Installation of IU East Chancellor

Speaking here in Richmond many years ago, IU’s 14th president John Ryan said that IU did not establish regional campuses simply as a matter of quantity—of more locations, more students, more programs—but as a matter of quality. He underscored that the regional campuses are a vitally important part of a larger whole… one with, in his words, “as many facets as there are needs…”

Today, IU’s regional campuses are home to talented and engaged students, excellent faculty and staff who are committed to helping students succeed, and comprehensive and robust academic programs. They are located on beautiful campuses and are home to state-of-the-art facilities for teaching and learning.

They play a major role in helping the state achieve its goal of substantially increasing the number of Indiana residents with college degrees and they serve the public good in their regions and the state and act as catalysts for economic and community development.

The entire university community—and indeed, the entire state—should take pride in our regional campuses and the impact they make in the Hoosier state. Nowhere is this impact more greatly felt than right here at IU East. 

During multiple visits to the campus, I have had the pleasure of meeting many outstanding IU East students, and have been so impressed by their excitement, enthusiasm, and passion for their studies.

And like those who have come before them, the vast majority of those students will stay in the area after they graduate, using their new skills and knowledge to contribute in countless ways to the civic, economic, and cultural life of east central Indiana. 

I have also had the pleasure of meeting faculty, staff, and community partners who have helped IU East grow further as a vibrant intellectual community that is a vital part of this community and the entire region. And, as they implement the IU 2030 Strategic Plan, IU East and the other regional campuses are poised to make an even more significant impact. 

IU East will foster student success by taking bold steps to improve retention and graduation rates. It will develop a more pervasive culture of research and creative activity. It will build on successful community initiatives to contribute to the region’s future economic prosperity.

Today, we officially welcome and install the man who will lead this change as the seventh chancellor of the Richmond campus—Dennis Rome.

Having begun his duties on July 1st of this year, Dennis may need no introduction to many of you.

He has spent much of his first four months on the job meeting people on campus and in the community, assessing the many strengths of IU East, and planning for the future.

He brings to IU East a proven track record of success in higher education that will ensure a bright and promising future for the campus.

I am also very pleased to note that joining Indiana University is something of a homecoming for Dennis. He previously taught on our Bloomington campus as an assistant and associate professor of African American and African Diaspora studies and as an associate professor of criminal justice.

While there, he received the prestigious Teaching Excellence Recognition Award three years in a row.

Like the countless individuals who have contributed to the growth of this campus, Chancellor Dennis Rome is building a future of continuing partnership between eastern Indiana and IU East.

For many decades, Indiana University has been engaged in Richmond to provide excellent teaching and scholarship for the benefit of students. 

Since 1971, East has led that charge, while at the same time partnering with countless individuals and institutions in the surrounding communities to enhance the quality of life in East Central Indiana and to contribute to the region’s educational, social, economic, and cultural development.

Under the leadership of Chancellor Dennis Rome, I am confident that the IU East campus—and the entire region—can look forward to even bigger, better, and brighter days ahead.

Congratulations to Dennis, his family, and the entire IU East community.