Despite celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, USI is far from over the hill.
With a profuse history already in the books, it’s easy for people to forget just how young the university actually is.
Fiftieth anniversaries and 50th birthday parties are often used to acknowledge the excessive longevity of something – to show how ‘old’ something is. In USI’s case, it’s the exact opposite.
What the university has achieved in its first 50 years is pretty remarkable.
Fifty years ago, USI was a regional branch of Indiana State University housed in a former elementary school known as the Centennial School with only 412 students enrolled.
Two years later, the university moved its campus to the 330 acres of land it sits on today.
In 1985, Governor Robert Orr granted the university independence and ISUE became USI.
Today, it’s described as “the newest and fastest-growing comprehensive state university in Indiana.”
Just before it’s 50th year, the university rebranded itself. It raised its standards.
During its 50th year, the university ends construction on its state of the art $17.2 million Teaching Theatre, and begins construction on its new multimillion dollar conference center. This semester, enrollment applications are up.
While the first 50 years are prodigious, the next 50 years are what will truly define our legacy as an institution.
It’s not a secret that the university has a negative reputation among some students both on campus and still in high school – at least among the high schools in my area of Indianapolis. But with the abundance of billboards that are seemingly ‘taking over’ Indy, the university is obviously trying to change that.
People who hold that mindset are wrong.
The university shouldn’t be brushed off and met simply with, “It sucks,” when asked why.
The university doesn’t actually suck – it’s learning to walk.
Despite turning 50 this year, USI is more like a baby than a fully-grown adult counting down the years to retirement.
President David Rice played a massive role in giving life to the university. President H. Ray Hoops taught it to stand, and president Linda Bennett is teaching it how to walk.
Many have been quick to criticize the university for its decreasing enrollment and retention numbers in recent years.
Some have pointed to academic numbers – such as the percentage of students not passing mathematics courses – and have deemed the university a “failure.”
But it’s how the university handles these numbers, and how they turn them around in the next 50 years, that will truly define USI.
Despite being the “fastest growing” state university in Indiana, I don’t believe USI has run out of steam yet.
The university turns 50 this year, and it’s a lot of pressure going forward from here.
All eyes are on us now.
And we’re just getting started.