IU President Michael McRobbie announced in August of this year that he will be retiring in June 2021. His 14 year-long reign as president will come to an end after the Bicentennial but his leadership will continue in the midst of the pandemic.

Under his leadership, IU has had many developments and expansions including an increase in size and diversity of its student body as well as the construction of renovation of over 100 new facilities across all campuses.

In an email to all IU students, staff, and faculty announcing his planned retirement, he stated “I am immensely proud of all that has been accomplished over the period I have been president… But all these accomplishments — and many more — are not a one-person show. They are the collective product of the hard and unremitting work of IU’s outstanding senior leaders, the strong support of superb faculty who have embraced change, engaged and talented students who have and will continue to go on to become leaders in their chosen fields, and exceptional staff whose professionalism and dedication have been the linchpin of so many of our successes.”

While McRobbie will be missed and his shoes hard to fill, the search for a new University President has begun. The IU Board of Trustees has convened a presidential search advisory committee to help recruit a new leader but is requesting some input from the community.

In a series of virtual town halls, IU students, staff, faculty, and members of the public can weigh in on what qualities they want to see in the new president. The first webinar began on October 22nd and will continue until the advisory committee submits its report to the search committee by Nov. 13.

Taren Porter, a junior at IU was just one of the many people who participated in the webinar. “To select a president who, when solving issues and working towards goals, tries to avoid an insular mindset when it comes to things that aren’t super sensitive. We could really be more inclusive of students and staff and the community when working towards those goals and solving those problems.”

In order to illicit the most feedback during these webinars, the advisory committee is asking three questions:

1. What major challenges and opportunities will the next president inherit?
2. What type of person will be best prepared to address the challenges and explore opportunities in terms of leadership style, experience, financial acumen, views, etc.?
3. What highlights can the search committee and advisory committee share with candidates unfamiliar with IU and Indiana.

Students that spoke up in the webinars seemed to all agree on some main qualities they wanted in the next president: diversity, inclusivity, and someone who is student-centered.

The IU Board of Trustees hopes to have a new leader in place by June of 2021.