Indiana University Welcomes Its Seventeenth President

International News December 2003 Indiana University Welcomes Its Seventeenth President n August 1, Adam W. education, with particular emphasis Herbert began his tenure as on issues that affect low-income and O the seventeenth president of minority communities. John Ryan Indiana University. A strong advo- President Emeritus , cate of widely accessible public who has known Herbert since 1969 higher education, he has been a long- when they worked together in the time leader in the Florida higher American Society for Public Admin- education system, most recently as istration, said his leadership qualities Regents Professor and founding were impressive even then, and that executive director of the Florida Herbert would bring to IU “the per- Center for Public Policy and Leader- sonality, the experience, and the ship at the University of North qualities we want.” Interim President Gerald L. Bepko Florida, where he had earlier served characterized as its president from 1989 to 1998. Herbert as a “charismatic and From 1998 to 2001, Herbert was the friendly” leader who would attract sixth chancellor of the State Univer- and inspire people and who under- sity System of Florida, the nation’s stood how to lead a complex organization like IU. second-largest university system. He Adam W. Herbert has extensive government service In his acceptance remarks, experience at both the national and Herbert said that he “affirms the state levels and has served in a lead- reality that our most important diversity should also be reflected in ership capacity for a number of mission is the education of students the curriculum. While a liberal edu- national organizations, associations, and that learning occurs not only in cation necessarily includes knowledge and commissions. the classroom, but also through stu- of one’s own culture and history, all In a career that has spanned dent involvement in all aspects of students must be afforded the oppor- more than 34 years, Herbert has held university life, including research, tunity to learn about the many other academic appointments in political international experiences, and inter- cultures and traditions in our great science and public administration collegiate athletics.” Part of that world house. Only by widening our at, among others, the University of mission includes promoting knowl- circle of compassion and cultivating North Florida; Florida International edge of other diverse cultures and a our moral imagination do we create University, where he was dean of the respect for diversity. In a recent a climate where people of diverse School of Public Affairs and Services address made in September at a backgrounds are respected and and vice president for academic reception on diversity, Herbert appreciated—not just tolerated.” Patrick O’Meara affairs; the University of Southern emphasized that “The substance of , dean of the California; and Howard University. Office of International Programs, is At IU Bloomington, he holds appoint- looking forward to working with ments as professor of public admin- President Herbert. “Successive pres- istration in the School of Public and idents have played formative roles in Environmental Affairs and professor fostering international research and of political science in the College of activities at Indiana University and Arts and Sciences. His current I’m delighted that this has been so research focuses on the politics of strongly affirmed by President higher education and on the policy, Herbert,” he said. political, and administrative chal- –RMN lenges of enhancing public education Adam Herbert and Patrick O’Meara from pre-kindergarten through higher 1 International News December 2003 IU Art Museum Opens Photography Exhibition on Japan’s Ancient Capital ctober 3 marked the opening (AUN) in Canberra, the capital of by a special pro- of a special exhibition (see Australia, where he was involved gram of events O cover) at the Indiana with AUN’s many linkages with that featured University Art Museum (IUAM) that Japanese organizations and institu- a welcome by features stunning photographs of tions. Because of his connections, he Adelheid Gealt, one of Japan’s most fabled cities. was asked to chair the inaugural director of IUAM; Nara, Japan’s Ancient Capital: Canberra–Nara Sister City Program an address by Photographs of Taikichi Irie rep- Committee. Though he had visited McRobbie that resents a very small portion of the Japan many times before, it was included the work of an award-winning artist only through the sister city program importance of who spent his life (1907–1992) pho- that he made his first visit to that funding artistic tographing his native city and its city. “I was dazzled by Nara,” says knowledge and environs through all the seasons. McRobbie. “It is in my view the vision; remarks Before his death in 1992, Irie most beautiful city in Japan and is and wishes from bequeathed his archive of some one of the great cultural centers of Nara municipality 80,000 photographs to the city the world.” Nara has one of the brought by and helped establish the Nara City largest collections in one place of Kenichiro Museum of Photography to display sites that are listed as World Heritage Maeda, general them. His unique artistic vision, sites. According to McRobbie, 25 manager of the crafted over more than a half-century, structures are designated as “national General Affairs documents the historic, cultural, and treasures,” 53 as “important cultural Department, Calligraphy by religious monuments and architec- properties,” and 14 are wooden struc- and by Yasui Kenji ture of Nara, a city that has been tures more than 1,200 years old. Hiroyuki evolving from when it was Japan’s On one of his recent trips to Kawaguchi, capital (710–784 AD) until the pres- Japan on IU business, McRobbie curator of Nara ent, when it has had to preserve itself paid a visit to the mayor of Nara and City Museum of Photography; a against the intrusions of modern the museum and inquired whether concert featuring the traditional development. it would be possible to arrange for a Japanese harp kugo played by The beautifully framed photo- small exhibition of Irie’s photographs Tomoko Sugawara; and closing graphs in the Nara exhibition are in Bloomington. To his surprise and remarks by Patrick O’Meara, accompanied by poems evoking delight, the mayor decided to make dean of the Office of International nature and spirituality, chosen from a rare and generous gift to IU of 25 Programs, and Curt Simic, two imperially sponsored antholo- of Irie’s photographs. It is the first president of Indiana University gies of poetry, Manyoshu (early time that the city and the museum Foundation. eighth century) and Kokinshu (early have made a gift of these photographs The exhibit was sponsored by tenth century). to a non-sister city, and then only to the City of Nara, Indiana University The IUAM exhibition came about sister cities Canberra and Kyongju, Foundation, the Office of Interna- due to a special relationship that South Korea. A Nara spokesman tional Programs, the Office of the Michael McRobbie , IU’s vice presi- explained, “We are donating a por- Vice President for Information dent for research and vice president tion of the city’s collection of Irie’s Technology and CIO, and the Office for information technology and chief works only because we appreciate of the Vice President for Research. information officer, had cultivated Vice President McRobbie’s contribu- The exhibit is being shown in the over a 10-year period with the city of tion for the establishment of our Special Exhibitions Gallery of IUAM Nara. Before his appointment at IU link to a foreign sister city.” and will close on December 21. in 1997, McRobbie was a professor The opening of the exhibit of at Australian National University these 25 photographs was marked –RMN 2 International News December 2003 “East Meets West” at the Muslim Social Science Conference in Bloomington ndiana University Bloomington was the venue for the 32nd Annual Conference of I the Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS) that took place September 26–28, 2003, at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center. AMSS, a national organization, was founded in 1972 “to [bring] together Muslim and non- Muslim scholars in an academic setting to exam- ine and define Islamic perspectives on issues of global concern that contribute to the prosperity of Muslims around the globe and the betterment of humanity.” The conference was hosted by the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (NELC) and the Middle Eastern and Keynote speaker Ali Mazrui (left) and Louay Safi, president of the Islamic Studies Program (MEISP), with co- sponsoring support from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of International as a civilization and to become agents of under- Programs. standing and reconciliation. East Meets West: Understanding the In welcoming the gathering, Patrick Muslim Presence in Europe and North O’Meara, dean for international programs, America explored a range of issues—political, shared his perspective of being raised in religious, and cultural—that face Muslims who apartheid-era South Africa, but who is now very live in Western societies. The program commit- encouraged by how that past divisiveness is tee gradually being transcended. “There is no politi- Katherine Bullock chair, of the University of cal situation that is chronic, but one needs to Toronto, opened the conference with examples work at it,” he said, urging participants to have from her experience as someone who has fruitful discussions on such a timely and converted to Islam. important topic. Nazif IU professor of anthropology Among the various sessions were those on Shahrani , chair of NELC and director of MEISP “Political Philosophical Perspectives on Islam and co-host of the conference, said in and Democracy,” “Narrations of Identity: his opening remarks that too often, “There is an Muslim Women in North America,” “Muslims attempt to make Islam the ‘other,’ something Intellectuals and their Muslim Audiences,” alien, foreign, and exotic.

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