University College Renamed in Honor of IUPUI “Founding Father” Joseph Taylor
The University College building -- in name -- is no more.
The 815 W. Michigan Street structure, which houses the University College program and the Multi-Cultural Center, has been renamed Joseph T. Taylor Hall, in honor of Joseph T. Taylor, the first dean of the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. Taylor's widow, Hertha Taylor, and other family members were special guests during the official renaming ceremony held May 19 in the courtyard in front of the building.
Excerpts from prepared speeches for the ceremony follow:
"Dr. Joseph Thomas Taylor, an instrumental founding father of IUPUI, was a man of deep conviction, an educator who served his colleagues, his community, his people, and his country with distinction. We are now honoring his legacy and family with deep respect."
Today's building renaming ceremony is a fitting tribute to a modest, self effacing, dedicated colleague and public servant; a man of integrity and dignity who had the vision to insure that this institution of higher education would grow and prosper. He made an enduring mark on the School of Liberal Arts, this campus, the city of Indianapolis and Indiana University. Dr. Taylor had a deep and abiding faith in the power of education to make a difference in the lives of people, achieving human equality and creating a just, multiracial society. He believed, as did the Victorian author Charlotte Bronte, that 'Prejudices…are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education; they grow there, firm as weeds among rocks."
Monroe H. Little, Jr.
Associate Professor of History, and Director, African American and African Diaspora Studies
"Today, we honor a man who was instrumental in the founding and development of IUPUI in its early years. When Joe Taylor and his family settled in Indianapolis in 1957, they entered a lifelong partnership with both a city and a university. His devotion to creating opportunities for higher education in this dynamic and diverse city made him one of the visionaries that helped shape what is now considered a model in urban higher education—IUPUI."
"As an African American, Dr. Taylor was a pioneer at every stage of his academic career. He infused that perseverance and ability to break new ground into the very core of what has made IUPUI successful today."
Charles R. Bantz
IUPUI Chancellor
"Joseph T. Taylor's memory will always live on in the memory of the countless students, faculty and staff he has touched, and those he has affected inadvertently with his spirit of caring, civic engagement and social change which permeates the schools here. However, on this date, May 19th, 2008, his mark will now be left on thousands of students who each semester enter through this hall and continue his legacy by graduating and contributing to a city and school he helped found and worked so hard for."
Dominic Dorsey
IUPUI Student and former president, IUPUI Black Student Union
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