November 4, 2022

The Report

Letter from Vice President for University Relations Michael Huber

Michael Huber

Dear friend of IU,

Welcome to the latest report from the newly renamed Indiana University Office of the Vice President for University Relations.

I am extremely appreciative of the warm welcome I have received from so many members of the IU community since arriving at the university late last month. Over the past several days, I have had the privilege of meeting with and learning about faculty, staff, students, alumni, partners and friends of the university who contribute every day to the extraordinary impact IU has on the vitality of Indiana and our nation. After every conversation I have, it becomes increasingly clear that the power of IU is in its people—those who work tirelessly to elevate the reputation of IU and the state it serves—as well as in the relationships the university continues to maintain and advance with people and partner organizations that share its mission.

The new name of our office, formerly the IU Office of the Vice President for Government Relations and Economic Engagement, underscores the importance IU will place on strengthening university relations with its key stakeholders, including leaders in business, community development, education and government. It also anticipates the progress we expect to make by more effectively aligning our educational, research and engagement initiatives with the workforce needs of our state and the individual needs of Hoosiers.

As I said when I was appointed to my new role, I'm inspired by IU President Pamela Whitten's commitment to make IU an engine to improve the lives of Hoosiers across our state. I see unlimited potential in today's environment to increase collaboration between academia and the public and private sectors. I'm convinced that there's no better platform to apply these important cross-sector partnerships than IU, which boasts unique assets that cannot be found anywhere else. These resources include first-in-class scholarship, research, entrepreneurship expertise and global networks that, if properly leveraged, will fuel the successful expansion of the state's most important industries, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and defense, and the health and life sciences.  

President Whitten's new IU 2030 framework for the university's strategic planning process reflects the idea of the university as an economic development partner and as an accelerator. It also serves as a directive for all members of the university community to think big as we envision new, innovative ways to attract and retain top talent in our state, advance Indiana's culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, and drive discoveries that help solve some of the biggest challenges facing our communities.

Likewise, the bold new vision we have shared for the transformation of our IUPUI campus and the creation of an enlarged presence in Indianapolis signals IU's determination to play an even more energetic role. We aim to ensure more job-ready graduates, expand our research activities in the greater Indianapolis region, and establish creative collaborations with key partners that will benefit communities across our state through increased investment and entrepreneurial activity, including promising new startups.

In short, this is an exciting time for IU as we seek to build upon our past successes, form the foundation of our future, and use our assets to create a positive sense of place that makes Indiana a more attractive place to live, work and do business. 

On behalf of the dedicated team at IU's Office of the Vice President for University Relations, we look forward to working together with you to build a better, stronger Indiana and improve the lives of everyone who takes pride in calling our state home.

 

Yours sincerely,

Michael Huber

Vice President for University Relations
Indiana University

IU School of Medicine generates $2.2 billion annual economic impact on state

The Indiana University School of Medicine, the largest medical school in the U.S., delivers $2.2 billion in annual income to Indiana's economy through its investments in student success, medical research and health care innovation, and service toward improving the lives of the people of Indiana and beyond.

The school's financial impact is equivalent to supporting 34,370 jobs -- or one out of every 116 jobs in the Hoosier state -- according to the results of a new economic impact and investment analysis revealed today by the school and IU's Office of the Vice President for University Relations.

Read more about the “Economic Value of Indiana University School of Medicine” study

 

Economic Engagement Update

IU Northwest collaboratively tackles regional property tax-delinquency issue to enable greater economic redevelopment opportunities

Through exhaustive research in collaboration with Lake County government, IU Northwest’s Center for Urban and Regional Excellence has identified, by specific location, more than 9,200 tax-delinquent parcels that remain unsold due to zero bids received during Lake County tax sales in 2020 and 2021. In collaboration with local governments, IU Northwest is pursuing strategic approaches aimed at ultimately enabling property tax collection and greater economic redevelopment opportunities of these currently idle “churner” parcels. This crucial economic and policy issue facing the region was the dedicated focus of the fall 2022 meeting of Chancellor’s Commission on Community Engagement at IU Northwest, chaired by Chancellor Ken Iwama.

Read the full Innovate Indiana blog post on the “churner” property issue and IU Northwest’s concentrated efforts to address it

 

IU Ventures uses recent investments to drive life sciences innovation in Indiana, Midwest

Through several major investments in promising medical and health care startups, IU Ventures, IU’s early-stage venture and angel investment arm, is helping to accelerate innovation in the life sciences in Indiana and the surrounding region. IU Ventures’ investment “portfolio” has recently expanded to include nine Indiana- or Midwestern-based life sciences companies with strong connections to the IU School of Medicine, the nation’s largest medical school.

Read the full story

 

Upcoming Events

2023 Business Outlook forecast will be presented in 9 Indiana cities

The IU Kelley School of Business will present its 2023 economic forecasts for the nation, Indiana and communities across the state beginning with a presentation Nov. 10 in Bloomington.

Read about the event

See the full schedule

 

IU News

3 research universities to collaborate with industry, government to develop quantum technologies

Quantum science and engineering can save energy, speed up computation, enhance national security and defense, and innovate health care. With a grant from the National Science Foundation, researchers from IU (both Bloomington and IUPUI campuses), Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame will develop industry- and government-relevant quantum technologies as part of the Center for Quantum Technologies.

Read the full story

 

Polis Center data hub tracks Indianapolis’ pandemic recovery

A new project from the Polis Center at IUPUI is tracking Indianapolis’ COVID-19 pandemic recovery by analyzing metrics including unemployment, housing prices and pandemic relief funding.

Read the full story

 

IU researcher creates virtual reality experiences to aid substance use disorder recovery

IU researchers are combining psychological principles with innovative virtual reality technology to create a new immersive therapy for people with substance use disorders. They've recently received over $4.9 million from the National Institutes of Health and launched an IU-affiliated startup company to test and further develop the technology.

Read the full story

 

$5.1M grant to help prevent Hoosier overdose deaths

IU researchers are working to reduce the number of opioid deaths in Indiana by providing timely data to improve resources and services that help people who use drugs stay as healthy as possible. Using a five-year, $5.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s HEAL Data2Action Initiative, the researchers will work with overdose fatality review teams in 19 Hoosier counties to measure and improve the effectiveness of harm reduction practices.

Read the full story

 

Regional campuses reduce costs, barriers to encourage more Hoosiers to attend college

IU is working with students and high schools across the state to make the transition to college more seamless while lowering common barriers to post-secondary education. With five regional campuses, IU is taking steps to help high school students access college-level classes while also reducing common fees.

Read the full story