The Student Building will be renamed to honor Frances Morgan Swain, IU’s ninth first lady, according to a Sept. 7 Inside IU article.
A ceremony at 4 p.m. Sept. 23 will officially rename the building to the Frances Morgan Swain Student Building.
As first lady, Swain lobbied IU’s trustees for a space on campus for female students. She attended IU from 1889 to 1891.
Swain first proposed the idea of a women’s building in 1901. The building was later renamed the Student Building and was officially dedicated in 1906.
While Swain’s husband, Joseph Swain, was president, he hired the University’s first dean of women. The position was used to create spaces, resources and facilities for women on campus, according to the article.
“This naming will contribute to helping us honor her spirit and memory as we educate the next generation of great leaders and work to expand recognition of the women who helped create the IU we know and love,” IU President Michael McRobbie said in the article.
The renaming is among other tributes planned to increase public recognition of women and underrepresented individuals who shaped IU’s past.
These events and initiatives will lead up to IU’s bicentennial year in 2020.
First lady Laurie Burns McRobbie, Provost Lauren Robel, Vice Provost for Student Affairs Lori Reesor and IU Student Association President Sara Zaheer will speak at the Sept. 23 renaming event.
“We are proud to honor Frances Morgan Swain by making her contributions to IU-Bloomington more visible for the young women and men who call this campus home,” Robel said in the article.
Laurel Demkovich
