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Media Relations

Indiana University expands “Celebrate IU” festivities to entire month of October

Indiana University's first-ever "Celebrate IU Week" in 2007 was so successful, university officials will continue the new tradition this year with a monthlong tribute to all eight of IU's campuses.

Highlights of the October celebration will include IU President Michael McRobbie's State of the University address (Oct. 14); Homecoming (Oct. 17-25); the music of Hoagy Carmichael, for whom a bronze statue was dedicated recently at IU Bloomington; performances of La Traviata that mark IU Opera Theater's 60th anniversary season and its 400th performance; groundbreakings; dedications and even a student video contest on YouTube.

"Last year, it was a way to encapsulate the inauguration process by taking a week and filling it with very special events," said Debbie Sibbitt, from the IU Office of Public Affairs and Government relations.

"This year, we wanted to continue with Celebrate IU and shine a light on all of our campuses by expanding it to a whole month," she said.

This year's Celebrate IU events include:

• Groundbreaking of the Glick Eye Institute (IUPUI)
• Dedications of the new Optometry Eye Care Center (IU Bloomington); the Connie and Dan Dickey Alumni Fountain at the 10th annual Mastodon Roast (IPFW); and the first-ever on-campus housing at IU Southeast
• Performances of "Ballets of Our Time" from IU Ballet Theater; Dead Man Walking, from IU Theatre and Drama; and The Singing Hoosiers (IU East)

• The annual Whitewater Valley Art Competition and "Writing on the Wall" Democracy Graffiti Project (IU East); Fertile Densities-Harold Zisla Scholarship Art Show (IU South Bend); the School of Fine Arts Gallery's HUB Phase II, where gallery pieces are moved into truck beds (IU Bloomington); Herbert Ascherman Jr. photos at the Kinsey Institute (IU Bloomington)
• First-ever Latino Alumni Weekend (IU Bloomington); "The Race for the White House" lecture (IU South Bend)
• Annual IU vs. Purdue Blood Donor Challenge; Habitat for Humanity fund-raiser (IU and Purdue alumni associations in Indianapolis); the "Nearly Naked Mile Run" in which students and alumni remove excess articles of clothing as they run across campus. Clothes are donated to a local social service agency; Jill Behrman 5K fundraiser (IU Bloomington.

This year's Homecoming week will also include a spirit day where students "caught" wearing IU garb will win random prizes.

"We want students, faculty and alumni from all of our campuses to participate," said Sibbitt. "Our hope is to build on this and for campuses to say 'let's save that event for Celebrate IU month, because it's so special.'"

For more information about Celebrate IU month and campus-specific events, see http://celebrate.iu.edu/index.php.

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