Awards

Chancellor and Provost Medallion - 2014

IUPUI Chancellor's Medallion

Indianapolis, Indiana

IU Indianapolis Spirit of Philanthropy Award - 2011

About John L. Krauss

John L. Krauss' 40-year public-service career includes leadership roles with Indianapolis Mayors Richard Lugar and William Hudnut, co-founding the IU Center for Urban Policy and the Environment, founding the IU Public Policy Institute, and raising millions of dollars in outside funding to support the institute's work.

A graduate of Colorado College and the IU McKinney School of Law, Krauss began his public service career in 1971 when he served as an assistant to Indiana Gov. Edgar Whitcomb. In 1972, Krauss joined Lugar's administration as executive director of the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, which helped implement Lugar's public-private partnership. Under Hudnut, Krauss became deputy mayor from 1982 to 1991. In this role, he directed the blueprint for a revitalized central business district, coordinated economic development and negotiated the private-sector partnerships that led to successful completion of Circle Center.

Krauss joined the Indiana University faculty in 1991 and played many roles during his time there. He co-founded and directed IU's Center for Urban Policy and the Environment, an applied research unit within SPEA. In 2008, Krauss led formation of the Public Policy Institute, which initially included the IU Center for Public Policy and the Environment, the IU Center on Health Policy and the IU Center on Criminal Justice. The IU Center on Health Policy was subsequently merged into the new IU Fairbanks School of Public Health. The institute's research areas now reflect the remaining two centers. Under his leadership, the Public Policy Institute worked for more than 150 local and state governmental units, businesses, foundations and nonprofit organizations and published more than 1,000 reports, articles and briefs to help community leaders and policymakers understand the long-term effects of possible policy and funding choices.

In 2011, Krauss' legacy and philanthropy established the John L. Krauss Chair in Alternative Dispute Resolution and ensure that IUPUI Law, in partnership with the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs, continues to educate and prepare students for successful legal and professional careers.

Krauss retired from his position at the Institute in 2013. After he left IU, Krauss combined mediation, strategic public-policy consulting, and teaching at the IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law and working with IUPUI Chancellor Charles R. Bantz on an urban-serving universities coalition. At his retirement ceremony, Krauss received four high honors, including a Sagamore of the Wabash, the IUPUI Chancellor's Medal, and the inaugural John L. Krauss Award for Public Policy Innovation. Additionally, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard declared May 13 "John L. Krauss Day."