About

Who are the Aeons and what do they do?

The Board of Aeons is an advisory board composed of 12 outstanding student leaders—typically juniors and seniors—who work with the Office of the President to seek feasible solutions to complex problems confronting the university.

Service on the board gives members the opportunity to:

Complement their formal education
Network with peers, administrators, and faculty members
Develop strong friendships with fellow board members
Influence the university’s evolution

Board members represent many different organizations and backgrounds. This allows them to offer informed, thoughtful, and diverse opinions from several points of view. So that the Aeons can speak candidly with administrators and peers, the Board chooses to work in a discreet manner. The Board works on several projects each year, always aspiring to contribute to the betterment of the university.

The Aeons key

The Aeons key design is based on the Rose Well House in the Old Crescent, one of the oldest structures on campus.

The idea to create a symbolic physical relic to be worn by all Board of Aeons members was presented on April 20, 1921.

Within a few months, the first batch of keys was produced. The traditional emblem is still worn by Aeons today.

Notable Aeons

Esther Uduehi

Board of Aeons, 2008–2011; Vice President, 2010–2011

Esther Uduehi received a double B.A. in mathematics and chemistry from IU in 2011, and an M.Sc. from Oxford University in 2013. While at IU, she was a Herman B Wells Scholar, a National Achievement Scholar, and a Senator Richard G. Lugar Scholar. She participated in the Science, Technology and Research Scholars (STARS) program and the McNair Scholars program. She received a Minority Achievement Award, a Kenneth R.R. Gros Louis Scholarship, and the Council on Advancing Student Leadership’s Top Ten Student Leader Award. She was a co-founder of the IU Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students and the IU Photography Society, and served as diversity director for the IU Student Association. She was IU’s second presidential student intern and 16th student Rhodes Scholar.

Edward Hutton

Board of Aeons, 1939–1941; President, 1939–1940

Edward Hutton was a visionary with a steadfast commitment to making the world a better place. He was elected president of the Board of Aeons in 1939. After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from IU, he helped rebuild Germany’s post–World War II economy as a 26-year-old officer in the U.S. Army and later became president, CEO, and chairman of Chemed and Omnicare. He was a longtime benefactor of IU, generously funding student scholarships and endowed professorships. His gifts also made possible the establishment of the Hutton International Experiences Program and construction of the Honors College Building. IU Archives.

1921Aeons established

1971Women added to the Board

Notable Aeons

Thomas I. Atkins

Board of Aeons, 1959–61

Tom Atkins, a Phi Beta Kappa member, was the first black student body president at IU and in the Big Ten, and the first black Aeon, serving two terms, from 1959 to 1961. He earned a law degree at Harvard and was elected as Boston’s first black city council member. He is credited with preventing riots in the city after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. A life-long champion of racial justice and a nationally recognized civil rights attorney, in 1980 he became general counsel of the NAACP, and received its highest legal honor, the William Ming Legal Advocacy Award. He received IU’s Distinguished Alumni Service Award, and was the founder of the Thomas I. Atkins Living Learning Center on the Bloomington campus. IU Archives.

Ashley Louise Crouse

Board of Aeons, 2004–05

Ashley Louise Crouse’s name is indelibly linked to the Indiana University Dance Marathon (IUDM), for which she tirelessly championed. She served as an Aeon in 2004–05, and tragically died in a car accident during her tenure, at the age of 21. Crouse made many contributions to the campus community, but is especially renowned for her dedication to the IUDM, which raises money for Riley Hospital for Children. The IUDM honors her with a moment of silence every year, and with her initials, ALC, on their spirit wear and promotional materials, along with RW, in honor of Ryan White.

Contact us

For more information about the Board of Aeons, contact aeons@iu.edu or Kelly Kish from the Office of the President at 812-856-3275.