(KOKOMO) – IU Kokomo celebrated its 75th anniversary by remembering where its story began: the Seiberling Mansion.
Current and past students, faculty, staff and friends gathered Sept. 16 in the gardens outside the mansion, now home of the Howard County Museum, to place a permanent historic marker honoring its role in the campus’ success.
Chancellor Susan Sciame-Giesecke said the campus has changed dramatically since the first classes in the Seiberling Mansion, when about 300 students enrolled — mostly returning adults. Today, IU Kokomo has more than 3,000 students attending class on a modern campus on South Washington Street.
Several guests shared memories of the Seiberling Mansion days, including Bill Hunt, whose father, Virgil, was founding director. Bill Hunt recalled the legendary story about his father arriving by train and, finding the building locked, climbing in a window to sleep on the sofa before starting the process to open the IU Extension Center.
