Former med school dean, IUPUI chancellor dies

Glenn Irwin Jr., former IU-Purdue Indianapolis chancellor and IU School of Medicine dean, died last Thursday at the age of 92.

Irwin, who became IUPUI chancellor in 1973, expanded the programs and facilities available at IUPUI, according to a press release, including the beginning of IU Hospital, a teaching hospital in Indianapolis.

“Dr. Irwin was a true pioneer,” School of Medicine Dean Craig Brater said in the release. “He was at the ground floor of the development of the current IUSM and IUPUI campus. He was one of only nine deans of a medical school that is over 100 years old and the most senior of those still living.”

Irwin graduated from the School of Medicine in 1944 and joined the faculty in 1950.
During Irwin’s deanship, the School of Medicine created the “Indiana Plan,” which among other things allowed medical education to be taught in collaboration with IU science faculty at universities across Indiana, according to a press release.

The plan aimed to “create a medical school without walls,” according to the press release.

“Glenn was an extraordinary person who led the School of Medicine and IUPUI with exceptional grace and effectiveness,” former IUPUI Chancellor Gerald Bepko said in the release.

“His leadership created a culture of achievement which was built on integrity, commitment, the pursuit of excellence and focus on the most important long-term goals.”

— Kirsten Clark