>> PRESIDENT WHITTEN　（メッセージ主文　Main Message）:

Well, good morning.  Thank you very much, Hannah.  My apologies for going audio.  I have an eye infection this morning that prevents anyone from wanting to see me this morning on video.  Thanks for putting up for the voice version of me today.

I’m so pleased to be here to greet IU’s global alumni, especially all of our alumni that are joining us from Asia, as we all prepare to celebrate IU Day, which is a 24-hour worldwide celebration of our beloved Indiana University.　Our international alumni are such an important part of the IU community.  You know, you all extend our impact beyond the borders our campuses and beyond the borders of United States to really reach all corners the globe.

You know, IU now has approximately 70,000 internationally affiliated alumni and that includes those who came to IU as international students and returned to their home countries, as well as a few ex-pats who live outside the United States as well.  We are so delighted.  So many of you stay connected with and serve the university through the IU Alumni Association which now has 47 chapters in 42 countries all around the world.  And we are grateful to those who helped to lead these chapters, and those, of course, who serve as active members as well.

Every year our chapters hold events around the world that draw hundreds of alumni and friends both locally and regional and the global IU community maintains strong ties between members that span, social, philanthropic, business, and cultural connections as well.

Our strong alumni network also has a mutually supportive network with our network of global gateway offices in China, Thailand, Europe, India and Mexico.  And alumni support every aspect of the work of our IU gateway offices, while the gateways themselves serve as focal points for IU’s activities in really these very vital parts the world, including helping to strengthen the enduring relationships between IU and local alumni.  IU alumni around the world represent our university with distinction in their local communities and many of you directly support the university student recruitment efforts through their volunteerism and advocacy and we greatly appreciate that as well.

We are also grateful for our international alumni who connect with the American students who are studying abroad your communities and countries and this deepens and enriches their experiences and we are grateful to the alum who speak with groups, open doors for consulting projects and provide unique accesses to the wonderful local cultural experiences.

I’m very pleased to note that you are international student population at IU continues to grow.  Something that’s very important to us.  We warmly welcome all of our international students and value them for the diversity in thought and culture that they bring to their campuses and the windows that they provide to their own cultures and experiences.

University was delighted to again see growth in our international student population at IU this academic year.  We welcomed more than 6300 students from 142 countries, and every inhabited continent.  Our new international Hoosiers for the fall 2023 term, the upcoming term are following in your footsteps, showing tremendous growth and developing a love for IU, that is so evident for all of you.

Soon, we will see the opening the Ferguson International Center on the Bloomington campus.

This is a building of particular excitement for our vice president for international affairs.  This new four-story building will be at the heart of our campus being right across from the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies and it will serve international students and the office of overseas studies.  It’s first place that many of our incoming international students will visit at IU Bloomington and it will be I appoint connection between our international students and our students who are preparing to leave for study abroad all over the world.

We’re excited to bring better support and visibility to our international community on campus, and we hope some of you will be able to see the building in person before too long, perhaps even join us for the groundbreaking.

Vice President Buxbaum will give you additional opportunities open giving day.

The international fund. International students who come to the US to study, they often have to overcome a number of obstacles, including language barriers, navigating rigorous visa and immigration requirements and the difficulties of adapting to a new culture and a new educational system.  And on top of that, we all know that life is full of surprises and the best laid plans can fall short under unexpected circumstances sometimes.

The international student fund can be a life line for those who find themselves in financial trouble outside of their control.  Since 2001, the office of international services has helped roughly 5,000 international students providing over $5 million in support to these students.  And IU’s committed to ensuring that students who make the extraordinary commitment to come to the US to study, can achieve their goals and finish what they started.  I hope some of you will consider supporting this fund which is so vitally important to our international students.

Let me just close by saying that my top priority as president of the IU is to ensure that we are truly a student-centered university.  As I said many times, while I’m President of IU, the students will be at the center of the universe for our university.

Our students are the reason we exist as a university and we want to do everything we can to help them succeed and thrive.  And, of course, that includes our international students.

As alumni who love IU and its history and traditions, you are no doubt familiar with IU’s legendary 11th president, Herman B wells and President wells wrote, I’m certain that hitherto undreamed working relationships may develop between American institutions and foreign institutions, personal relationships between American and foreign scholars, American and foreign students, relationships which will be sound and lasting because they will be built on the solid foundation of joint work of equal partners on behalf of a

common objective. 65 years after President Wells wrote those words all of IU’s efforts to serve and support are indeed built on the solid foundation of equal partners on behalf of a common objective.  We’re proud to count you, our loyal and dedicated international alum as being among these valued partners.

I’m honored to serve as the president of this great university, and I’m going to thank you so much for all you have done and continue to do for Indiana University.  I hope to meet many of you in person in the months and the years to come.  And thank you for joining us as we celebrate IU’s proud history and its promising future on IU Day.

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