Indiana State University President and her husband give $100,000 to the Be So Bold fundraising campaign

As an alumna of Indiana State University, Deborah Curtis has always been proud and grateful for the education she received while earning her Ph.D. at ISU. As a 1986 graduate of the Bayh College of Education’s Curriculum & Instruction doctoral program, she credits this experience with launching her career in higher education. Never did she imagine that one day she would return to Indiana State as its 12th president, and first female president.

“For many years in my career, I worked to replicate the quality of experience that I saw at Indiana State through my student engagement there,” Curtis said. “As a first-generation college student myself, Indiana State lit my passion to dedicate myself to helping others transform their lives in the same way that my life had been transformed. Now it is time for me to give back so that others may have the same opportunity that I had here at State.”

President Curtis and her husband, Lynn, have made a commitment of $100,000 to Be So Bold: The Campaign for Indiana State University. This gift focuses on multiple areas of support within the campaign’s four priority areas: student scholarships, experiential learning, faculty excellence, and Sycamore Athletics. 

This campaign was one of the main reasons she applied for the president’s position five years ago. She had been involved in fundraising campaigns at other institutions, and believed those experiences would be useful to her in setting the stage for ISU’s current campaign.

“Lynn and I have both been inspired to bring this commitment to work to grow the university’s endowed funds and scholarship capacity,” Curtis said. “No one who is able should be kept from pursuing a college degree because it is unaffordable.”

As the Be So Bold campaign entered the public phase on September 16, Curtis is committed to inviting more and more ISU alumni and friends of the university to be a part of providing these opportunities to many more students.

She regularly communicates, to anyone who will listen, that Indiana State University is a special place. It is a university setting that should no longer be considered a well-kept secret in Indiana.

Through this gift commitment, Deborah and Lynn want to help inspire a culture of philanthropy at ISU that will last for generations to come.

Photo of Dr. Deborah J. and Mr. Lynn Curtis

Media contacts: 

Mark Alesia, Director of University Communication 

(O) 812-237-3837 

(C) 812-229-8020 

mark.alesia@indstate.edu

Dianne Powell, Associate Director of University Communication

(O) 812-237-8764

(C) 812-878-2131

DianneFrances.Powell@indstate.edu