Indiana University

Skip to:

  1. Search
  2. Breadcrumb Navigation
  3. Content
  4. Browse by Topic
  5. Services & Resources
  6. Additional Resources
  7. Multimedia News

Media Contacts

Larry MacIntyre
University Communications
lmacinty@indiana.edu
812-856-1172

Last modified: Thursday, July 1, 2010

McRobbie welcomes new members to IU Board of Trustees

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2010

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie today welcomed the selection of three new members and the reappointment of a fourth to the IU Board of Trustees.

Gov. Mitch Daniels announced today that he was appointing to the board Bruce Cole, a former Indiana University faculty member and former chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and William "Bill" Strong, vice chairman of Morgan Stanley, the global financial services firm. Daniels also announced the reappointment of Derica Rice, an executive vice president of Eli Lilly & Co.

IU graduates on Wednesday elected MaryEllen Bishop, a Carmel, Ind., attorney, to the position of alumni trustee.

"Our three new trustees will bring a wealth of talent and experience to this board," said IU President Michael A. McRobbie. "I am especially pleased that Gov. Daniels sought out trustees with expertise and accomplishments in both the academic and professional worlds. They are clearly well qualified to play key roles in helping Indiana University move forward and achieve our goals."

Cole and Strong replace Stephen L. Ferguson, of Bloomington, and Jack Gill, of Houston, Texas, who did not seek reappointment. Bishop succeeds Sue H. Talbot, also of Bloomington, who did not seek re-election by alumni.

Cole, a distinguished scholar of Renaissance art, is the first IU faculty member to be appointed to the Board of Trustees in modern times. A resident of the District of Columbia, he is president and chief executive officer of the American Revolution Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging the public in the history and significance of the American Revolution and its enduring legacy.

William Strong

William Strong

Print-Quality Photo

He was appointed by President George W. Bush and unanimously approved by the U.S Senate in September 2001 to be the eighth chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Cole went to the NEH from IU Bloomington, where he was Distinguished Professor of art history and professor of comparative literature. In 2008, McRobbie presented him with the President's Medal for "excellence in service, achievement and teaching." Cole attended Case Western Reserve University, earned his master's degree from Oberlin College and his doctorate in 1969 from Bryn Mawr College.

Strong, of Chicago, organized and led an economic mission to Iraq in 2008, where he conferred with leading Iraqi and U.S. officials about approaches to accelerate investments by Western companies. Strong was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2006 to the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Military Academy. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Newseum Inc. and a life trustee of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He is a graduate of Purdue University and earned an MBA from Northwestern University.

Rice, of Carmel, was appointed to the IU Board of Trustees by Daniels in 2007. He is executive vice president, global services and chief financial officer for Eli Lilly and Co. and also serves as a member of the company's policy and strategy committee and operations committee. He earned his undergraduate degree from Kettering University and an MBA from Indiana University. Rice is a member of the board of directors of Clarian Health North, the Center for Leadership Development, Target Corp. and the board of governors of the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Ferguson steps down from the board after having served as an IU trustee since 1998; he was appointed to the position by three different governors. Talbot has served on the board since 2001. Gill served on the board since 2007.