Notable Alumni of Indiana State University: A Legacy of Achievement
Indiana State University (ISU) has a rich history of producing graduates who have made significant contributions in various fields, ranging from athletics and politics to business and the arts. This article highlights some of the university's most notable alumni, showcasing their diverse accomplishments and the impact they have had on their communities and the world.
Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients
Each year, Indiana State University recognizes alumni who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in their careers and service to their communities with the Distinguished Alumni Award. Mel Burks, Anita Klopfenstein, and Jim Pajakowski were named as recipients of this award.
Mel Burks
Mel Burks has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Hamilton Center, Inc. for over 45 years and has served as the Chief Executive Officer since January 2012. Throughout his decorated career, Burks has served in leadership roles in nearly 20 different organizations, including the Vigo County School Board of Trustees, the Girls and Boys Club, the City of Terre Haute’s Human Relations Commission, Covered Bridge Special Education, Terre Haute North High School Advisor to the Counseling Department, Terre Haute South Vigo High School Football and Basketball Coach and the Vigo County Council for Children and Youth.
Anita Klopfenstein
Anita Klopfenstein graduated from Indiana State University in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and radio, TV, and film. While at the university, she discovered an interest in technology at a campus job involving work in information technology. In 1990, Klopfenstein received her master’s in business administration from Liberty University. At the beginning of her career, Klopfenstein worked with Enterprise Rent-a-Car and Express Scripts to delve further into information technology. A few years later, Klopfenstein received the position of Vice President of eCommerce and Consumer Systems for Panera Bread, where her team worked on developing Apple Pay and self-service kiosks. She became the Chief Information and Digital Officer for Little Caesars Pizza and Ilitch Owned Companies in 2017. She led the initiative to create the Little Caesars mobile app and their self-service kiosks, the Pizza Portal.
Jim Pajakowski
Jim Pajakowski graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Indiana State University in 1982. He began his career in a position with the accounting firm Arthur Andersen & Co. In Indianapolis, where he eventually was named an Audit Partner. In 2002, he became one of the founding members of Protiviti, a global consulting practice based in Chicago. After serving as a Member of the Operating Committee for Protiviti’s first five years, Pajakowski was promoted to the role of one of the company’s four Executive Vice Presidents. During his time with Protiviti, Pajakowski consulted with many clients and oversaw operating results, strategic direction, firm-wide standard consulting methodologies, and knowledge management. He created a training curriculum to support a defined professional career path. Pajakowski is a dedicated member of the Indiana State University Foundation Board and a devoted community member of Chicago. He has focused his time and philanthropy on giving back to his local community.
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Notable Alumni in Politics and Public Service
Indiana State University has produced a number of influential figures in the realm of politics and public service.
Birch Bayh
Birch Evans Bayh Jr. was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of United States Senate from 1963 to 1981. He was first elected to office in 1954, when he won election to the Indiana House of Representatives; in 1958, he was elected Speaker, the youngest person to hold that office in the state's history. Senate, narrowly defeating incumbent Republican Homer E. Capehart. Shortly after entering the Senate, he became Chairman of the United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, and in that role authored two constitutional amendments: the Twenty-fifth-which establishes procedures for an orderly transition of power in the case of the death, disability, or resignation of the President of the United States-and the Twenty-sixth, which lowered the voting age to 18 throughout the United States. He is the first person since James Madison and only non-Founding Father to have authored more than one constitutional amendment. Bayh also led unsuccessful efforts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and eliminate the United States Electoral College.
John R. Gregg
John Richard Gregg is an American politician, businessman and attorney who served as the 85th and longest-serving Democratic speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives from 1996 to 2003. He served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 1987 to 2003.
Jennifer McCormick
Jennifer McCormick is an American politician and educator who served as the 44th and last Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction. Formerly a Republican, she upset the Democratic incumbent Glenda Ritz in the 2016 election and served one term. Switching to the Democratic Party in 2021, she was their nominee for governor of Indiana in 2024 losing to Republican nominee Mike Braun.
Edward Hernandez
Edward Paul Hernández is an American politician who previously served in the California State Senate. A Democrat, he represented the 24th Senate district from 2010 until he was redistricted to the 22nd Senate district, which he represented until 2018.
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Brad Ellsworth
Brad Ellsworth representative for Indiana's 8th congressional district from 2007 to 2011. In 2010, he was the Democratic candidate for a seat in the United States Senate, but he was defeated by Dan Coats, a former Senator, by 254,341 votes
Other Notable Figures in Politics
Other alumni who have made their mark in politics include:
- John S. Benham
- Thurman C. Crook
- Clarence C. Gilhams
- Brian D. Kerns
- William Larrabee (Indiana)
- D. Bailey Merrill
- John T. Myers
- Everett Sanders
- Albert Henry Vestal
- Fred Wampler (Indiana)
Notable Alumni in Athletics
Indiana State University has a strong tradition of athletic excellence, and many of its alumni have gone on to achieve great success in the world of sports.
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He is the only person in NBA history to be named Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year. He enrolled in Indiana State University and Studied in 1975-1979.
Bruce Baumgartner
Bruce Robert Baumgartner is an American former freestyle wrestler. He is the current assistant vice president for university advancement and former athletic director at the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania near Erie, Pennsylvania and current President of USA Wrestling.
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Kurt Thomas
Kurt Thomas, Olympic participant, gymnastics
Sean Manaea
Sean Anthony Manaea is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants. Manaea played college baseball for the Indiana State Sycamores. He made his MLB debut in 2016 with the Athletics.
Tunch Ilkin
Tunch Ilkin was a Turkish-American professional football player and sports broadcaster. A two-time Pro Bowl selection as an offensive tackle with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was the first Turk to play in the National Football League (NFL). He was voted to the Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team. After his playing career, he was a television and radio analyst for the Steelers from 1998 to 2020.
Robbie Avila
Robbie Avila is an American college basketball player for the Saint Louis Billikens. He previously played for the Indiana State Sycamores of the Missouri Valley Conference. He Enrolled in Indiana State University and Studied in 2022-2024.
Clint Barmes
Clint Harold Barmes is an American former professional baseball second baseman and shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2003 through 2015 for the Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, and San Diego Padres.
Jake Laravia
Jacob Glen LaRavia is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Indiana State Sycamores and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
Other Notable Figures in Athletics
- Richard Atha
- Junius "Rainey" Bibbs
- Jim Brumfield
- Billy Clapper
- Roger Counsil
- Wayne Davis
- Brian Dorsett
- Stewart "Red" Faught
- Vencie Glenn
- Alex Graman
- Rick Grapenthin
- John Hazen (basketball)
- Tommy John
- Wallace Johnson (baseball)
- Doug Kay
- Beverly Kearney
- Duane Klueh
- Danny Lazar
- Bryan Leturgez
- Carl Nicks (basketball)
- Brian Omogrosso
- Jerry Reynolds
- Bob Royer
- Zane Smith
- Dan Sparks
- Mitch Stetter
- Joe Thatcher
- John Wooden
Notable Alumni in Arts and Entertainment
Indiana State University has also produced a number of successful figures in the arts and entertainment industry.
Burl Ives
Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American musician, singer and actor with a career that spanned more than six decades.
Alvy Moore
Jack Alvin "Alvy" Moore was an American actor best known for his role as scatterbrained county agricultural agent Hank Kimball on the CBS television series Green Acres.
Jamal Khashoggi
Jamal Ahmad Hamza Khashoggi was a Saudi journalist, dissident, author, columnist for Middle East Eye and The Washington Post, and a general manager and editor-in-chief of Al-Arab News Channel who was assassinated at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October 2018 by agents of the Saudi government at the behest of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In 1982 he graduated with Bachelor in Business Administration in business management.
Greg Land
Greg Land is an American comic book artist, best known for his work on books such as Uncanny X-Men, Birds of Prey, and Fantastic Four.
Michael Evans Behling
Michael Evans Behling is an American actor.
Russell Collins
Russell Collins was an American actor whose 43-year career included hundreds of performances on stage, in feature films, and on television.
Notable Alumni in Academia and Science
Indiana State University has a strong reputation for academic excellence, and many of its alumni have gone on to make significant contributions in the fields of academia and science.
John Wooden
John Robert Wooden was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Westwood", he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships in a 12-year period as head coach for the UCLA Bruins, including a record seven in a row. No other team has won more than four in a row in Division I college men's or women's basketball. Within this period, his teams won an NCAA men's basketball record 88 consecutive games. Wooden won the prestigious Henry Iba Award as national coach of the year a record seven times and won the Associated Press award five times.
Jill Bolte Taylor
Jill Bolte Taylor is an American neuroanatomist, author, and public speaker.
Lou Anna Simon
Lou Anna Kimsey Simon is an American academic administrator who served as the 20th president of Michigan State University. Simon was appointed interim president of the university in 2003, then served as president from 2005. She resigned under pressure in 2018 amid claims that she had ignored reports of sexual abuse by Larry Nasser, a sports physician at MSU.
Barton Warren Evermann
Barton Warren Evermann was an American ichthyologist.
Other Notable Alumni
In addition to the alumni listed above, there are many other Indiana State University graduates who have achieved success in a variety of fields.
Willa Brown
Willa Beatrice Brown was an American aviator, lobbyist, teacher, and civil rights activist. to have both a pilot's license and an aircraft mechanic's license.
J. Buzz Von Ornsteiner
Dr. J. Buzz Von Ornsteiner aka Dr. Buzz is a licensed forensic psychologist who provided commentary for the TV series CopyCat Killers.
George Washington Buckner
George Washington Buckner (B.S.)
Micah Shrewsberry
Micah Shrewsberry is an American basketball coach and former college basketball player who is the head coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Trent Miles
Trent Gaylord Miles is an American football coach and former player. He was most recently the head football coach at Georgia State University, a position he assumed in November 2012 and held until he was fired on November 12, 2016. From 2008 to 2012, Miles was the head coach at his alma mater Indiana State University, from which he holds a bachelor's degree in criminology."
Noma Gurich
Noma D. Gurich is an American attorney and jurist who is serving as an associate justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
Marvella Bayh
Marvella Belle Hern Bayh was the wife of former Indiana Senator Birch Bayh, the mother of former Indiana Senator Birch Evans Bayh III (Evan), and a national spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society.
Other Notable Alumni
- Brother Jed
- Tony George
- Jared Yates Sexton
- Jake Petricka
- Bill Hayes
- Nevin Ashley
- Luke Gross
- Jerry Baker
- Brian Boland
Presidents of Indiana State University
The presidents of Indiana State University have guided the institution from its origins as Indiana State Normal School in 1865 through its evolution into a comprehensive public university.
- William Albert Jones (1869-1879)
- George Pliny Brown (1879-1885)
- William Wood Parsons (1885-1921)
- Linnaeus Neal Hines (1921-1933)
- Ralph Noble Tirey (1933-1953)
- Raleigh Warren Holmstedt (1953-1965)
- Alan C. Rankin (1965-1975)
- Richard G. Landini (1975-1992)
- John W. Moore (1992-2000)
- Lloyd W. Benjamin III (2000-2008)
- Daniel J. Bradley (2008-2017)
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