During the 2024-2025 academic year, we celebrated a milestone that’s both meaningful and energizing: the 50th anniversary of the Kelley School of Business Indianapolis.
For five decades, we’ve been more than an urban business school. We’ve been a cornerstone of Indiana’s capital—shaping business in the city with innovative programs that fuel the talent pipeline, translational research that addresses grand challenges, and alumni of influence who lead top companies and drive economic growth. It’s a position we couldn’t take on without your support.
Investing in access and impact
We know talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. That’s why we’re grateful to multiple donors who funded a new Student Emergency Fund, expanded our scholarship offerings, and fortified the Business Connect Program, which offers mentoring and coaching to help students navigate their first year at Kelley Indianapolis. These initiatives aren’t just about finances—they affirm potential, remove barriers, and open doors to futures students may never have imagined.
We also expanded access to our Evening MBA Program through a new partnership with the Orr Fellowship. This collaboration provides emerging leaders with a $2,000 scholarship and program credit, streamlining their path into our top-ranked MBA. It’s one more way we’re adapting to the evolving needs of professionals who want to grow without pausing their careers.
Business Plus: A head start on success
This January, we launched Business Plus with eight first-year Direct Admit students placed in paid internships at Elanco and KSM. The experiential learning program gives undergraduate students a meaningful head start on career exploration and development, and it offers leading employers early access to emerging talent, fostering relationships for long-term hires. It’s a high-impact model for early career engagement, and it reflects our belief that career readiness starts on day one.
Co-op collab with Lilly
IU Indianapolis announced in February a new co-op partnership with Eli Lilly and Company that will give Kelley students real-world experience in multiple departments, including finance, human resources, and information technology. Additionally, the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) and 16 Tech Innovation District will join IU Indianapolis and Lilly to with enhanced programming to build more place-based learning and networking opportunities that connect students to life in Indianapolis and increase their likelihood of staying in Indiana for the long term, a shared priority for IU Indianapolis, CICP, and CICP members.
Real-world learning that moves the needle
Business Plus is the latest, although not last, addition to our immersive curriculum that combines active learning and entrepreneurial thinking. We’ve strengthened our commitment to real-world learning that moves the needle with the appointment of Barb Cutillo, lecturer in management, as our first Director of Experiential Learning. Barb is orchestrating hands-on opportunities across all Kelley Indianapolis programs, ensuring every Kelley student has access to real-world experience that aligns with their goals and contributes to the city’s talent pipeline.
Fueling life sciences in Indiana
Kelley Indianapolis is playing a strategic role to accelerate Indiana as a global leader in the biosciences. This spring, we introduced the Master of Science in the Business of Biotechnology, a program tailored for professionals with science or technology backgrounds who aspire to ascend within the health and life sciences industry. It is the only degree of its kind in the state and will begin enrolling students in fall 2026.
Additionally, we are proud contributors to IU LAB, a university-wide initiative that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration to solve some of the most pressing health and technology challenges of our time. Our faculty bring expertise in healthcare operations, strategy, and entrepreneurship, providing the business foundation that accelerates lab-to-market pathways.
Leading Indianapolis for 50 years and counting
Fifty years ago, we planted our flag in Indianapolis to build something enduring. Today, that vision continues—not just as a business school, but as a catalyst for opportunity and a driver of economic prosperity.
Our next 50 years begin now, and your investment in the Kelley School of Business Indianapolis empowers us to dream big and lead with impact.
Thank you.
Julie Manning Magid
Vice Dean
Executive & Academic Director, Tobias Leadership Center
Kelley Venture Fellow
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