Fast Facts
One of the recipients of honorary degrees at May commencement ceremonies at Indiana University was sculptor Don Gummer, who received the honorary doctor of humane letters degree. An Indianapolis Ben Davis High School graduate and a Herron School of Art and Design student from 1964-1966, Gummer's works, Southern Circle and Reunion stand at Meridian Street Plaza and on the IUPUI campus, respectively. His wife, actress Meryl Streep, and two of their daughters attended the May 10 commencement at IUPUI at which the sculptor was honored.
Since 1998, IU's agreements with Microsoft have provided exceptional value to the institution with nearly $200 million in software use by the IU community.
The IU Alumni Association Scholars program, now in its 15th year, has awarded 28 scholarships for the coming academic year valued at $1,000. Each recipient is the son or daughter of an IUAA member. Including this year's scholarships, the IUAA Scholars program has awarded 254 $1,000 scholarships in 15 years. In its history, the IUAA has awarded more than $4 million in scholarships to IU students. One scholarship is designated for a qualifying applicant from each of IU's eight campuses, and the remaining awards are given on an at-large basis. Scholarships are granted based on academic achievement and financial need. The IUAA Scholars program is supported by fees collected from the sale of IU's collegiate license plate. Available to all Indiana residents, plates can be purchased from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. For ordering information: http://alumni.indiana.edu/services/license.
The IU Alumni Association serves the university and its diverse alumni, students and friends. As one of the nation's largest alumni organizations, serving approximately 520,000 graduates worldwide, the IUAA provides many programs and services to its members, non-member alumni and the university. http://www.alumni.indiana.edu
Seven specialty programs at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis ranked among the top 30 children's hospitals in the nation, including urology which ranked third, in U.S. News Media Group's 2009 edition of America's Best Children's Hospitals and featured in the August issue of U.S. News and World Report, available on newsstands starting July 21. The Riley Hospital specialty programs recognized by U.S. News and World Report and their numerical rankings are: Urology-3rd; Diabetes and Endocrine Disorders-12th; Neonatal Care-14th; Respiratory Disorders-14th; Digestive Disorders-18th; Neurology and Neurosurgery-27th; Orthopedics-29th. The issue is published online: http://www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals.
A study conducted by the IU Center for Health Policy and Professionalism at the IU School of Medicine and published last year in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that 59 percent of physicians would support government legislation for National Health Insurance, a much more radical type of reform than that proposed by the Obama administration. Only 32 percent of physicians opposed national health insurance, according to the study.
