Indiana University has named faculty to lead implementation of the Chicago Principles, a foundational pillar of IU’s academic mission. The Chicago Principles provide a recognized statement of values that emphasize the role of universities as places to freely examine, debate and challenge ideas in the pursuit of knowledge.
The leadership of the University Faculty Council and Academic Leadership Council convened a task force to discuss and recommend ways to implement the Chicago Principles. The task force advised the appointment of campus leads to work with partners across academic affairs, student affairs and other campus organizations to promote programming, share best practices, and strengthen a culture of local engagement and dialgoue.
“Academic freedom and free expression are foundational to our teaching, research and service mission,” said Pamela Whitten, president of Indiana University. “The campus leads will engage their communities in meaningful conversations around the Chicago Principles and what they mean in practice. Their leadership will help ensure that students, faculty and staff across IU understand and nurture the conditions that allow learning and discovery to flourish.”
Women have been selected to leadership roles in the initiative at three campuses of Indiana University.
Indiana University Kokomo: Sarah Heath is a professor of history who has been a member of the faculty since 2008. She has held numerous leadership roles, including chair of the department of history, political science and philosophy, and in the Faculty Senate. Her current research focuses on women in the National Parent Teacher Association, particularly their efforts with desegregation in post-World War II America. Dr. Heath is a graduate of the College of Wooster in Ohio, where she majored in history. She holds a Ph.D. in American history from the University of Cincinnati.
Indiana University East: Natalia Rybas ia professor of communication studies and director of graduate programs at IU East in Richmond. She joined the faculty in 2011. Dr. Rybas has held faculty and academic leadership responsibilities. Her teaching and scholarship focus on new media, cross-cultural communication, critical and feminist studies of technology, and online teaching and learning. Dr. Rybas is a graduate of the Taganrog State Pedagogical Institute in Russia. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in communications studies from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
Indiana University South Bend: Elizabeth Bennion is a Chancellor’s Professor of Political Science. She joined the department of political science in 1999 and received the Chancellor’s Professor title in 2021. She is also director of the Office of Community Engagement and the founding director of IU South Bend’s American Democracy Project, which she has led since 2004. Dr. Bennion is a graduate of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she majored in American studies. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.