About the Institute for
Civic Leadership & Mayoral Archives

UIndy's Institute for Civic Leadership & Mayoral Archives uniquely blends past, present and future. Founded in 2011, the Institute houses the archives of innovative mayors Richard Lugar, William Hudnut III, Stephen Goldsmith and Bart Peterson, and also serves as a hub for important conversations regarding vital issues in civic life.

UIndy's Mayoral Archives include documents, correspondence, news clippings, video, audio, photographs and artifacts. The collection contains more than 600 archival cartons that shed light on everything from routine city operations to major historical developments-the formation of Unigov, the school desegregation lawsuit, hosting of the Pan American Games, development of White River State Park, arrival of the Colts, and building sports venues.

Initiatives & Programs

Symposia and Lectures

The Institute hosts the annual Richard M. Fairbanks Symposium on Civic Leadership and other conferences and lectures throughout the year. Its inaugural event, "Five Mayors: An Evening of Insight and Vision," brought four former mayors of Indianapolis together with Mayor Greg Ballard to analyze the city's rich past and address the challenges that it faces in the future. Most recently, "City of Homes" highlighted the critical role housing has played in shaping the development of Indianapolis and the important housing challenges facing cities as they prepare for the future.

Internships

Maintaining the archives requires a lot of work. The Institute is developing internship opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students.

Research

Once processed, archival collections and online galleries will be available using state-of-the-art technology.

Academics

The Institute for Civic Leadership & Mayoral Archives has a close relationship with the Department of History & Political Science.