Endowing the Michael A. McRobbie University Collections Internship
IU President Michael McRobbie has been a staunch supporter of the Board of Aeons, investing significant time and university resources into the Aeons and our recommendations. These investments have improved campus facilities, technology, affordability, student retention, and many other areas of campus life.
In 2016–17, the Board of Aeons identified vast university holdings of valuable art, manuscripts, artifacts, and scientific specimens that comprise more than 100 individual collections and are valued at upwards of $10 billion, as an area needing standardization, improved facilities, digitization, and dedicated staffing.
Building off this work, the 2018–19 Board of Aeons proposed a multiuse rotating collections facility and outlined the facility, programmatic, and staffing needs. These reports have informed more than $50 million in facility upgrades (more than half of which was supported by private donors and state appropriations), the hiring of a dedicated university collections staff, and a strategic plan for IU collections.
In recognition of this, and his many other commitments to the Board of Aeons, and to permanently link President McRobbie’s legacy with this critically important area of campus teaching and research, we have established the Michael A. McRobbie University Collections Internship—the first dedicated student funding that will support paid student internships in the university collections at IU Bloomington.
The internship was announced at President McRobbie's retirement event which was held on April 21, 2021.
