Indiana University alumni help steer and steward the university by electing three of the nine members of the IU Board of Trustees. Indiana's governor appoints the other six, including a student trustee.
All trustees serve three-year terms, with the exception of the student trustee who serves a two-year term. Alumni-elected trustees serve rotating terms, and alumni vote for one trustee each year. A successful candidate begins the three-year term on July 1 immediately following the election; the term ends on June 30 of the third year in office.