Dr. Brehm, see the good on campus

Dear Dr. Brehm, \nThis series of open letters to you, our incoming chancellor, is almost over. Or, at least, the semester is almost over, and it's time to wrap things up. Sentimentality is hiding around every corner in Ballantine Hall, the Musical Arts Center and even the creepy stacks of the Main Library. \nYou can't let vague sentimentality infect the opinion page, but specific sentimentality is another thing.\nDr. Brehm, I'm afraid my articles have been pretty negative. That's only because, as you approach your job, on the other side of your desk there will be hundreds of people who want to build a better University. People who will want you to engage in the kind of earth-moving changes that are associated with words such as "renewal" and "renaissance."\nThis kind of exciting urgency is just what you need if you're serious about leaving IU a better place than when you found it. But Madame Chancellor, I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't mention some of the glorious specifics that amount to the best of Indiana University. \nThe nitty-gritty good\nAs I said, let's avoid vague sentimentality. We're not going to get anywhere by quoting statistics or student-to-faculty ratios. Let me tell you about the nitty-gritty good stuff. There's Ed Maxedon, the education curator of the IU Art Museum. I met Ed in the docenting class offered by the Museum every semester. His passion for art in general, and for our museum in particular, is inspiring. I recommend you take a tour with him, because he is a walking catalogue of the collection, and he'll make you laugh. Ed's commitment to the museum, and to serving the University community, is a tremendous example for the rest of us. \nSo too is Austin Caswell. He's a professor emeritus of music who teaches two of the Honors College's foundation courses in the great books. But he gets treated more like a rock star than a musicologist. Friendly recommendations for his class burn like grass fires through the residence halls, and past students like to re-discover Austin with a visit to his current crop of thinkers. A typical Caswell class has the students sitting on the orange carpet in Forest 238, pitted in an epic academic battle, alive with passion for ideas that are centuries old but have the immediacy that a great teacher can inspire. Professor Caswell is adamant that all he does is teach people to read, write and talk about great writing. Definitely stop by for a visit, Dr. Brehm. \nAnother often-overlooked spot on a highlights tour of IU is the office of the Individualized Major Program. This jewel of the College of Arts and Sciences gives independent-minded students a chance to craft their own education. If you'll just walk into the office, you'll be sure to sense the energy and excitement that bubbles from everyone involved in the IMP. Sit down and chat with Professor Ray Hedin and Rima Merriman, and you'll meet people who have invested themselves in countless students. These two leaders of the IMP have held the door open for innovative and dynamic young people, and you'll learn a lot from them about how to encourage excellence. \nSpeaking of innovation and dynamism, you cannot miss out on a visit to Collins Living-Learning Center. This residence hall is also a unit of the College of Arts and Sciences, and for more than 25 years has been offering students a place to celebrate the synergy of ideas and action. Collins is an experimental setting that encourages students to really live their University experience. I beg you, Dr. Brehm, eat a meal in Edmondson Dining Hall in Collins. The magic atmosphere in the dining hall will introduce you to passionate students who can help you realize the potential of this University.\nYou know, Dr. Brehm, it's a lot harder to write a column like this, that celebrates instead of criticizes. After all, it's a fact that grousing columns grab more readers. \nThe bigger challenge is that there just isn't enough room to take note of all the good things going on here. Space simply won't allow me to tell you about the nascent academic community that English majors are calling "The English Muffins"; or Abhijit Basu's class "The Geology of Sculptor's Material"; or the Honors College, or Helen Walsh, or Lewis Miller. Or all the other people whom you must meet to understand this big, beautiful behemoth of academic splendor that's hiding behind impersonal statistics, tight-fisted legislative funding and the tiresome media-athletic complex.\nWelcome to Indiana University, Dr. Brehm. We're excited to show you around.