"Five of the best years of my life were spent in Bloomington. I have a master's degree and Ph.D. from the extraordinary university that is the heartbeat of that beloved community. IU subsequently bestowed upon me two distinguished alumni awards. The university presented its first Bicentennial Medal to Indiana governor Eric Holcomb in July 2019; that same month, I became the second recipient."
"Since graduating with my doctorate 23 years ago, I have returned to campus to deliver several lectures and keynote speeches, including the 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Address. My favorite trip back was in 2011 to celebrate my fraternity's centennial. Ten visionary Black male students founded Kappa Alpha Psi there, a brotherhood that now has more than 150,000 members. I am proud to be one of them."
"Tons of people showed up to tailgate outside our stadium on Saturday mornings before home games. I was often one of them. Those gatherings were probably just as fun there as they were at schools that had won Power 4 conference titles and national championships. But there was one embarrassing feature of our pregame tailgates: Few people actually went inside Memorial Stadium for games. When I say "few," I mean at least two-thirds of stadium seats were empty."
Indiana Hoosiers defeated the Miami Hurricanes 27-21 to win the university's first NCAA Division I college football national championship. The victory brings deep pride and long-sought validation for students, alumni, employees and the Bloomington community. I spent five years in Bloomington, earned master's and doctoral degrees, received distinguished alumni honors and the Bicentennial Medal in July 2019. Since graduating 23 years ago, I returned for lectures and keynotes, including the 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Address, and attended a fraternity centennial in 2011. Tailgating memories show spirited parking-lot gatherings while at least two-thirds of Memorial Stadium seats often remained empty, creating embarrassment and a sense of disrespect toward student-athletes.
Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs
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