What does July 1 mean for IU Indianapolis

We are a few weeks away from July 1, 2024 when the IUPUI realignment takes effect. Two great institutions - Indiana University and Purdue University that came together 55 years ago to create IUPUI - are realigning to become IU Indianapolis and Purdue University in Indianapolis.

What does this mean for IU Indianapolis?

We are fortunate to have the legacy of a rich set of values that are part of IUPUI’s history that we will carry into our future - integrity, excellence, inclusion, and service. IU Indianapolis is not a glorified regional campus; it is a premier public, urban research university. Our can-do culture is a significant asset that will help us translate our academic work into transformational impact for our community and the region. The word “innovation” is used by all stakeholder groups in describing what we do and how we do it.

What does the data show?

The Global Cities Index (GCI) recently published by Oxford Economics notes, “Cities are the driving force behind our global economy. They are the engines for national economic growth, centers for education and innovation, and seats of political power ranks.” Per this study, which is based on 27 indicators grouped into five categories that include economics, human capital, quality of life, environment, and governance, Indianapolis ranks in the top 14% of cities in the world. We rank 54^th in the economic growth category and 275^th in the human capital category.

What is our opportunity?

What the GCI analysis shows is that we are a growing city in terms of gross domestic product, employment, economic diversity, and stability. It also shows that we have opportunities for improvement in the area of human capital, which takes into account educational attainment, the universities in the city, and population demographics. In other words, having a locational advantage of being in a growing city, we can be the economic engine for the city, state, and region by graduating the human capital that our region needs.

A second and related opportunity given our location stems from the potential to partner with industry and our community to address societal challenges. The research that our faculty do can be translated into innovations that improve health outcomes, quality of life, promote technological improvements, and foster economic growth and prosperity for all. Our faculty research can also have a transformational impact in the creation of a vibrant, civic-minded, and engaged democracy.

The Human Capital Opportunity - The Workforce Strategy created by the Indiana Economic Development Council points to the following priorities for Indiana:

• Retain 25K more college graduates by 2030 and graduate and retain 10K more in students in tech related sectors
• Upskill 300K workers and help 40K workers to rejoin the workforce
• Inspire an additional 25K high school students to enroll in credentialed programs
• Increase Indiana’s workforce participation rate from 63.6% to 64.6%

At IU Indianapolis we are committed to helping achieve these goals. Close to 90% of our 4-year degree recipients who are Indiana residents live and work in the state after they graduate. Two initiatives recently implemented at IU Indianapolis have been designed to increase the number of college graduates include:

• A seamless admissions program that was rolled out in Oct 2023 to 4 IPS high schools and has now been expanded to include all 12 IPS high schools and will allow those high school students with a certain GPA to be seamlessly admitted to IU Indianapolis. We plan to expand this program to other schools in the city.
• Increasing the number of college-level dual credit courses that enable high school students to take college credits before they finish high school, thereby reducing the time and cost of completing a college degree. We currently offer 300 courses and plan to expand this program.

Opportunity for industry partnerships - Data from the TEConomy report shows that the life sciences industry in the region can benefit from more patents, licensing opportunities, and tech commercialization; more lab space for scientists; and the creation of an ecosystem of innovation that supports entrepreneurship and innovation. At IU Indianapolis we are working on all of those:

• We created two new institutes – the Convergent BioScience and Technology Institute (CBATI) and the Institute for Human Health and Wellbeing (H2W). CBATI will foster interdisciplinary bioscience and technology research and promote industry partnerships in areas such as medical devices and sensors and AI-enabled drug discovery and delivery. Patents, licensing opportunities, and industry partnerships along with the creation of IU startups will be emphasized. H2W will expand faculty research to promote improvements in health outcomes and reductions in health inequities. Opportunities to use AI and machine learning to detect and monitor obesity and diabetes to pursuing community-engaged research focused on health equity will inject an interdisciplinary approach to addressing our health challenges in Indiana and beyond. These institutes will recruit faculty and add approximately 50K square feet in lab space.
• Working with 16Tech, we are connecting students to the ecosystem of entrepreneurship where research moves into the marketplace of innovation.
• We have always been known for experiential learning opportunities and we plan to do more. We recently launched a co-op partnership with Eli Lilly and Company to enhance talent pipelines and expand workforce development opportunities. This initial partnership will serve as a model for the development of similar partnerships with other leading organizations across central Indiana. Co-ops and internships help our students gain experience and our goal is to ensure that every student at IU Indianapolis has at least one experiential learning opportunity before they graduate.

As a premier public, urban research university, our goal at IU Indianapolis is to deliver workforce and innovation opportunities in Indiana. We will be the knowledge partner to industry and the community and help drive economic growth for the region.

Go Jags!

Latha Ramchand
Chancellor