A legend leaves

When Herman B Wells built the IU Auditorium, the venue was the largest of its kind west of the Alleghenies.\nYet Wells wasn't thinking of how to finance construction, of how the building would bolster the thriving School of Music. His thoughts centered on what he considered created the university community: the students. \nHe wanted to bring world-renowned performers to a sleepy town in the Indiana foothills. He wanted to pique students' interests in theatre, in opera and classical music. In short, he told colleague Ken Gros Louis, he wanted to bring the world to Indiana University. \nIt's a lesson that's stuck with Gros Louis as he ascended the University ranks to assume the office of Chancellor, a position he's relinquishing now, at 65. And though twenty-two years have passed -- twenty-two years of forging partnerships, of interacting with students and faculty, of progress and compromise -- the legacy of Herman B Wells continues to influence Gros Louis with each decision he faces. \n"What was unique about Herman Wells was his ability to understand that everyone at the University contributed to its success," Gros Louis said. "He was as friendly with janitors and food service people as he was with the most senior faculty."\nSuch personal interaction defined what Gros Louis termed Wells' "breadth of humanity." During his tenure as president and chancellor, Wells established a network of professional and personal relationships dedicated to making IU seem smaller and more accessible -- a goal to which Gros Louis claims he committed himself during his years as chancellor.\nOn his "Welcome to Bloomington" Web site, Gros Louis alludes to the University's serene atmosphere, to the pristine treasures he claims "make this place feel like college ought to feel." Yet neither the Musical Arts Center nor the Lilly Library, neither the Mathers Museum nor the Art Museum, truly define IU as a community, he said.\nRather, it's the tremendous rapport between students and faculty; it's the free exchange of ideas and opportunity for dialogue between great minds. This relationship, Gros Louis maintains, fosters the feeling of a smaller, more accessible learning community.\n"Public universities in America are one of the wonders of the western world in that they aspire to be accessible to all who want to learn about themselves and the world in which they live," Gros Louis said. "We are not a trade school and I don't think anyone coming here should put at the top of his or her list thinking about the job they'll get after graduation. While that's important, our hope at the top of the list is finding out as much as they can about themselves and the world."\nHe said he feels IU should be accessible to any student in the state of Indiana wishing to attend, and expressed concern as to whether IU's financial policies will be able to compensate for tuition increases. \nGros Louis came to IU in 1963 as an assistant professor of English and Comparative Literature. Shortly thereafter, in 1965, he was "sucked into" administration with his appointment as associate chair of Comparative Literature. In 1970, he assumed the position of associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and from 1973 to 1978 her served as chair of the English department.\nIn 1978, Gros Louis was appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He became chancellor in 1980, a position he held until this year.\nFormer trustee Ray Richardson said Gros Louis's impact on the University is best expressed in the accreditation review by the North Central Association this year, in which Gros Louis is described as "what personally holds the University together."\nProfessor of Psychology and Bloomington Faculty Council president James Sherman described Gros Louis as "witty, efficient and humane."\nSherman worked with Gros Louis extensively this year through the Faculty Council. He said Gros Louis shares the values of Herman B Wells and has added his own touch in very tangible ways.\n"What distinguishes IU from other public universities is the fact that IU affords love and attachment," Sherman said. "A large part of the reason for this is the history and traditions of IU. Both Herman and Ken were absolutely committed first and foremost to the main mission of the University -- its academic mission."\nGros Louis upheld these traditions, Sherman said, by living them. By simultaneously focusing on the past and future of the University, Gros Louis expressed his understanding of the need to preserve conventions while maintaining progress.\n"He also brought us all together because we all knew that he always had the well-being of IU at heart," Sherman said. "We could trust that all his decisions and judgments were geared toward maintaining and improving the academic quality of the University."\nGros Louis has also bridged innumerable gaps between faculty, students and administrators during his time on campus, said Sherman. Above all, Sherman claimed, Gros Louis was a "faculty member at heart."\nThat commitment, said professor of journalism and associate director of the Wells Scholars Program Charlene Brown, allowed Gros Louis to connect to members of the IU community at every level. Students, faculty and administrators thought of him as a friend foremost, Brown said.\nYet when students begin flooding campus this fall, Gros Louis won't be watching the leaves change from his usual position before his office window. He said he plans to spend the coming year "not too much in sight" traveling with his wife. Once successor Sharon Brehm has settled in, Gros Louis will return once again to his passion: teaching.\nThat passion has served as an inspiration for scores of faculty members, including Brown herself.\n"I love his love of his field -- literature, especially poetry," she said. "Although he prepares carefully for every event and responsibility, writes his speeches months in advance, he can recite a cherished poem spontaneously for the moment at hand. How wonderful to care so much about one's field -- and to be able and willing to share that passion."\nDistinguished Professor of English and Wells Scholars Program director Scott Sanders said commitment to educating eager minds established strong bonds of trust between administrators, faculty and students. Throughout his years as chancellor, Sanders said, Gros Louis never lost his original zeal for teaching.\n"He has exemplified fidelity to place and purpose in a time when many people find it hard to believe in institutions," Sanders concluded. "And he has done all of this with rare generosity and good spirits."\nBut one might suggest Gros Louis is remembered most for his compassion.\nSherman cited the chancellor's support for improved staff salaries and his fight to preserve academic freedom as several such examples.\nSanders spoke to the similarities between Wells and Gros Louis as well, citing the two men's range of intellectual interests, rapport with faculty and "wizardry as administrators and absolute integrity." \nSanders deemed Gros Louis the "benign grandfather" of the Wells Scholars Program, of which Sanders is director. Gros Louis was present throughout each stage of development of the prestigious program, which awards full tuition, room and board and study abroad to motivated, incoming scholars each year.\nThe proposal was met initially by skepticism from both Wells himself and an assortment of faculty members, Sanders said. But he credits Gros Louis with assuaging those apprehensions.\nGros Louis also appointed the program's first director, Professor of German Studies Breon Mitchell, and teaches seminars for senior Wells Scholars.\nWells and Gros Louis share what Brown terms a "genuine, personal interest in and commitment to the well being of each member of the IU community; an appreciation of the importance of education in a democracy; a delightful wit; an inclination to laugh at themselves; and a commitment to excellence, which they encouraged and cherished." This dedication, Brown claims, markedly enriched the overall university environment. \nAs he turns the final pages of an illustrious administrative career, Gros Louis will pause to think, to consider. He'll reflect on moments of triumph. His thoughts will pause as he thinks upon the scores of successful IU graduates scattered across the globe. He'll think of the classes of Wells Scholars he welcomed to campus year after year as they began their careers as IU students.\nYet time and again, he'll think of the small things, of the encounters seemingly insignificant to a neutral bystander. Those one-on-one relationships and experiences, he says, have made his twenty-two years rewarding.\n"Every time I was able to help someone or get to know someone a little better or have someone thank me for whatever I might have done for them confirmed that I had made the right career choice," he said. "As I have said on other occasions, it's almost embarrassing to have been paid for doing something that was so enjoyable"