Dear IU Community Member:

As you likely have heard, members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate agreed to preserve several key education benefits, including graduate student tuition waivers, in the final federal tax reform bill that is expected to become law. These waivers will not be taxed as was originally proposed. This is welcome news to all of us at Indiana University and around the nation who made it a top priority to keep intact these benefits as part of a broader commitment to keep higher education accessible and affordable to students and their families.

This is also your achievement. In recent days, many of you expressed your deep concerns over the most harmful provisions in the proposed tax reform legislation, and your voices were heard. Because of your passionate, productive and respectful efforts, our elected officials, top employers and engaged citizens across the country recognized the serious implications these provisions would pose.

In the days and weeks ahead, we will continue to closely monitor other provisions in the tax reform bill that may impact IU, our students and our staff, and we look forward to having the opportunity to continue to discuss the implications of the new law with our government representatives, partnering academic societies and peer institutions.

As we head into the holiday break, however, I want to offer my deepest thanks and appreciation for your help in this important effort, your support for your fellow IU community members and all that you continue to do every day to ensure IU remains one of America’s greatest universities.

All the best for a wonderful holiday season,

Michael A. McRobbie
President
Indiana University