Over 250 Indiana University alumni, faculty, and staff members have signed an open letter pledging that they will no longer donate to the university until, among other demands, President Pamela Whitten resigns.
A steering committee spearheaded by six alumni who graduated between 1990 and 2022 launched the petition earlier this year. The committee claims that Indiana University has become the “worst-ranked public university” for free speech and has given in to what they believe is the “MAGA agenda.”
The committee cited an April 2024 vote of no confidence in Whitten, Provost Rahul Shrivastav, and Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs Carrie Docherty. Over 93% of faculty members voted for no confidence in Whitten.
However, Indiana University’s Board of Trustees approved a $100,000 raise for Whitten this past Friday. That new contract coincided with Hoosiers head football coach Curt Cignetti receiving his own extension, one that gives him an annual salary of $13.2 million through 2033. He previously agreed to an eight-year, $93 million contract extension last October.
So far, more than 250 Indiana University alumni, faculty, and staff have pledged not to donate to #IU until President Pamela Whitten is gone and other conditions are met.
Add your name via the link at the bottom of the letter.
— Julie DiCaro (@juliedicaro.bsky.social) February 20, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Indiana recently won its first national championship in football, a fact that the committee noted in the letter.
“We know that IU alums are smart enough to celebrate the success of the Football Hoosiers and condemn what Pamela Whitten is doing to degrade the prestige of our degrees,” they wrote. “Please help us take a stand against the debasement of our university and restore the glory of old IU.”
The steering committee has outlined the following four conditions that, if met, would end their boycott of donating to Indiana University:
- Pamela Whitten steps down as President of Indiana University
- IU restores DEI programs to previous levels
- IU reinstates robust free speech protections for students, faculty, and administrators
- Alumni-elected seats are restored to the IU Board of Trustees
The committee says it intends to present the letter to Whitten and the university on March 1. Neither Whitten nor the university had issued a recent comment as of Feb. 22.
WTIU’s @shelbyyjane14 reports IU’s Board of Trustees approves raise for President Whitten, Board also adopts Chicago principals, and Pumpkin Ridge Road to be paved.
These stories and more on the #WTIUNewsBreak pic.twitter.com/9RNEFlVkjq
— WFIU/WTIU News (@WFIUWTIUNews) February 20, 2026
When discussing Whitten’s new contract, IU Board Chair David Hormuth said that Whitten has some “remarkable, measurable accomplishments” since becoming president in 2021. IU also announced that it will adopt the Chicago Principles, a set of free speech guidelines.
As of publication, the steering committee had not updated the letter to reflect the school’s decision to add the Chicago Principles.
Whitten, who previously served as the president of Kennesaw State University, is the first female president in Indiana University history. She has also served as a provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Georgia and held a variety of roles across two lengthy tenures at Michigan State.
