Being Lucky: Reminiscences and Reflections

11. The Private Sector: Indiana University Foundation [Contains Image Plates]

[II] 000 The Private Sector: Indiana University Foundation A T THE TIM E of Indiana University's centennial in 1920, a fund-raising effort was planned to provide for three badly needed structures that would also serve as a memorial to the sons and daughters of Indiana University who had lost their lives in World War I and commemorate those who had served in earlier wars. A centennial is a logical time for fund raising. The goals selected were for a Student Union Building, a stadium, and a building for women's housing and activities. In August, 1921, William A. Alexander, an alumnus who had been serving as dean of men at Swarthmore, was brought back to Indiana to head the Memorial Fund campaign and was named university librarian to dignify his leadership of fund-raising activities . Under his direction a mighty campaign was organized. A team that included President and Mrs. Bryan and several student leaders journeyed with Alexander to Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and Cleveland, speaking to alumni groups on behalf of the campaign.1 A tremendous effort was made also to arouse the student body and the faculty, and as a consequence a substantial amount of money was pledged by these two bodies. In fact, the student campaign and the faculty campaign were responsible for most of the money raised, since, although in many individual instances alumni were generous, as a whole they were not oriented to supporting their alma mater. Edward Von Tress, who became alumni secretary in August, 1923, 1. The "Flying Squadron" included five students: Noble Butler, John S. Hastings , James S. Adams, Elisabeth Johnston, and Helen Coblentz. The Private Sector: Indiana University Foundation 165 traveled throughout the West and the South on behalf of the campaign ; President Bryan carried it to our alumni in the East. Sufficient funds were raised to furnish financing for the first unit of the Union Building, for the Memorial Stadium-now called the Tenth Street Stadium-and for Memorial Hall, the first building of the Wells Quadrangle complex; however, the campaign in large part demonstrated that the university's fund-raising mechanisms were woefully inadequate and that the natural constituency of the university, composed of its alumni and friends, was ill-informed about the university 'S needs and the importance of individual giving. In the course of the Memorial Fund campaign, the fund-raising activities of Indiana University were inevitably compared with those of the other Big Ten institutions and their equivalents throughout the country, usually to Indiana University's disfavor. Then the recession of the late 1920S and the deepening of that recession in the 1930S increased the university's financial problems, and the discussion of ways and means to stimulate alumni contributions to the university and to raise additional money to aid the institution grew lengthier and ever more insistent. Gradually some interested alumni began to perceive that only with outside funds could the peaks of excellence so desired and essential to the university's overall distinction be attained. Discussions and debates continued through the late 1920S and throughout the early 1930s. Certain alumni were especially interested in this subject, principally John Hastings of Washington , Indiana, and Uz McMurtrie of Indianapolis. They worked closely with George "Dixie" Heighway, the successor to Ed Von Tress as alumni secretary, and among them they kept alive the debate and discussion on the fund-raising issue. The early success of the James Whitcomb Riley Association served as a pattern and spur to their direction. The growing interest culminated in the decision to incorporate a nonprofit foundation affiliated with, but independent of, the university. The express purposes of the Indiana University Foundation were to stimulate alumni and other friends of education to make gifts and bequests to aid Indiana University over a broad field: to finance research, to subsidize publications, to establish scholarships and fellowships, to hold patents2 and other property, and in general to aid the university in any undertaking 2. The Crest toothpaste patent is a later example of this advantageous provision . 166 THE PRESIDENCY for which funds were not otherwise available. The purposes of the Foundation were thus limited solely to the support and enhancement of Indiana University. They remain so today. The foundation concept, as we know it, took form in the early years of this century through the humanitarian impulses of such pioneers as Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller. It was in...