IU will celebrate its 200th anniversary Jan. 20, 2020. That means the 2019-20 academic year is the bicentennial year, and festivities start in the fall.
“The IU Bicentennial is an opportunity to reflect on Indiana University’s first 200 years, and to envision all that it will become in its next century,” IU president Michael McRobbie said in a statement.
The Indiana General Assembly founded IU as the Indiana Seminary on Jan. 20, 1820. The school became Indiana College in 1828 and was renamed Indiana University in 1838.
IU created an Office of the Bicentennial to organize Bicentennial events and projects. In addition to faculty, the office has 105 paid student interns researching topics important to IU’s history.
The Bicentennial celebration will officially begin with a weekend of programing Sept. 26. The 200 Festival is scheduled to include an opening ceremony, outdoor street festival, higher education symposium and several other campus-wide events.
The Office of the Bicentennial also sponsors conferences and has several signature projects including a campus beautification program and history and legacy programs.
