My earliest memory of Indiana University was attending an IU men’s basketball game in the Fieldhouse with my family at age 9.  My brother was a senior at IU at that time and insisted we see this player named George McGinnis.  I still recall the excitement I felt watching ‘Big George’ and the electricity in that arena.  This very early experience fueled my passion for IU.

By joining the IU Board of Trustees, elected by the alumni from all campuses, I will instill that passion as the alumni’s resource and voice.  My platform will focus on the following initiatives:

1)  ELEVATING THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE: My most important focus would be making the student’s experience beneficial and relevant in both academic and extracurricular activities.  This includes:

• Providing the student a top tier level faculty who will challenge and mentor students and ask them to “think outside the box”.  In Michael Wilkerson’s 2017 tribute to Chancellor Ken Gros Louis, he stated, “Like Wells [Herman B Wells], Ken hired first-rate faculty and administrators and proudly turned them loose to do their job in their own way”.  This is just one example in which academic freedom for faculty is so important.

• Advocating student and alumni involvement in decision making.  As a current member of the John Whittenberger Society (alumni advisory board for the Indiana Memorial Union and its student organization Union Board), I contribute to a group that advocates for students, alumni, and staff to have input in decision-making.  Our emphasis has been on student involvement, which has led to student participation in the search committees for the current Vice Provost for Student Life and the Associate Vice Provost for Involvement and Belonging. This is an example in which shared governance can produce positive results.

• Supporting the IU Media School and its student-run Indiana Daily Student (IDS).  The Media School and IDS help students become journalists who make public schools and their decision makers more accountable and transparent.  I recognized this positive effect while on the Center Grove School Board when a reporter from the local newspaper would attend meetings and ask direct and pertinent questions of the Board. This experience made me a better school board member.

2)  FULFILLING THE NEED FOR PHYSICIAN REPRESENTATION ON THE IU BOARD OF TRUSTEES:

• According to the IU School of Medicine, researchers at IUSM were awarded $243 million from the National Institute of Health (NIH) in 2023. This placed IUSM #13 in NIH funding among all public medical schools. If elected, I can offer my medical perspective on the recent proposed cuts in NIH funding due to federal cutbacks.

• IU School of Medicine (IUSM) is the largest medical school in the country and is located at 9 campuses. The Schools of Dentistry, Nursing, and Health & Human Sciences are also important and relevant to the state and its citizens.  These schools’ influence underscore the importance of having a physician on the Board.

3)  IMPROVING IU’S BRAND AND RANKING:

• According to the 2025 US News & World Report “Best Colleges” ranking, IU is #34 overall in public universities and #73 in national universities. IU’s ranking among Big Ten public schools is 13th out of the 16 Big Ten public universities.  We can do better. Let’s find the root cause of this ranking.

• Recent events and decisions have negatively impacted the IU Brand.  These have included but are not limited to the following:

  • The Dunn Meadow demonstration and its images on April 25, 2024

  • Two separate votes of no confidence by IU faculty regarding the IU President

  • The lack of transparency, adequate debate, and accountability by the Board of Trustees in the IU president’s reappointment process on February 20, 2025

  We need to reverse these troubling trends.

In conclusion, I understand that my responsibilities as a Board member arise exclusively from my participation with other members of the governing board when it is officially convened. My personality encourages listening more than talking, building a consensus, and being open to hearing different points of view.  However, if elected, it is also my fiduciary responsibility to advocate for what’s best for Indiana University and its students, faculty, staff and alumni.  I will not hesitate to vote my conscience, even if it’s counter to the majority of the Board or IU administration’s agenda.