The percentage of IUSB faculty who have won distinguished teaching awards is the highest of any IU campus. More than 90 percent of IUSB's full-time faculty have earned the highest degrees in their disciplines from many of the world's finest graduate schools. Centrally located in northern Indiana, IUSB's campus overlooks a picturesque stretch of the St. Joseph River, east of downtown South Bend. A pedestrian mall running through the center of campus is surrounded by modern classrooms and science laboratories, spacious auditoriums and studios for the fine and performing arts, a library holding more than 880,000 volumes with access to hundreds of electronic journals and other resources, extensive audiovisual facilities, and links to computer and instructional-television systems serving the entire IU system. By mid-2001, the university will open a new student activities center.
Plans also call for expansion across the river for athletic facilities and student housing.
Most of IUSB's more than 7,000 students commute to campus with only limited housing available for a growing number of international students. Students range in age from late teens to 40s, 50s, and beyond. Classes are scheduled from the morning through the evening hours, allowing students to build schedules appropriate to the demands of work or other personal obligations. The development of off-campus sites by IUSB has extended the university s reach to better serve the region and to increase access to educational opportunities. IUSB's community outreach activities positively impact the local economy, schools, the arts, public safety, and health professions.