IU’s alumni network of over 805,000 living members spans 165 countries, making it the single largest living alumni community in the country. With such an impressive network, it is no wonder that many alumni have achieved remarkable success. Here are just five of IU’s most distinguished alumni:
Mark Cuban
After graduating from IU’s Kelley School of Business in 1981, Mark Cuban established himself as a successful multidisciplinary entrepreneur. Cuban first made billions by co-founding the internet radio company Broadcast.com, which he later sold to Yahoo! for over $5.7 billion.
Cuban purchased the National Basketball Association’s Dallas Mavericks in 2000 and helped the team win their first NBA championship in 2011. Cuban has been credited with directly contributing to the team's success by revamping its working conditions and using data analytics to assess team strategy.
You might know Cuban best for his role in the hit show “Shark Tank,” in which he and other entrepreneurs decide whether to invest in start-up companies. Cuban’s tech-focused outlook and emphasis on the long-term goals of each company have made him a bold but successful investor.
Cuban has donated millions toward IU academics and athletics. He also funds the Mark Cuban Center for Sports Media and Technology at IU. He has made several large donations to other student media organizations, such as the Indiana Daily Student.
Suzanne Collins
Best known for her book series “The Hunger Games,” Suzanne Collins graduated from IU in 1985, where she double majored in theater and telecommunications and became heavily involved in campus radio and theater.
Collins first wrote for the children’s television show “Hi Honey, I’m Home” and was a novelist for a series of children’s fantasy books called “The Underland Chronicles.” She later transitioned to more intense themes present in her series “The Hunger Games,” where Collins was inspired by her father’s involvement in the Vietnam War.
Michael Uslan
During Michael Uslan’s time at IU, he first received a Bachelor of Arts in History in 1973. After that, he received a Master of Science in Urban Education in 1975, and a Juris Doctor in Law the following year. He also created and taught the first accredited college course on comic books at IU.
After purchasing and securing the film rights to the “Batman” franchise in 1979, Uslan developed a darker interpretation of the classic story of Batman. His version takes a more serious and gritty approach to the character than its previous campy renditions. Under Uslan’s stewardship, Batman has become an established superhero and a serious franchise with name value rivaled by few.
Since 1989, Uslan has worked as the executive producer for over 50 Batman-related films. As a current IU Media School professor of practice, Uslan teaches students about the business of filmmaking through classes like “The Business of Producing Motion Pictures.”
I attended the Student Cinema Guild's Oct. 6 event where Uslan answered film-related questions and, as someone majoring in cinematic arts, hearing his thoughts on the reality of the film industry was insightful and interesting.
Jamie Hyneman
Hyneman graduated from IU in 1981 with a degree in Russian language and linguistics. With an oddly diverse job background as a boat captain, animal wrangler and special effects technician, his ability to create props and movie robots landed him a position as co-host in the Discovery Channel series “MythBusters.”
In “MythBusters,” Hyneman acted as the calm partner to Adam Savage, allowing them to use his workshop to safely test out myths. For example, the duo tested if eating poppy seeds before a drug test could result in a false positive or whether an escape from Alcatraz with a makeshift raincoat raft was really possible.
“MythBusters” was essential in shaping my childhood interest in science, so I was surprised to find out that the co-host of one of my favorite shows as a kid happened to be an IU student just like me.
Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Wales is best known for co-founding the digital encyclopedia Wikipedia, a nonprofit platform that allows users to access a wide range of information for free.
He left the University of Alabama before receiving his doctoral degree and instead pursued a doctoral degree in Finance at IU. He later worked as a finance instructor during his time in the doctoral program. Wales then left IU to become a financial trader in Chicago.
After working as a trader for Chicago Options Associates, Wales began his journey with internet entrepreneurship. He now serves as Chair Emeritus for the Wikimedia Foundation and speaks about the complicated use of AI, as well as other issues concerning the digital future.
IU’s alumni network includes many influential people in various fields, many of whom, such as Mark Cuban and Michael Uslan, have used their growth and economic stability to provide academic resources and classes to IU students. But to me, the most inspiring aspect of the IU alumni network is how its vastness creates a community of support and involvement for every Hoosier.
This story was originally published in the Indiana Daily Student's 2026 Orienter.
