Indiana University Northwest Chancellor Ken Iwama recalled his introduction to campus life in 2020 along with Wednesday’s graduates in the Class of COVID.
“When I arrived, this was essentially a ghost town,” Iwama said prior to Wednesday’s commencement exercise for more than 600 graduates.
The ceremony was a poignant goodbye for Iwama.
IU announced his appointment Monday as the university’s vice president for regional campuses and online education. He replaces Susan Sciame-Giesecke, who’s retiring. He starts his new post July 1.
A search for his successor will begin, and a new interim leadership plan will soon be disclosed.
Appointed in April 2020, the New Jersey native navigated the unknowns of COVID-19 with the rest of the country as he and his wife set off to a Gary campus with its own set of unknowns.
Despite the hurdles of Zoom meetings and remote classes for students, Iwama seemed to settle in quickly and grasp his new role.
Even his own installation as IUN’s new chancellor was postponed more than a year by the pandemic. The upbeat Iwama viewed it through his perpetual glass half-full lens during the October 2021 formal installation ceremony.
“In the grand scheme of things as I stand before you now, I’m convinced it’s the way it was supposed to be. Instead of speaking in front of strangers … there’s been a year of relationships. It’s a gift,” he said.
So for Iwama and the graduates he addressed Wednesday under sunny skies in a university parking lot, this was a farewell and a sign of new beginnings.
The graduates filled rows of white folding chairs and some sported decorated mortar boards with glitter and Barbie-pink. Iwama said the graduates ranged in age from 15 to 65.
Faith LaShawn Smith, of Gary, expressed nerves about delivering the student address. She spoke from the heart, tearing up as she detailed how her arrival on campus changed the trajectory of her career.
“IUN was everything I needed in a college campus. This achievement is also for my parents,” said the first-generation graduate.
“It took a lot for us to get here, but we are here…. Bask in the moment as long as you want to.”
Smith graduated with high honors with an English degree and plans to teach at the elementary level.
Another graduate, Jennifer Celeste Dejanovich, of Crown Point, gave remarks for the alumni induction.
“We know you’ll continue on the track of excellence,” she told her fellow alums.
Earlier, she said she didn’t envision this day.
“I didn’t want to go to college at all,” said the Crown Point High grad. “I took my first accounting course and got into it.”
She adapted so well she became a student government officer and president of two campus clubs while earning a bachelor’s in accounting
Dejanovich has a job lined up as an auditor for the Indiana State Board of Accounts.
In the audience, family members held balloons and flowers as they cheered their loved ones’ accomplishments.
Norma Holden, of Gary, hobbled slowly with the aid of a walker with husband, Oscar. They angled toward seats to watch their 50-year-old daughter Stacy Holden, a mom of three kids, receive her degree in education.
“It’s the greatest,” said Norma Holden. “She endured and she preserved. She’s a good example to her kids.”
Because his new job entails visits to regional campuses scattered across the state, Iwama said he’s unsure of his new home base. He was certain of his love for the Gary campus.
“Bittersweet is a good word,” he said. “It’s even difficult today. I love the faculty and the community.”
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
