Skip to main content

11 Pride-Inducing Prizewinners

If you’re a die-hard fan of all things IU, there’s a good chance you’ve already heard of …

  • Pulitzer Prize recipient Ernie Pyle, LHD Hon’44
  • Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom
  • Grammy Award winner Booker T. Jones, BME’67, DM Hon’12
  • Academy and Tony Award winner Kevin Kline, BA’70, LHD’14, and
  • Grammy Award winner Joshua Bell, BFA’89

But there are scores of other IU faculty and alumni who have claimed prizes on the world’s grandest stages. Here are just a few.


Photo of John C. Eaton
Eaton’s “pocket operas” included Peer Gynt, Let’s Get This Show on the Road, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

John C. Eaton:
Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellowships

Called by Andrew Porter “the most interesting opera composer writing in America today,” Eaton was internationally recognized as a composer and performer of electronic and microtonal music. He even created his own compositional genre called “pocket opera.” Eaton served on the Jacobs School of Music faculty from 1970 to 1992.


Photo of Lisel Mueller
In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Mueller won a National Book Award for Poetry in 1981.

Lisel Mueller:
Pulitzer in Poetry and National Book Award

Forced to flee Nazi Germany at age 15, Mueller would go on to become the only German-born poet to win the Pulitzer Prize in poetry. After graduating from the University of Evansville, Mueller took graduate courses at Indiana University.


Photo of Melissa Farlow
Farlow is a repeat winner in the annual Picture of the Year International competition.

Melissa Farlow:
Pulitzer in Photography

Photojournalist Farlow, BA’74, served as photo editor of the Indiana Daily Student and editor-in-chief of the Arbutus. She contributed to National Geographic publications for almost 20 years, traveling around the globe to capture images from Africa to Alaska to the Austrian Alps.


Photo of David Anspaugh and Dennis Hopper
David Anspaugh and Dennis Hopper on the set of Hoosiers.

David Anspaugh:
Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series

While Anspaugh, BA’70, is best known for directing two iconic sports films (Hoosiers and Rudy), he began his career producing and directing the television show Hill Street Blues, for which he won two Emmy Awards.


Photo of Ligaya McGovern
McGovern is the author of Globalization and Third World Women: Exploitation, Coping and Resistance.

Ligaya McGovern:
Fulbright Award

Professor McGovern, from IU Kokomo, researches globalization and women and gender, with a focus on women in developing nations. Her Fulbright Award took her to the Philippines to study the disjuncture between human rights and sustainable development.


Photo of Nets Katz
In 2015, Katz was one of two recipients of the Clay Research Award, given for major breakthroughs in mathematical research.

Nets Katz:
Guggenheim Fellowship

Katz graduated from college at age 17, earned his PhD three years later, and went on to become a professor of mathematics at IU. Specializing in a field called combinatorics, Katz was named a Guggenheim Fellow in 2012.


This article was originally published in the fall 2020 issue of Imagine magazine.

Written By

Ryan Millbern

Related stories

Three images in gold frames hanging on a gallery wall

IU Alumni Artwork Displayed in Museums Around the World

The seven alumni artists profiled in this story have exhibited work across mediums in museums around the world. Take a look.

Woman sitting in a recording studio

Sound Judgment: Laura Sisk a Swift Staple

A skim of the credits of Taylor Swift’s last eight albums will reveal a common phrase: “Vocals recorded by Laura Sisk.”

Andre Watts sitting at a piano

André Watts: Dazzling Performer, Devoted Musical Mentor

Grammy-winning artist and distinguished professor of piano at the Jacobs School of Music, André Watts, died July 12, 2023.

Charlie Clifford standing on deserted city street

TUMI and Roam Co-Founder Charlie Clifford Changed the Luggage Game (Twice)

Premium luggage mogul Charlie Clifford, BA’65, MBA’67, founded TUMI in 1975 and his customizable luggage brand, Roam, in 2017.