On September 19, Indiana University South Bend Chancellor Susan Elrod presented the 2023 Chancellor’s Medal to David Kibbe at the second annual Night of the Titans celebration. Kibbe is the president and CEO at Indiana Trust Wealth Management, and his connections to IU South Bend are multi-faceted, beginning with his joining the IUSB Arts Foundation Board three decades ago. He went on to serve on the Chancellor’s Advisory Board as well as the advisory board of the Vera Z. Dwyer College of Health Sciences. His contributions to the institution have already been recognized with such honors as the Ernestine M. Raclin Community Leadership Award and the Indiana University Bicentennial Medal for distinguished service to the University. The Chancellor’s Medal is the highest honor conferred by the chancellor, recognizing an individual who has helped advance the campus and its mission as well as the community.
“The quality of good advice and well-informed consultation that David Kibbe has provided us with over the years cannot be quantified, and the Chancellor’s Medal is our sincere acknowledgement of the numerous ways in which he has lent his hand to our causes,” says Chancellor Elrod. “This, in combination with his contributions to our community, make him an ideal recipient of our highest honor.” Kibbe’s highest-profile role was the crucial part he played in implementing the major gifts bestowed upon the University by the Vera Z. Dwyer Charitable Trust, which focuses its initiatives on education and healthcare.
Under the stewardship of Kibbe and Indiana Trust Wealth Management, the Vera Z. Dwyer Charitable Trust has accumulated over $9 million in total gifts to IU South Bend to date, with a further $4 million pledged to further work on the Simulation Center currently under construction.
“The Dwyer Trust’s collaboration with campus leaders has been a true partnership,” Kibbe says.
These connections led him to participate as a member the IU South Bend Chancellor’s Advisory Board, for which he eventually served a term as chair in 2022.
“It was a good opportunity to work closely with Chancellor Elrod and her cabinet,” Kibbe says. “The board members provide a community perspective which I believe is especially important to a regional campus. We were not the decision-makers, but we recognize the value of offering advice and support to the chancellor. As chair, I challenged the members to consider themselves ambassadors for Indiana University South Bend. I encouraged us to share the good things that are happening on campus.”
