More Firsts with the Trustees, Honors College, Luddy School, and Community Welcome

Last week brought my first Indiana University Board of Trustees meeting where I was pleased to share enrollment updates with the board as well as details of the exciting expansion of the Lilly co-op program, which—in addition to the Kelley School of Business—now includes the School of Health & Human Sciences and the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. What great opportunities this program provides real-world experiences for our IU Indianapolis students!

At the trustees meeting, Phil Goff, president of the IUPUI Faculty Council, shared information about two exciting areas of research and teaching on campus. The first is work being done in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs focused on removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Professor Jerome Dumortier contributed his expertise at the intersection of agricultural, environmental, and energy economics to the “Roads to Removal” report, a national assessment of carbon dioxide removal on the road to achieving a net-zero greenhouse gas economy.

Among researchers from all 50 states who contributed to the report, Professor Dumortier weighs the pros and cons of making the switch from corn to switchgrass as a biofuel in Indiana, among other analyses. I had the pleasure of meeting Professor Dumortier and many of his colleagues during my tour of the O’Neill School in February, and I look forward to both the national and international spotlights shining on the high-impact research that they are doing.

The other project that I was glad to hear Professor Goff highlight was the new multidisciplinary capstone launched this semester in the School of Science. In its first semester, the course has enrolled 30 students majoring in biology, forensics, earth science, and religious studies. Students are focusing on projects such as habitat restoration, genetic environmental surveillance, antibiotic resistance in soil, and zebrafish development.

This capstone touches every element of our strategic plan, providing a multidisciplinary, community-engaged, undergraduate research experience that leads towards student success. At the same time, it supports our campus’s Principles of Learning for Undergraduate Success. In addition to creating opportunities for students and strengthening our curriculum, the course also connects our Indianapolis campus to community partners including Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc., with whom students are working on habitat restoration.

I am grateful for the creativity and innovation leading to this new course from faculty members Patrick Gentry, Jim Marrs, Kathy Marrs, and Forrest Brem of the Department of Biology; Gabriel Filippelli of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences; and Victoria Schmalhofer, assistant director of the Center for Earth and Environmental Science.

This week has been very busy with my tours of the Honors College and the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering along with the delightful community welcome event hosted by Jim Morris and the Pacer’s organization on Wednesday evening.

As with my previous tours, those at the Honors College and the Luddy School gave me a wonderful opportunity to meet our outstanding students, connect with staff, and learn about the innovative research and teaching our faculty have underway.

It was clear to me that the faculty and staff at our Honors College are dedicated to ensuring the best learning environment for our students and connecting students with scholarship and fellowship opportunities. With more than 800 students pursuing different fields of study, our Honors College brings together talented learners from different programs to collaborate and push their educations further. Meeting our students, their passion for learning was evident, reaffirming our commitment to fostering a culture of intellectual curiosity and innovation.

From cutting-edge research to high-impact data analytics, the Luddy School is at the forefront of shaping the future of technology and computing. The research at Luddy, as evidenced in the extramural funded research shared by the department chairs and associate dean, is a testament to the quality and significance of the work they do. It was also exciting to watch our students use gaming, VR, and XR technology to solve real world challenges, including applications in medicine and health sciences.

We also visited the Polis Center at Luddy where our faculty, staff, and students work with community partners to improve community health, well-being, and resiliency. From work that helps the Federal Emergency Management Agency identify high risk areas for natural disasters, to studying the social determinants of health, our Polis Center is a community resource that helps us connect the academic work we do with the needs of the citizens we serve.

On Wednesday evening, I was overwhelmed by the warmth and support I received at the community welcome event, which took place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Our university is fortunate to have the unwavering advocacy of leaders like Jim Morris, vice chairman of Pacers Sports and Entertainment and former IU trustee. I also want to thank Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, President and Chief Operating Officer of Pacers Sports and Entertainment Mel Raines, Earl Goode from the Indiana Governor’s Office, IU Trustee Chair Quinn Buckner, and IU President Pam Whitten for their kind words of welcome.

As we celebrated both the history and future of Indiana University, I couldn’t help but feel immense gratitude for the audience in the room: community leaders, industry partners, elected officials, and more. Their lifelong commitment to serving our city, state, and region is truly remarkable, and their longstanding ties to our campus as graduates, supporters, advocates, and community partners are invaluable. Our ongoing collaborations with these individuals will be the assets that we can build on as we move into a new era for our campus.

Go Jags!

Latha Ramchand
Chancellor