Gros Louis will leave behind legacy

Years ago, Ken Gros Louis laughed at the thought of taking a job at IU, a University he imagined was tucked somewhere between the cornfields, Quonset huts and football stadiums of the Midwest. But when the New Hampshire native visited the Bloomington campus for the first time, he was immediately attracted to the relaxed atmosphere. He felt at home. \n"IU was the only place I visited where the faculty was introduced to me by their first names and not by their titles," Gros Louis said. "And IU certainly is not a place that boasts. It was just very collegial and friendly." \nHe decided to come to IU for a few years to take on a joint appointment in comparative literature and English.\nThat was 41 years ago. \n"This is just a place that people become very attached to," Gros Louis said. \nSince 1968, Gros Louis has held a variety of positions at IU. He's been not only a professor, but dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and chair of the Department of English; then he served as vice president for academic affairs and chancellor of the Bloomington campus for 21 years. After nearly four decades of dedication to the University he decided to retire in 2001. But he didn't stay away for long. \nWhen Sharon Brehm stepped down from her \nchancellorship in December 2003, President Adam Herbert recommended that Gros Louis serve as interim chancellor and senior vice president for academic affairs until a new IUB chancellor was selected, a move the IU board of trustees approved.\nSo Gros Louis returned to his spacious office in Bryan Hall, with windows overlooking the Sample Gates, to assist the campus once again. \n"Ken Gros Louis was particularly valuable to Herbert, as a relatively new president coming from another state," said Trevor Brown, dean of the School of Journalism and chairman of the chancellor search committee. "Gros Louis grew up as an administrator under Herman B Wells. He was a bridge between the university we know and the university that IU's still in the process of becoming."\nGros Louis served under three university presidents aside from Herbert: John Ryan, Thomas Ehrlich and Myles Brand. Because of this, Brown said Gros Louis had a wealth of knowledge to offer Herbert on the inner workings of IU. \n"We were very fortunate that Ken Gros Louis agreed to come out of retirement to serve as interim chancellor and senior vice president of academic affairs," Herbert said. "His unfailingly wise counsel has proved to be an invaluable asset."\n \nWhat does an IU-Bloomington chancellor do? \nSome days start at 8 a.m. Others start at 10. While there's no set pattern to his schedule, Ken Gros Louis has a lot on his plate. He's not only Herbert's right-hand man, but the second-ranking officer at IU.\nHe's responsible for overseeing all the operations on the Bloomington campus as Chancellor of IU-B. The chancellors of IU's eight other campuses all report indirectly to Gros Louis. \nBecause Bloomington is the flagship institution, Gros Louis said his job as chancellor is different than other IU chancellors in that he's not expected to be as active in various clubs or boards in the community. But that doesn't mean he's not involved in the community. Nearly every night of the week he attends various events or presides over them.\nAll the while, he focuses his attention on promoting and sustaining academic excellence throughout the IU system as senior vice president for academic affairs on all campuses -- this means making sure the student experience is as good as it can be and that faculty have the resources they need to pursue their research.\n"It's a challenging job," Brown said. "But Ken Gros Louis has spent virtually all his professional life at IU. He has a close and passionate understanding of the Bloomington campus and of the larger system of IU."\nMaintaining that 'larger system' is another part of an IUB chancellor's job -- the promotion of diversity. Gros Louis said throughout his career he placed strong emphasis on increasing undergraduate minority enrollment. He helped institute the Hudson & Holland Scholars Program, aimed at bringing high-achieving students from underrepresented backgrounds to IU. Although he feels the climate of IU is much more diverse than it once was, he said there's still a long way to go. \nHe also helped develop the idea for the Wells Scholars Program, in which each year 18 to 20 incoming freshmen are awarded full-ride scholarships based on merit. Gros Louis has been involved in the creation of or funded the creation of programs he said were "too numerous to go through."\nAs for his successor, Gros Louis feels the ideal candidate is one who can offer Herbert a breadth of experience and who can free him up on academic issues. \n"I think the chief thing President Herbert is looking for is someone who has very strong academic credentials and experience," Gros Louis said. "I think he wants someone who understands and values both faculty governance and student involvement in campus governance."\nGros Louis said he doesn't mind sticking around until the next IU-B chancellor is named. After that, he plans to return to his retirement and spend time at his condo in Santa Barbara, Calif. He said he hopes, if anything, that through his years of dedication he's shaped the university the way it's shaped him.\n"I like to think people have seen my commitment to the institution and to them as individuals, and that I've set a kind of tone I think is unique about Bloomington," Gros Louis said. "The kind of tone that doesn't boast, that's not pompous and has a good sense of humor. A tone that's concerned, but not to the point of losing sight of he balance between doing one's work and living one's life."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Lindsay Lyon at By Lindsay Lyon\nIndiana Daily Student\nYears ago, Ken Gros Louis laughed at the thought of taking a job at IU, a University he imagined was tucked somewhere between the cornfields, Quonset huts and football stadiums of the Midwest. But when the New Hampshire native visited the Bloomington campus for the first time, he was immediately attracted to the relaxed atmosphere. He felt at home. \n"IU was the only place I visited where the faculty was introduced to me by their first names and not by their titles," Gros Louis said. "And IU certainly is not a place that boasts. It was just very collegial and friendly." \nHe decided to come to IU for a few years to take on a joint appointment in comparative literature and English.\nThat was 41 years ago. \n"This is just a place that people become very attached to," Gros Louis said. \nSince 1968, Gros Louis has held a variety of positions at IU. He's been not only a professor, but dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and chair of the Department of English; then he served as vice president for academic affairs and chancellor of the Bloomington campus for 21 years. After nearly four decades of dedication to the University he decided to retire in 2001. But he didn't stay away for long. \nWhen Sharon Brehm stepped down from her \nchancellorship in December 2003, President Adam Herbert recommended that Gros Louis serve as interim chancellor and senior vice president for academic affairs until a new IUB chancellor was selected, a move the IU board of trustees approved.\nSo Gros Louis returned to his spacious office in Bryan Hall, with windows overlooking the Sample Gates, to assist the campus once again. \n"Ken Gros Louis was particularly valuable to Herbert, as a relatively new president coming from another state," said Trevor Brown, dean of the School of Journalism and chairman of the chancellor search committee. "Gros Louis grew up as an administrator under Herman B Wells. He was a bridge between the university we know and the university that IU's still in the process of becoming."\nGros Louis served under three university presidents aside from Herbert: John Ryan, Thomas Ehrlich and Myles Brand. Because of this, Brown said Gros Louis had a wealth of knowledge to offer Herbert on the inner workings of IU. \n"We were very fortunate that Ken Gros Louis agreed to come out of retirement to serve as interim chancellor and senior vice president of academic affairs," Herbert said. "His unfailingly wise counsel has proved to be an invaluable asset."\n \nWhat does an IU-Bloomington chancellor do? \nSome days start at 8 a.m. Others start at 10. While there's no set pattern to his schedule, Ken Gros Louis has a lot on his plate. He's not only Herbert's right-hand man, but the second-ranking officer at IU.\nHe's responsible for overseeing all the operations on the Bloomington campus as Chancellor of IU-B. The chancellors of IU's eight other campuses all report indirectly to Gros Louis. \nBecause Bloomington is the flagship institution, Gros Louis said his job as chancellor is different than other IU chancellors in that he's not expected to be as active in various clubs or boards in the community. But that doesn't mean he's not involved in the community. Nearly every night of the week he attends various events or presides over them.\nAll the while, he focuses his attention on promoting and sustaining academic excellence throughout the IU system as senior vice president for academic affairs on all campuses -- this means making sure the student experience is as good as it can be and that faculty have the resources they need to pursue their research.\n"It's a challenging job," Brown said. "But Ken Gros Louis has spent virtually all his professional life at IU. He has a close and passionate understanding of the Bloomington campus and of the larger system of IU."\nMaintaining that 'larger system' is another part of an IUB chancellor's job -- the promotion of diversity. Gros Louis said throughout his career he placed strong emphasis on increasing undergraduate minority enrollment. He helped institute the Hudson & Holland Scholars Program, aimed at bringing high-achieving students from underrepresented backgrounds to IU. Although he feels the climate of IU is much more diverse than it once was, he said there's still a long way to go. \nHe also helped develop the idea for the Wells Scholars Program, in which each year 18 to 20 incoming freshmen are awarded full-ride scholarships based on merit. Gros Louis has been involved in the creation of or funded the creation of programs he said were "too numerous to go through."\nAs for his successor, Gros Louis feels the ideal candidate is one who can offer Herbert a breadth of experience and who can free him up on academic issues. \n"I think the chief thing President Herbert is looking for is someone who has very strong academic credentials and experience," Gros Louis said. "I think he wants someone who understands and values both faculty governance and student involvement in campus governance."\nGros Louis said he doesn't mind sticking around until the next IU-B chancellor is named. After that, he plans to return to his retirement and spend time at his condo in Santa Barbara, Calif. He said he hopes, if anything, that through his years of dedication he's shaped the university the way it's shaped him.\n"I like to think people have seen my commitment to the institution and to them as individuals, and that I've set a kind of tone I think is unique about Bloomington," Gros Louis said. "The kind of tone that doesn't boast, that's not pompous and has a good sense of humor. A tone that's concerned, but not to the point of losing sight of he balance between doing one's work and living one's life."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Lindsay Lyon at lrlyon@indiana.edu..