Guiding Principles

In her first months in her new Bryan Hall office, Sharon Brehm has stood with the IU community and watched the shape of the world change. Wednesday, as she was formally installed as the new Bloomington chancellor, Brehm said the Sept. 11 attacks, though life-altering, have not changed the University's principles of education, but reaffirmed them.\nThe University plays an important role as "a living and enduring memorial of victims," Brehm said in a ceremony at the IU Auditorium, by preserving its tradition of academic freedom while teaching students to wholly participate in society.\nPerhaps the single most important lesson we have learned since Sept. 11, Brehm said, is that "we must accept, for better or for worse," a quotation from British poet John Donne:\n"No man is an island in and of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main."\nSince the attacks, Brehm said she has no doubts that perceptions among the entire University community have changed significantly.\n"We each experience the profound facts of life in our own unique and individual way," she said. "I doubt you would find a single college student in this country, or in the world, currently thinking only of how much money he or she will make after graduation." \nIU President Myles Brand introduced Brehm as a lively administrator whose "word is her bond."\nBrand said Brehm is passionately committed to academic excellence, and that she possesses a "remarkable energy."\n"Metaphorically speaking, Sharon is not just a long distance runner, but a long distance sprinter," he said. "I know she will dream new dreams and open new worlds of learning and discovery."\nDescribing herself as a student of the University, Brehm said she has studied up on IU by reaching out to every member of the campus community and reading Herman B Wells' book, "Being Lucky." \nIU Student Association President Jake Oakman said he was struck by Brehm's unwavering desire to work with students. The morning of Sept. 11, immediately following the terrorist attacks, Oakman said Brehm was on the phone, and by 1 p.m. had tracked down the whereabouts of IU students working in New York and Washington.\n"I can say with certainty she will carry on the great tradition of excellence," said Oakman, a senior. "Ohio's loss is Indiana's gain, and it is our pleasure to have her."\nBrehm emphasized three continuing goals for the University: academic excellence, diversity and partnership. Aided by a video sampling different viewpoints of individuals on campus, she addressed each of these topics.\n"Academic excellence is the hallmark of IU," Brehm said. "We live in very competitive times. No university can rest on its laurels."\nRobert Eno, president of the Bloomington Faculty Council, said many faculty knew that Brehm was right for the job the day Brand announced her appointment last spring. During that event, she was asked about her plans for IU.\n"We recognized a true colleague when she answered: 'Listen, listen, listen -- and to learn," Eno said.\nBrehm also announced the creation of a series of conversations with the chancellor, which will begin in January. Groups of individuals from around campus will be invited to these programs conducted by Brehm, and each will address a different large and basic question about life at IU. One example of these questions, Brehm said, is "What principles and values lie at the heart of this campus?"\nDiversity is one of those values, Brehm said, and it can only encourage and promote academic excellence. IU should strive to create a campus "free of prejudice and stereotypes," she said.\n"You can not learn what you already know," Brehm said.\nPartnerships, both on and off campus, will complement the ideals of excellence and diversity, she said, bringing new ideas and new opportunities to the University.\nThe range of possible partnerships is enormous, Brehm said, but it must involve continuing mutual responsibility and commitment.\n"Partnership isn't flirting, it requires commitment," she said.\nOne important partnership Brehm mentioned is with the community. Bloomington Mayor John Fernandez was one speaker who welcomed Brehm to IU.\nThe city of Bloomington has always had a good partnership with IU, Fernandez said.\n"I anticipate only good things for this community from this relationship," he said. "Optimism is high, and in my opinion, well founded."\nNo matter what happens in the world, Brehm said the University must continue to be proud of the "robust intellectual freedom of the Academy, especially during this time of great stress and anxiety.\n"Herman Wells would have expected us to rise to this occasion," Brehm said, "and I'm quite sure that we will"