Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has announced the appointment of four members of the IU Board of Trustees, effective immediately, including James Bopp, Jr., an anti-abortion lawyer of national prominence, having served as general counsel for National Right to Life since 1978.
New appointees to the IU Board of Trustees
Bopp has also served as general counsel for the James Madison Center for Free Speech since 1997 and as the special counsel for Focus on the Family since 2004.
Braun also reappointed W. Quinn Buckner, who currently serves as chair, attorney Brian Eagle and Sage Steele, conservative host of The Sage Steele Show, voice actor for The Daily Wire and sports broadcaster to the board. All appointees are Indiana University alumni.
”I am confident that these appointees, who are all Indiana University alumni, will serve in the best interest of the university and will help guide IU back in the right direction as a premier flagship university in our state, Braun said.
“I look forward to working with our new trustees, who join the board at a pivotal time of positive momentum for IU,” IU President Pamela Whitten said. “Each has a deep love for IU and shares our vision for putting students first, advancing groundbreaking research and serving our state.”
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Buckner has served as chair of the Board of Trustees since 2021.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue serving my alma mater, which has given me so much,” Buckner said. “As chair, I welcome my new colleagues to the board and am excited to collaborate as a team to continue propelling IU to new heights.”
Removal of alumni-elected trustees
These appointments come after Braun sent a letter on May 31 to former alumni-elected trustees Vivian Winston, Jill Maurer Burnett, and likely Donna Spears, stating “Pursuant to IC 21-20-3-2.5(a), this is official notice of your removal from the Board of Trustees of Indiana University, effective immediately.”