Doing What Matters

Higher education today is challenged. As we navigate these challenges, some of which result from a lack of trust in our institutions, let’s remind ourselves that at IU Indianapolis, our work is about building trust. What makes us unique is the community-focused and community-serving research that our faculty, staff, and students are engaged in.

Our mission to serve our community is not just talk – it is rigorous research that addresses Central Indiana's most pressing challenges, from health outcomes and equity to policy, economic stability, and the arts. As I continue my annual Listen and Learn tours, visiting every school on our campus, I am humbled by the work that our faculty are engaged in. This work builds healthier, more just, and sustainable communities – this work changes lives. 

In the last two weeks, I visited the School of Social Work, the School of Education, and the Fairbanks School of Public Health. At the School of Social Work, our students, under faculty supervision, contribute around 500,000 hours annually to serving our communities. Partnering with public libraries in our state, the School of Social Work’s Because You Matter initiative says it all. This program offers free mental health services to residents in rural Indiana, a service that is a top need in over 66% of our counties. This work matters.

At the School of Education, our faculty work with middle and high schools in the area to support and develop teachers. The Digital Education Hub offers resources to both teachers and families to support learning. Educators have access to lesson plans for their classrooms, and families can use digital tools, including tutorials, to help their students. This is particularly beneficial to school districts that may not have access to the most advanced digital education resources. This work matters.

At the Fairbanks School of Public Health, our faculty are engaged in research ranging from the cost of dental care in emergency medicine, care for the incarcerated, to the cost of obesity medications in the workplace. At the IU Indianapolis ECHO Center, faculty at the Fairbanks School use technology to study health and monitor outcomes in rural communities in ways that improve access to treatment for chronic diseases in Indiana. Through this work, interdisciplinary teams of medical experts help patients in counties lacking local access to such care. 

At IU Indianapolis, the research we do matters not just to the researcher, the funder (if it is funded), the journal editor, and readers (when the work is published). It matters to individuals and communities, including those who may not have seen or been on our campus. It is research that makes a difference.

Go Jags!

Latha Ramchand
Chancellor