2025 in Review: What Stood Out

It’s that time of year when the aroma of pumpkin spice is all around us – in pies, lattes, and more.  It is also that time of year when we start to take stock of what happened and thinking about resolutions for the year ahead. 

And a lot happened this year – regulations, budget cuts, policy reviews, and more. Through all this, at IU Indianapolis, our people continued to stay focused on what really matters: the success of the students we serve. Our faculty continued to win accolades and applause. Here are some stories that we shared earlier this year but are worth sharing again.

To be ranked #7 worldwide and #5 in the US is no small feat. Professor Andrew Whitehead received this recognition as a sociology researcher. 

Diabetes is a silent killer and the work that our faculty does to reduce the risk of diabetes helps our communities live healthier and longer lives. Read about how IU Indianapolis faculty partnered with three Indianapolis neighborhoods to reduce diabetes risk, combining community-engaged research with measurable public health impact.

Our staff stayed focused on getting things done amidst all the changes – reorganization of offices, the sprint to Stellic, budget cuts – you continued to bring your best selves to work every day. I cannot tell you how much that means to all of us. 

It is hard to overestimate the work of our staff in the School of Social Work, who coordinate, along with faculty, nearly 500,000 hours of annual student service across Indiana, reinforcing IU Indianapolis’s commitment to supporting Hoosier communities.

And of course, our students showed up, worked hard, and stayed in school. Our first-year freshman retention rate rose by about 3% from Fall 2024 to Fall 2025. And their accomplishments extended beyond the classroom.

Through the Kelley Business Plus experience, Brie Dillman launched a startup that aims to help high school students navigate the complicated world of dual credits for students who complete college-level courses while in high school, wanting to transfer these credits and reduce their time and cost of college. In talking to Brie, it is clear that she is the type of student who uses her learning to build a business that solves a real-world problem and helps others like her.

And as we shared earlier this year, earning a degree in journalism is one thing – gaining real-world reporting experience at the Olympic Games is quite another.

As the world of higher education deals with challenges, let’s remind ourselves that at IU Indy, thanks to every one of you, our work continues relentlessly. The work you do matters; it makes a difference.  

Go Jags!

Latha Ramchand
Chancellor