From the Desk of the Chancellor, August 30, 2010

Charncellor Charles R. Bantz View print-quality image

Great news—The White House Office for Urban Affairs invited IUPUI to a working meeting on engaging anchor institutions in the economic development of cities. As you know, IUPUI is an anchor institution for Central Indiana and we are committed to partnering with our city, so I am pleased to represent IUPUI at the meeting tomorrow (Aug. 31, 2010) in Washington, D.C.

The Office of Urban Affairs asked me to present our strategic approach to partnership: academic programs linked to economic development, translational research, technology transfer, and sustained partnerships through civic engagement. I will describe how the RISE and TRIP intiatives, for example, are interlocking, complementary strategies to make IUPUI’s practice-based learning and discovery part of the fabric of our academic community—even while addressing issues that are of concern to our larger community as well.

By emphasizing how the presence of a thriving research university can leverage its resources to support our cities through research, learning, engagement, and collaborative problem solving, we hope to influence White House and Congressional policy making in support of the nation’s urban-serving anchor institutions.

This is a terrific opportunity to share the contributions of IUPUI faculty, staff, and students. The meeting will include presidents and chancellors of other urban universities as well as representatives of the U.S. Department of Education, Housing and Urban Development, and Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities.

Comments? Write chancllr@iupui.edu .