During the course of the IUPUI 50th Anniversary, students, faculty, staff, and the community are working together to think big, be bold, and get creative in planning the celebration of this magnificent milestone. The planning teams outlined below are broadly inclusive with each group having specific goals and responsibilities to make our golden anniversary one that the IUPUI community will never forget.
The IUPUI 50th Anniversary school and unit liaisons are helping the stories and histories of our campus come to life by working to promote a sense of unified IUPUI pride, showcasing our successes and touting a bright future for our campus. They advocate and facilitate communication within schools and units to encourage participation in IUPUI 50th Anniversary activities by faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, and other key stakeholders. Additionally, liaisons serve as the principal contacts in each school or unit concerning all matters pertaining to IUPUI’s 50th Anniversary.
The 50th Anniversary Coordinating Committee oversees implementation of the Steering Committee’s recommendations, provides advice and guidance regarding plans for the anniversary, and sets the stage for IUPUI’s participation in IU’s Bicentennial. Committee members are appointed through the end of 2019 and include chairs of each of the working groups.
The 50th Anniversary Working Groups, or implementation committees, are charged with planning and executing specific activities throughout the anniversary year. Chairs of these committees coordinate and collaborate with one another as well as work with an executive team that includes Christine Fitzpatrick, anniversary director; Margie Smith-Simmons, anniversary project manager; and staff from the Office of Planning and Institutional Improvement to make each one of these golden anniversary activities shine.
An existing committee convened in support of IUPUI’s 50th Anniversary and IU’s Bicentennial, the History Committee leads efforts to chronicle, document and explore IUPUI’s history—both positive aspects as well as more difficult periods. Members include:
The Communication Committee will plan and oversee communication to audiences about IUPUI’s 50th Anniversary using a variety of media and creative approaches. The committee will develop and implement an overarching communication and marketing strategy for the anniversary, including key messages; the anniversary website; visual and multimedia elements; and tactics and tools for coordinating school, unit, or campus communications along with a master communications calendar. Members include:
The Events Committee will host or sponsor events and partner with community organizations for various IUPUI 50th Anniversary celebrations. Together with campus and community partners, the committee will also catalog, coordinate, and promote campus, school, unit, alumni, and community events, including anniversary signature events. With the History Committee and the Communication Committee, the Events Committee will create and coordinate a master calendar of events and a speaker’s bureau for IUPUI 50th Anniversary functions. Members include:
The Advancement and Legacy Projects Committee will plan and implement development and fundraising strategies for IUPUI’s 50th Anniversary in order to make or leverage specific investments and leave lasting impressions as a result of our campus anniversary celebration. This committee will identify and develop high priority legacy projects, including physical improvements and enhancements, public art, and displays and installations that commemorate the IUPUI 50th Anniversary and IU Bicentennial and that contribute to IUPUI’s legacy to future generations. Members include:
The Engagement and Recognition Committee will identify and make recommendations to engage, honor, and recognize people and groups who have been important to the campus’s past, who make noteworthy contributions presently, and who will define and represent IUPUI’s legacy in the next 50 years and counting. The group will also develop and coordinate recognition and engagement strategies for a wide-ranging set of stakeholders. Members include:
A 50th Anniversary Steering Committee was appointed in September 2016 to fully engage the IUPUI community, including alumni, retired faculty and staff, and community partners, in setting goals for our anniversary year. Its work concluded by December 2016 with the completion of its recommendations report. The Steering Committee included members from all over the IUPUI and Indianapolis communities, including IUPUI representatives to the IU Bicentennial Planning Steering Committee, to align these milestone anniversaries.
