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Myles Brand President of Indiana University |
Speaking at the first Foundation Day in 1889, School of Law Dean David
Banta talked about the legislation that led to the founding of what is now
Indiana University.
"This law is more remarkable for what it does not contain than for what it does ...It left the future almost entirely to the wisdom of the trustees. The duties it imposed upon them...were to select a site, sell a section of land and erect suitable buildings. Not a word in it about a school. "And yet, I believe it was the very best law the legislature could have framed at the time," said Banta. Foundation Day has since become Founders Day, a name that more accurately reflects the purposes of the occasion. On that day, we pause to remember those pioneers who relied on their own vision and common sense to create an enduring institution of higher education. The founders began with a wooded site in Bloomington, then a town of "three hundred souls," according to Banta, and created a great university which now extends throughout the state. Each year, IU welcomes students who, in their own way, go through a similar process. The university is already here, of course. But when new students arrive, they, too, are making a fresh start. They face what may seem to be a bewildering array of possibilities and make the choices-with the help of counselors, faculty, staff members and fellow students-that are right for them. There will be false starts and detours along the way; that is always part of charting a new course. While each story of a successful IU education is unique, most share one thing in common. There are those special faculty members who turn what might have been a routine class into an awakening. Suddenly, the right educational pathways became so much clearer. Each year on Founders Day, we recognize some of those faculty members who have changed students' lives, and some of the outstanding students that our faculty members have inspired, and have been inspired by. In 180 years, Indiana University's premise hasn't changed that much. IU is still all about finding an opportunity and taking full advantage of it. That's why it is good for us to celebrate the past, even as we shape the future. E-mail President Brand at pres@indiana.edu
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