Indiana State College achieved university status in 1965, after which enrollment continued to grow rapidly. Current enrollment exceeds 13,000, with approximately 1,600 in graduate programs.

Most students during the university’s early years enrolled to pursue teaching careers. Among them was Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, later known as Nellie Bly, the daredevil reporter who raced around the globe in just 72 days, beating Jules Verne’s fictional character, Philias Fogg, who made the trip in 80 days. In 1998, 119 years after her departure from Indiana Normal School, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

In spite of the many changes IUP has undergone, our traditions remain as strong as ever. The original homecoming celebration, for example, has evolved into the annual Oak Leaf Festival for the entire Indiana community. Likewise, cornerstones of the IUP experience, such as practical experience, have evolved while maintaining their importance. In the first half of the last century, for example, aspiring home economics teachers spent a semester running a household, doing chores and caring for a baby borrowed from an orphanage. Today, students gain practical experience working in corporations, museums, hospitals, nonprofit and government agencies, educational institutions, and other locations. 

What have not changed are the sense of community that permeates the campus and the fond memories alumni have years after their graduation.