Indiana University, founded in 1820 as the Indiana State Seminary and renamed the Indiana College in 1846, is a nine-campus university system in the state of Indiana.
As of fall 2009, the number of students at Indiana University is 107,160; many of these students study at the main Bloomington campus (42,347 students) and at IUPUI (30,383 students).
According to the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), the value of the Indiana University endowment ranks 11th in the nation among public universities at over $1.2 billion. Upstate rival Purdue University ranked 9th at over $1.4 billion.
History
IUP was conceived as Indiana Normal School, first chartered in 1871 by Indiana County investors. The school was created under the Normal School Act, which passed the Pennsylvania General Assembly on 20 May 1857. Normal schools established under the act were to be private corporations in no way dependent upon the state treasury. They were to be "state" normal schools only in the sense of being officially recognized by the commonwealth.
The school opened its doors in 1875 following the mold of the French Ecole Normale. It enrolled just 225 students. All normal school events were held within a single building which also contained a laboratory school for model teaching. Control and ownership of the institution passed to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1920. In 1927, by authority of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, it became State Teachers College at Indiana, Pa., with the right to grant degrees. As its mission expanded, the name was changed again in 1959 to Indiana State College. In 1965, the institution achieved university status and became Indiana University of Pennsylvania, or IUP.
IUP maintains a total enrollment of over 14,000 undergraduate and graduate students making it the largest school in the system and the only one elevated to doctoral granting status in PaSSHE's enabling legislation Pennsylvania Act 188 of 1982. Today IUP is classified as a Carnegie Doctoral/Research-Intensive university and is accredited by Middle States Association of Colleges and Universities, NCATE, and AACSB.
Campus
IUP's main campus is a mix of old and new red brick structures. Its original building, a Victorian structure named John Sutton Hall once housed the entire school. Today Sutton Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at the heart of campus—there was a fight to preserve it in 1974 when the administration scheduled it for demolition. Ironically, today it houses many administrative offices and reception areas. Breezedale Alumni Center is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Victorian mansion was once home to a Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice.
The Oak Grove looking towards Stapleton Library during summer.
The campus boasts a planetarium, University Museum, black box theater, recently renovated Hadley Union Building (HUB), extensive music library, and a newly remodeled Cogswell Hall for the university's music community. Stapleton Library boasts 900,000-plus bound volumes and over 2 million microform units. At the heart of campus is the Oak Grove. Many alumni recall this spot because of its centrality and the many events that occur there. In January 2000 former President Lawrence K. Pettit established a board to create the Allegheny Arboretum at IUP. This group works to furnish the Oak Grove with flora native to the region. The university also operates an Academy of Culinary Arts in Punxsutawney and a police academy at its main campus.
The university's Student Cooperative Association also owns College Lodge several miles from campus. It provides skiing, biking, hiking, and disc golfing opportunities. Boat access is also made available through the Cooperative Association.
Current president: Tony Atwater announced an initiative to demolish many of the 1970 era dormitories on campus. Demolition began during summer 2006 and facilities are being replaced with residence halls that are more modern. Construction is ongoing with at least seven new dormitories completed for the fall 2009 semester. Two more suite style buildings are currently being constructed. These suite style rooms are similar to those being built at other universities in PaSSHE.