First 90 Days

Much has been written and discussed about the first 90 days in a new role. In my first 90 days here, I’ve focused on listening and learning, visiting every school and academic unit on campus, and engaging with students both informally and in classroom settings—and here is what I have learned:

First and foremost, I have come to appreciate the rich legacy of IUPUI, which is steeped in collaboration, community, and respect. We actually do what we say we will. A case in point: our practices around inclusivity, not just via titles and offices, but in our policies for promotion where we recognize research and scholarship that is related to inclusion, equity, and diversity.

Second, community connections are consistently and intentionally pursued by IUPUI faculty members in the form of public scholarship that is responsive to public audiences and community stakeholders.

Third, our campus offers a refreshing let’s-be-real culture where things get done, not just talked about. So what have we collectively done in the last 90 days:

Student Enrollment

• Working with our enrollment management team, we expanded the seamless admissions policy created in October 2023 to include all 12 high schools within the Indianapolis Public School district.
• We rebranded the Admitted Student Day to become the Jaguar Journey Day and nearly doubled the total number of participants compared to 2023.
• We offered webinars to parents and students providing help on the FAFSA.
• At this juncture, our total applications are up more than 11%, and the number of students admitted is up 8%. If this trend continues and if the FAFSA challenges are resolved, we expect to enroll more students this year compared to the last.
• Building on the state of Indiana’s 21^st Century Scholars Program and using best practices from our campus’s most successful student support programs, we will start to offer the wrap around support that other IU campuses offer via the Groups Scholars Program. University College and the Office of Enrollment Management are working on the criteria for this new program.

Appointments and Celebrations

• Thanks to the efforts of those who participated in the process, and especially those who served on the search committee, we completed the appointment of Kalea Benner as the next dean of the School of Social Work, and we also appointed James Lin as executive director for the Convergent Bioscience and Technology Institute (CBATI).
• We launched a national search for an executive vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost for IU-Indianapolis.
• With enthusiastic support from our community, we appointed Paul Corsaro as our new men’s basketball coach.
• Thanks to all of you, we applauded the accomplishments of our students at the Elite 50 and the IUPUI Top 100 and recognized our IUPUI family at Celebrate IUPUI Day.

Programs, Budget, and Policy

• Jay Gladden and Phaedra Corso are leading the IU Indianapolis Sports Working Group to develop a multi-disciplinary, and institutional-level initiative in sports and human performance aligned with our academic programs and research and with special emphasis on community, industry, government, and philanthropic partnerships.
• A task force of faculty and staff is working to make recommendations on a new budgeting process that will replace the current RCM.
• A task force of faculty, staff, and students is working on recommendations that will provide policy guidelines for student protests that will be sent to our Board of Trustees in late May.

Thanks to all of you for the diligence and thoughtful consideration you bring to every initiative and activity at IU Indianapolis. I am honored and humbled to serve you all. As we work together, the can-do attitude described to me on my first day—February 12, 2024—will serve us well as we carve our rightful place as the nation’s premier public, urban, research university.

Go Jags!

Latha Ramchand
Chancellor