Member Profile

IUAA Member Spotlight Robert Buggs

Robert L. Buggs III
BS'95, MPA'01, IU Northwest

Occupational development coordinator, IU Northwest

President, MREB & Associates Rental Properties

Community activist, avid volunteer, IUAA Executive Council member, IUAA life member

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Why I chose IU
I chose IU Northwest because of its geographic location, accessibility, enormous list of various disciplines, and the accommodations provided for non-traditional students to carry a full course load while employed full time. Once enrolled, my choice of attending IUN was substantiated by the student/professor relationship. Walk into any classroom, and the professor will most likely know his or her students on a first-name basis. The School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUN is highly ranked nationally, and the SPEA staff cares and shares with its students.

Favorite memories of IU
Without a doubt, my classroom experiences with professors George Roberts, MA'54, PhD'62, and Gary Martin. Dr. Roberts' Constitutional Law class was very challenging. He would tell all his students on day one, "I don't like you. If I was taking my class, I would give myself a 'B,' so where does that leave you?" In my Criminalistics class with Professor Martin, we aggressively debated a case of a Hobart, Ind., man who allegedly committed suicide by striking himself in back of his head with a claw hammer 32 times. The coroner theorized the second or third blow cracked his skull and rendered him unconscious and rules it a homicide; forensic experts nationally stated it was a suicide. To this day, Professor Martin maintains it was a suicide, and I maintain it was a homicide.

Advice to undergraduates
I would advise undergraduates to take a moment to make an objective observation of the state of affairs of the environmental, economical, and political issues with emphasis on the strengths or weaknesses of each globally, nationally, and locally. Then identify those areas where he or she believes their contributions would benefit future generations and society in general and focus all their energies toward those objectives.

Why the IU Alumni Association is important to me
My former professor, mentor, and president of the IUN alumni association executive board, Ron Ziol, BS'88, MPA'92, invited me to become a member. My acceptance was one of my most defining moments as an IUN alumnus. My intellectual and social horizon has been expanded and enriched. The feeling of pride and camaraderie whenever I hear or see the word IU is subconsciously automatic. Although my friend and mentor has passed on, his passion and love for IU and the IUAA continue. It is my goal to perpetually pursue the integrity and excellence that Ron and IU exude in academics and life.