Sage Steele Named IU Trustee
- Indiana Governor Mike Braun removed three elected Indiana University trustees and appointed four alumni, including Sage Steele, effective immediately in Bloomington in 2025.
- This occurred after the state legislature approved HEA 1001, a budget measure that removed the ability of IU alumni to elect Board members and transferred full appointment authority to the governor, sparking criticism.
- Trustees removed via one-sentence letters dated May 31 included Vivian Winston, Jill Burnett, and Donna Spears, while appointees include broadcaster Sage Steele and attorneys James Bopp Jr. And Brian Eagle.
- Braun expressed assurance that the newly appointed trustees, all graduates of Indiana University, will act in ways that benefit the university, while IU President Pamela Whitten conveyed a positive outlook regarding their involvement.
- The changes sparked legal challenges from the ACLU and alumni frustration over lost representation, but Braun defended the reform as necessary for better governance and efficiency.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Indiana governor reverses course, removes elected IU trustees for his appointees
The three elected members of the Indiana University Board of Trustees have been removed by Gov. Mike Braun – roughly a month after indicating he wouldn’t. The governor instead on Monday tapped three new members – two notable conservatives –…

Gov. Braun Appoints New IU Board of Trustees Members
WISH TV BLOOMINGTON, Ind.–Gov. Mike Braun on Monday afternoon announced appointments to the Indiana University Board of Trustees as the Indiana University’s website only showed six trustees. Missing from that website were the three trustees who’d alumni had elected. In the final minutes of the 2025 legislative session in April, Indiana lawmakers added a provision to a biennial budget bill that gave the governor the sole power to hire and fire al…
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