s challenges,” he said, “so I am well-versed in helping communities tap their resources, respond to challenges, and integrate students into higher education.”

Getting to work

Chancellor Iwama said that what drew him to IU Northwest was its academic excellence, its vision, and its possibilities.

“I am impressed with the intellectual capacity of IU Northwest,” Iwama said, “and when you add in the campus’s robust history of community engagement, there are incredible possibilities, thanks to the foundation established by Dr. Lowe, and the students, faculty and staff. I look forward to taking that core academic energy and further integrating it with the community.”

Iwama acknowledged that as the academic year gets underway, the transition will be unlike any other year, for anyone, ever.

“Collectively, everyone has done a remarkable job in preparing for the fall semester," Iwama said. "Not only are measures in place to protect the health of our campus community, we are also exceptionally prepared for the virtual classroom, hybrid, and in-person learning. IU Northwest is truly a place where students can change their lives, and I'm so excited to see what we can achieve together in the coming year."