Indiana University officially turns 200 in January, but IU started its yearlong Bicentennial celebrations when the 2020 fiscal year started in July. Campuses across the state have marked the anniversary with special events, honors and projects throughout the fall semester. 

IU President McRobbie awarded Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb with the inaugural Bicentennial Medal to kick off the university's 200th anniversary. The award honors organizations and people associated with IU who have served or supported the university with great distinction. 

In September, IU campuses took part in the 200 Festival, which included a weekend of events at IU Bloomington, faculty showcases at IU's regional campuses and the IUPUI Regatta. 

"It is time for Indiana University to bear the torch of telling our own story, boasting about our strengths, and measuring them against only the best standards we aim to achieve," President McRobbie said during the Bicentennial Ceremony. "The bicentennial celebration of Indiana University, then—while it is, strictly speaking, an extended reflection on what has come before—must become the launching pad for a new era of pride in the institution as it is now, and optimism about its bright future."

President McRobbie and First Lady Laurie Burns McRobbie also showed their support for IU Athletics by attending several games during the fall semester. As part of the Bicentennial, McRobbie plans to attend at least one home event of each of IU's 24 varsity sports. He kicked off the tour by attending IU Field Hockey's game against Ohio State in September. 

The McRobbies also had the opportunity to celebrate the Hoosiers win against the Boilermakers in double overtime to reclaim the Old Oaken Bucket and plan to cheer the team on in Florida during the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. 

The IU Athletics tour of all varsity sports will continue through the remainder of the 2019-2020 season.

IU also dedicated several historical markers as part of a new program that highlights the impacts of significant people, places, events and organizations. The first of the markers honors the late Elinor Ostrom, an IU professor who was the first and only woman to win the Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences.

"In the years to come, the countless students, faculty and visitors who pause here to read the words about Elinor Ostrom —cast not in aluminum, but in bronze—will be inspired to understand the meaning of those words and the incredible impact of her life's work on Indiana University and, indeed, the world," McRobbie said during the dedication Oct. 7.

IU also placed historical markers recognizing the Seiberling Mansion at IU Kokomo, Tamarack Hall at IU Northwest and Lyda Radford at IU Southeast. 

The university is still accepting nominations for other historical markers.

Crews also worked to move the Arthur R. Metz Carillon to the center of IU's campus as part of a Bicentennial project. The carillon rises above the Cox Arboretum and will become a grand carillon with the addition of four new bells. The 61 original bells featured quotes about music from male authors.

"So, with the addition of the four new bells, we will take a step to rectify this, at least in small measure, by engraving quotes about music from four influential women writers from different periods of history," McRobbie said during the groundbreaking ceremony in April.

The commanding presence of the carillon on the IU Bloomington campus will serve as a physical reminder of IU's longstanding traditions in the arts and humanities. 

IU's strengths in the arts are also reflected in the annual performance of Potpourri of the Arts. The celebration of African American performance has endured since 1993 and this November it was hosted by funk pioneer and legendary bassist Bootsy Collins and featured the African American Dance Company, the African American Choral Ensemble and the IU Soul Revue. 

Further showcasing IU's commitment to the arts is the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museu of Art, which reopened in November after a $30 million renovation. The museum now features new teaching areas, centers for curatorial studies, and art conservation as well as spaces for visitors to gain a behind-the-scenes perspective of museum activities. 

As part of the IU Bicentennial celebration, the Jacobs School of Music Opera Theater remounted Richard Wagner's monumental opera "Parsifal", rejuvenating a tradition from the 1940s to the 1970s when the epic production returned to the Musical Arts Center.

Celebrations of the IU Bicentennial will continue with IU's official 200th anniversary on Jan. 20, 2020, which is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

To commemorate the day, award-winning actress Viola Davis will speak on campus. The university will also unveil new history mural panels in Wright Quad, newly-commissioned "Lux et Veritas" paintings in Presidents Hall, and the ceremonial first ringing of the bells in the renovated Arthur R. Metz Bicentennial Grand Carillon. 

IU will celebrate the end of its Bicentennial year with outdoor entertainment June 6 on the Arts Plaza.