Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Standley's Commencement address tells USI's "magnificent story"
Standley managed the identity transition in 1985 of a regional campus into a separate public university known as the University of Southern Indiana, created two Advancement departments and managed five, and directed the first capital campaign, which surpassed its goal by eight million dollars. Few are as well-qualified to tell the University's story. Standley "marched through the history of USI for more than three decades," she said during the 2008 Commencement address, printed below in its entirety. "It is an honor to address the members of the Class of 2008, their esteemed faculty, their family and friends in the audience, and these distinguished guests among the platform party, whom I treasure as dear friends. Today, I want to tell the graduates a magnificent story. It is a story that I hope will remind you of many things you learned at the University of Southern Indiana. It combines history and humanity, political science, economics, psychology, sociology, and even drama. It is the story of how a handful of ordinary, but motivated, citizens founded and built one of the finest universities in the state, at a time when people said it could not be done. It is the story of the history of the University from which you graduate today. To understand the poignancy of this story, we must go back in time to the late ’50s and early ’60s, when social and financial circumstances were much different from today. Soldiers returning from World War II and the Korean War had been given new opportunities through the GI Bill, which helped them pay for college. For many of these soldiers, it was the only ticket to a college degree. The influx of these men and women into postsecondary institutions broadened the role of colleges beyond serving just the top 25 percent of high school graduates. It also allowed people of modest financial circumstances to know they could aspire to and achieve a college education. Society began to see the economic value of educating people beyond high school. In southwestern Indiana, there was no public postsecondary entity. And the region was facing serious economic issues. A few civic-minded leaders proposed the establishment of a public university in Evansville, the state’s third most populous city. Little did they know that there existed a gentlemen’s agreement in Indiana, between public and private institutions, that public institutions would not enter communities where a private institution existed, for fear of damaging the role of the private institution. You see, in the early ’60s, at least among colleges, economics was not yet about expanding markets, it was still about protecting the existing base. But these intrepid community leaders, and I want to name a few, were not to be deterred. They pulled out the big guns. On an invitation from D. Mead Johnson, chairman of the Mead Johnson Company before it was acquired by Bristol Myers, they brought the presidents of Indiana University and Purdue University to Evansville, and made an impassioned case for a public campus here. They were optimistic that their show of support and reasonable request would get results. But they were rebuffed. They next attempted to pass legislation mandating IU and Purdue to establish a campus in Evansville, but even after the legislation passed, there was no movement on the part of the state’s flagship institutions. Then, Frank McDonald, Sr., mayor of Evansville, began to court Indiana State University in Terre Haute. Really, under the cover of darkness, he drove to Terre Haute in the evenings, meeting quietly with the ISU president and other officials until they had a deal sealed. They made an announcement that Indiana State University would establish a branch campus in Evansville, and started classes in September 1965. A news story from that time reported that ISU officials were overwhelmed by the response to their hastily organized registration – 412 students in the first semester. An extension was born, and although its beginnings were not auspicious, there was a spirit that prevailed, sustained, and gave flight to this fledging operation. The community, feeding on its hard-won success, knew it had work to do to make its ultimate dream come true. A University here needed a proper home. A nonprofit organization, Southern Indiana Higher Education, Inc. launched a community fund drive and raised nearly a million dollars in less than a year. Think of this achievement in the context of time – the year was 1966 – and assembled a 1,400-acre tract of land they called the “Mid America University Center,” today the home of USI. This group was led by a gentleman named Joe O’Daniel, a prominent automobile dealer who had been forced, at an early age, to forego his own formal education to provide for his family in the post-Depression years. What Joe O’Daniel lacked in a diploma or a degree, he more than made up for in the extraordinary degree of enthusiasm, creativity, and charisma he so freely used to ensure higher education opportunities for generations of students he would never see. The support of people like Joe O’Daniel and Frank McDonald – yes, these are the same gentlemen whose names adorn campus buildings – was unflagging. They also organized the USI Foundation, to receive charitable gifts on behalf of the University, and I know some of you in the graduating class today have enjoyed the scholarships the USI Foundation provides – now nearly a million dollars a year in direct support of USI students. The first 20 years of the campus’ existence was focused on building the curriculum, recruiting talented professors, obtaining funding for instructional space, and creating a community of students and scholars who would work together toward excellence on all levels. The time was coming for the extension to graduate to a University. Converting an extension to a separate state university is not something that can easily be accomplished. It was clear that a collaborative and collective effort was needed to sway public and legislative approval. The power of the press was indisputable in the success of this push for independence. During the ’70s, my own husband, then a reporter for the Evansville Courier, logged many legislative hours and pounded out hundreds of stories about the young institution and its need for autonomy. In the early ’80s, after a series of disappointing decisions about programs and facilities needed for the campus, the movement for independence began to take on serious steam. Another journalist, Judy Clabes, editor of the Sunday Evansville Courier and Press, dared to push – in print – the Governor, Evansville native Robert D. Orr, to lend his name and significant influence to the cause. To make short a very long story about a 20-year struggle, it worked. In 1985, thanks to Governor Orr, dedicated legislators, and spirited community leaders, the University of Southern Indiana was established in the place of the former Indiana State University Evansville, and a board of trustees, dedicated to the full development of postsecondary opportunities, was appointed. This visionary board undertook ambitious initiatives that have set USI apart from other institutions. Governor Orr called this University’s transformation “magnificent.” I think it was his proudest achievement. So why would I choose the history of the University as the basis for my message today? One obvious reason, it is the subject I know the most about, having marched through the history of USI for more than three decades. It’s a pretty easy subject for me. But there are better reasons than that. Allow me just a moment to connect the threads. The founders and the perpetuators of the University of Southern Indiana, including David Rice and Ray Hoops, the two brilliant presidents who have led this institution, have many things in common. From the early years to today, these people – community volunteers, presidents, officers, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends, were focused on the one objective: to create a public institution of excellence that would serve the unserved, that would enhance the educational and cultural spheres of our communities, and that would influence economic well being in southwestern Indiana and the Tri-state. They have accomplished these objectives, and more. The University of Southern Indiana stands as a model for other institutions in the strength of its academic programs and its dedication to teaching and learning. Its adherence to the goal of accessibility, financial and otherwise, has propelled the southwestern Indiana region to a higher level of postsecondary attainment than the rest of the state. This region is now alive with artistic, theatrical, and cultural opportunities. The people of USI – students, faculty and staff – have brought a rich cultural diversity to the region. And we can look at commerce, health care, and public service to learn that the economy here has been energized by the intellectual infusion of the University’s faculty and its graduates, on whom these thriving organizations and businesses depend for talent, research, and problem solving. The University’s founders and perpetuators had a purpose, they had a plan, they had passion, and they had persistence. With this combination, many things are possible. Things some people might think are improbable or impossible. Even ordinary people, when they have an extraordinary idea to benefit society, can achieve the improbable. Please remember this as you leave this Commencement today. To focus on a purpose or a plan, you must know your values, just as this institution has known itself and been true to its values. Perhaps you learned those values from the humanities classes you took, or from your families, or from your search to find a satisfying life. And once you have those values in focus, you can apply them to your purpose and devise a plan. Then you must apply the passion, boldly and persistently, keeping in mind that you are doing the right thing. Sometimes you may have to confront authority if it stands in the way of doing right. I think it was Alan Alda who said that in the face of obstacles, you must be steadfast, have faith, and be patient. But not too patient. The trick, I guess, is in sensing the balance and being able to advocate the need for justice, fairness, and equity. That’s how the USI founders and perpetuators brought the University to its present standing. I tell people that what has happened here has been magical, and it has, but the magic is not mysterious. The magic has been the perpetuation of that early prevailing spirit by citizen volunteers, people just like you who chose to do something important for their community. I hope this story makes you even more proud of your University of Southern Indiana diploma. The founders who never knew your generation would be enormously proud of you today, and proud of what this institution has become, but trust me, they would want more, for you and for this institution. If you continue your relationship with your alma mater, as we invite you to do, you can help perpetuate their dreams, for universities are among the most enduring of institutions in society. My wish for you is that you leave the University today prepared to use your education and talents as fully as possible, not just for yourself, but for humanity, for social good, for those generations of people who will follow you – those you will not know. Think about what good you can do, and act on it. And finally, I hope that you have, in your soul, the ability to care deeply about good and civility in society, and that you are able to live wisely, something your professors strive to inculcate in each and every student. Good luck and God speed!" |
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