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News Release

Last modified: Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Fast facts about Indiana University for media covering NCAA tourney games in Atlanta

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2012

Editors: In advance of Friday's game between Indiana University and the University of Kentucky in the men's NCAA basketball tournament, we thought you might be interested in some behind-the-scenes facts about the Hoosiers. If you have any questions or need to reach anyone at Indiana University, contact Mark Land at 812-856-1172 or mdland@iu.edu.

• There are many ties between IU and the state of Georgia. IU alumnus Hoagy Carmichael, composer of such American pop standards as "Star Dust," co-wrote the official song of the Peach State, "Georgia on My Mind." About 5,900 IU graduates live in the Atlanta metro area, including about 800 active members in its alumni chapter. Atlanta-area alumni include Walt Bellamy, an Olympian and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame; Leroy Keith, former president of Morehouse College; and Cheryl Bachelder, CEO and president of AFC Enterprises, the Atlanta-based owner of Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen (she previously was president and chief concept officer of Louisville-based Yum Brands). Several alumni work at CNN, including Pulitzer Prize winner James Polk, Sherri Sylvester and Mallory Simon. IU's last Final Four appearance was in Atlanta in 2002.
• Indiana University -- with 110,000 students at eight campuses in the state and more than 550,000 living alumni worldwide -- was founded at Bloomington, Ind., in 1820. IU has the largest alumni base of any school in this year's NCAA tourney. It is the oldest public university west of the Allegheny Mountains. Enrollment this spring at IU Bloomington set a new record at 40,479 students, who are taught by 1,356 full-time faculty members.
• IU Bloomington's 1,937-acre campus in the rolling hills of southern Indiana is considered one of the five most beautiful campuses in the nation, as cited in Thomas Gaines' book, "The Campus as a Work of Art."
• The IU Bloomington campus has 19 libraries, including the Herman B Wells Main Library, named for the university's most beloved former president. The libraries house several of the nation's top research collections and specialized libraries, such as the Archives of Traditional Music, and the Archives of African American Music and Culture.
• The university's rare-books collection, the Lilly Library, has holdings totaling about 400,000 books, 100,000 pieces of sheet music and many culturally important items such the Gutenberg Bible and annotated production scripts for "Laugh In," "Star Trek," "Mission Impossible" and other television shows.
• National rankings are not new for the IU basketball team or for many of IU's academic programs. U.S. News and World Report recently ranked its School of Public and Environmental Affairs as the No. 2 graduate program overall in the country, ahead of Harvard, Princeton and other major universities. Its Kelley School of Business, Jacobs School of Music, Maurer School of Law and departments in its College of Arts and Sciences also are renowned and have been recognized by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, U.S. News and other national publications.
• In 2011, a record number of 10 IU Bloomington faculty members became Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world's largest general scientific society. The 10 new Fellows represent the largest group selected from IU since 2001, when five Fellows were named, and brings the total number of AAAS Fellows at IU to 66.
• IU alumni are contributors in communities where its NCAA opponents also are making an impact. Kevin Smith, former master distiller for Maker's Mark bourbon, is director of bourbon distillery operations at Beam Global Spirits & Wine in Kentucky. IU's Honors College is named for the late Edward L. Hutton, who was chairman of Cincinnati companies Chemed Corp. and Omnicare Inc. Faculty member Alexander Kerr is the concertmaster for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and previously held a similar position at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Carolyn Washburn is editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Faculty member Arthur Fagen is music director of the Atlanta Opera. Marc Pritchard is global marketing and brand building officer of Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble. And Elizabeth Acton is executive vice president of Dallas-based Comerica Bank.
• Other well-known IU Bloomington alumni include Suzanne Collins, author of the "Hunger Games" books; Meg Cabot, author of "The Princess Diaries"; Ryan Murphy, the creator of the popular television programs "Glee" and "Nip/Tuck"; Michael Higgins, president of Ireland; Sage Steele, ESPN sports anchor; Mark Cuban, a successful business magnate and owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks; and Will Shortz, crossword puzzle editor for The New York Times.
• They also include Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia; journalists Tavis Smiley, Anthony DeCurtis and Jane Pauley; actors Kevin Kline and Sarah Clarke; and Grammy winners Booker T. Jones and Joshua Bell.
• IU alumni who have distinguished themselves on the basketball court and in other sports include Isiah Thomas, the Final Four MVP when IU won the championship in 1981 and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame; Keith Smart, who made the basket to win the 1987 NCAA championship team and today is coach of the Sacramento Kings; Mark Spitz, an Olympic gold medalist in 1968 and 1972; and Trent Green, former quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs.

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