When first arriving at Indiana University, you will hear a lot of names that you don’t know, especially regarding IU administration. Names and roles will be thrown around as if they are common knowledge, and you might begin to feel overwhelmed.
Fear not, because while there are a great number of IU administrators, some are more important for you to know than others. Here’s a list of some of the most important people in the administration.
The Board of Trustees
The trustees are the legal owners and final authority of the university. Each trustee traditionally serves a three-year term, except for the student trustee, who serves for one year. Trustees cannot serve more than three terms.
There are nine members of IU’s Board of Trustees, and they meet four times a year to discuss new university-wide policies. The members are selected by the Indiana governor, following a state budget last year which resulted in the removal of the board’s three alumni-elected members.
President Pamela Whitten
Whitten has held this job since July 2021, the first woman to do so in IU's history. She oversees all nine campuses and sits on the boards of IU Health and the IU Foundation. Her base salary is $1 million, after a February raise.
She helped create IU Indianapolis after its separation from Purdue University in Indianapolis.
Whitten works directly with the trustees.
IUB Chancellor David Reingold
Reingold is IU Bloomington’s first chancellor since 2006. Whitten hired Reingold in early 2025 from Purdue University.
Reingold oversees finance and administration, student life, community engagement, campus research, creative activities and enrollment management, in addition to the Office of the Provost. Reingold functionally serves as the head of the flagship location, only underneath Whitten and the Board of Trustees.
Interim Provost John Ciorciari
Ciorciari became interim provost in February 2026 after the sudden departure of previous Provost Rahul Shrivastav.
Ciociari’s role as provost includes serving as chief academic officer for IU Bloomington and leading academic operations, faculty affairs, ensuring compliance with university policies and overseeing strategic planning.
There are a number of other high-ranking administrators at IU, but these four are the most important for you to know.
This story was originally published in the Indiana Daily Student's 2026 Orienter.
