About

Connecting students to where they belong

Through the guidance of the IUB 2030 Strategic Plan, the Office of Student Life was created in 2023, bringing together over 20 areas from the Division of Student Affairs and combining them with Residence Life, Housing Operations and Assignments, IU Corps, and Bradford Woods, along with the charge to create the First-Generation and Low-Income student initiatives.

Student Life works in partnership with students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, donors, and community partners to create the premier Hoosier experience.

We support all students at IU Bloomington—undergraduate and graduate, first years and transfers, and domestic and international. Students are at the center of everything we do.

Our vision

To create a premier and thriving student experience.

Our values

  • Community – We believe in creating a sense of belonging and purpose where all individuals feel included, cared for, and valued. When Hoosiers find their people, the everyday moments become lasting memories. 
  • Integrity – We believe in striving for excellence and innovation through honesty, accountability, and ethical work.  
  • Learning – We believe in providing diverse educational experiences. We do this through leadership development, event participation, campus employment, and experiential learning opportunities.
  • Partnership – We believe we are stronger together. Through collaboration with students, faculty, staff, campus partners, families, and alums, our work is more meaningful and has a greater collective impact. 
  • People-first – We believe it all starts with people. While there is work to be done, we must prioritize the well-being of all Hoosiers through respect, civility, and inclusion.  

Enacting our vision

Under Dr. Lamar Hylton’s leadership, the Office of Student Life’s vision is to create a premier and thriving student experience by focusing on six key areas:

Our care and advocacy efforts ensure that students, parents, and family members are supported in their experience.

  • Expand student basic needs support and emergency funding to support students.
  • Develop a centralized parent and family engagement area that coordinates the experiences of Hoosier parents and families.
  • Focus on opportunities to develop critical thinking and civil discourse skills through intentional efforts.

Helping students to connect, engage, grow, and thrive is at the heart of our work in Student Life. We seek to create and leverage programs, experiences, and facilities to create a meaningful sense of belonging
for all students.

  • Vision a stronger Indiana Memorial Union.
  • Strengthen leadership development opportunities for students tied into institutional experiential learning efforts.
  • Create a center focused on first-generation and
    low-income students.

Our goal is for all Hoosiers at IU Bloomington to be well and attend to all aspects of their health.

  • Develop a strategic plan for IU Bloomington health and well-being efforts.
  • Enhance peer-to-peer opportunities for deepen
    well-being practices.
  • Identify opportunities to enhance the health and well-being enterprise at IU Bloomington.

On- and off-campus living is at the core of our undergraduate student success efforts.

  • Ensure alignment between Residence Life, Housing and Operations Assignments, Environmental Operations (facilities, maintenance, custodial), and IU Dining toward an effort to maintain a comprehensive residential experience for students.
  • Review the structure and alignment of our living-learning and thematic communities.
  • Develop plans for establishing an off-campus and commuter student engagement area.

The blending of the curricular and co-curricular environments is paramount to helping students thrive in their premier student experience.

  • Develop a Student Life Faculty Fellows program that allows faculty to engage with Student Life based on academic and research interests.
  • Create a culture of assessment within Student Life that allows us to leverage data with more ease.
  • Partner with NSSE, Center for Postsecondary Research, and other academic entities to expand opportunities for Student Life research.

The cornerstone of our work in Student Life is organizational effectiveness, operational efficiency, and the ability to tell a strong compelling story.

  • Craft a strong development plan that prioritizes our most ambitious philanthropic efforts.
  • Develop a strategy to support all HR functions within Student Life
  • Devise a communications and marketing strategy that assists with developing compelling stories about the student experience.
  • Align our financial and business practices to optimize resource alignment in Student Life.

Overall student success efforts

1First year transition redesign in connection with the IUB2030 strategic plan

2Defining and elevating involvement and belonging efforts for all IUB students

3Creating and streamlining support for first generation and low/limited income students

Organizational chart

Championing diversity

In 2024, IU Bloomington received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award. The HEED award is the only national award that honors individual institutions for being outstanding examples of universities committed to making diversity and inclusion a top priority. In addition, IU Bloomington was also named a Diversity Champion, which is the highest distinction from INSIGHT Into Diversity.

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