In the dark woods, a plot of marshy ground was set aside in the original plat of Indianapolis as University Square. It was to be the site of the state university, but as the years passed another location was selected in Bloomington, Indiana and the square in the Hoosier capital became a park. For much of the early 1890s there was discussion about moving the state university from Bloomington to Indianapolis. Former Indiana University president David Starr Jordan wrote, “The great universities of the future must…be located either in the large cities or in the suburbs of the large cities. The University of Indiana has done a noble work…but it cannot rise to the position it ought to occupy until its students and professors are given advantages such as the city of Indianapolis can offer.” However, in February 1896 another solution was proposed — the University of Indianapolis — an affiliation of Butler University, the Medical College of Indiana, the Indiana Dental College, and the Indiana Law School, each school maintaining its own autonomy. The announcement of plans to form the University of Indianapolis was well received, especially by the students at the associated schools. After Scot Butler, president of Butler, “expressed himself heartily in favor of the projected plans,” the junior class began cheering, “Rah rah rah! Zip boom bah! Ip zoo razoo. Jimmy blow your bazoo. Ip-zidi-i-ki U of I! Indianapolis!
Butler University (originally Northwestern Christian University), a private liberal arts institution of higher learning, was established by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 1855. Located just north of Indianapolis at what is today the area of Thirteenth St. and College Ave., the school later moved to the suburb of Irvington. Other schools providing specialized education would come after the Civil War.
The Indianapolis Academy of Medicine established the Indiana Medical College in 1869 to provide formal training for those going into medicine. About a decade later, it consolidated with the College of Physicians and Surgeons, changing the name to the Medical College of Indiana. After being in several downtown locations, some of which burned, the college erected a “commodious and admirably arranged” building across from the statehouse on the northwest corner of West Market St and North Senate Ave. A school of dentistry, the Indiana Dental College, was organized by the Indiana State Dental Association in 1878 with rooms on East Market St. and later on North Pennsylvania St. In 1894 the Dental College constructed a building on the northeast corner of Ohio and Delaware Streets, which still stands.
Professional training for men going into law began when the Indiana Law School, a proprietary institution, was established in 1894. Located at 71 W. Market St, the school was in proximity to the local and federal courts and the state supreme and appellate courts giving “students an unusual opportunity for witnessing court procedure in all of its various forms.”
Forty-eight Indianapolis business and civic leaders signed the articles of incorporation for the University of Indianapolis. After the paperwork was filed on April 8, 1896, a fifteen-member board of trustees was named that included Mayor Tom Taggart, former President Benjamin Harrison, Allen M. Fletcher, Dr. Patrick H. Jameson, Col. Eli Lilly, Addison C. Harris, Edward H. Dean, Herman Lieber, Sterling R. Holt, and Mason J. Osgood, together with Dr. Joseph W. Marsee (Medical College of Indiana), William P. Fishback (Indiana Law School), George E. Hunt (Indiana Dental College), Scot Butler and Hilton U. Brown (Butler College). A temporary seal with the words “University of Indianapolis” was adopted.
The four associated colleges became departments of the university with a combined enrollment of 692 students. Graduates of the law school on May 28, 1896, were the first to be presented with University of Indianapolis diplomas. In October, U of I fielded its first football squad made up of experienced Butler players and “strengthened by…students of the other departments as are eligible and will add to its worth.” In preparation for its opening contest with Franklin College, University of Indianapolis students held an “enthusiastic athletic mass meeting,” adopted royal purple as the university’s color, and paraded through the streets “‘whooping things up’” with the cheer – “Whoop-ee ki rippi ki rap! The sacred tribes of Indianap! Medico, Dentico, Butler, Law! U. of I., U. of I., rah! rah! rah!” At Saturday’s gridiron match-up at the East Ohio Street ball grounds, U. of I. prevailed, 24 to 6.
Since Washington’s Birthday was the day students first demonstrated support of the concept of the University of Indianapolis, it was designated “university day” for annual celebration. Specific organizations, from athletic teams to debating societies, eventually included a mix of students from the four associated schools. There was a Glee and Mandolin Club, and the Butler Collegian had a representative staff and became a monthly publication of all the U. of I. schools. In an unusual development, “Prof.” Richard B. Rudy, a city musician, received permission to organize the University of Indianapolis Band composed of members selected from the local Musicians’ Union. The band, clad in olive green uniforms, trimmed in maroon braid, performed at university functions and in parades. It gave concerts at Military Park, Garfield Park, and elsewhere around the city.
Rev. Burris A. Jenkins, Ph.D., pastor of Third Christian Church and Butler College professor, was the first president of the University of Indianapolis. He was selected by the board of trustees three years after the formation of the university. While there was talk about developing various sites for a campus, and Pres. Jenkins suggested the creation of a $500,000 (2024: $19,150,043) university endowment, the “movers and shakers” who were so enthusiastic in the beginning were suddenly silent and nothing ever came of the proposals; the U. of I. soon became nothing more than a paper university. Butler College continued to use the name “University of Indianapolis” until 1925 when it reverted to “Butler University” and the Indiana Law School used the name until 1936.
