Herbert addresses economy

IU President Adam Herbert outlined his plan for aiding Indiana's economic and educational transformation at the Economic Club of Indianapolis Monday. His plan includes building a new Clarian hospital, improving P-12 education and furthering medical research.\nRoughly 1,000 people listened to Herbert's strategy to harness IU's information technology and the life sciences to further job growth.\nHerbert delegated this task to a University economic development task force shortly after the start of his tenure.\n"An educated workforce with great diversity, quality and depth is the single most important factor in attracting new businesses," Herbert said in his address. "In such an environment, universities become crucial."\nHerbert announced his intent to assist the state in improving education from preschool to college, as well as emphasized the importance of concentrating on low-income and minority demographics. \nTo achieve this goal, IU has worked closely with the Indiana Commission on Higher Education, said Bill Stephan, vice president for public affairs and government relations.\n"IU has a great deal of expertise in technological areas," Stephan said. "(Herbert) is very interested in ways IU can provide technical assistance … for urban schools or low-income families."\nHerbert stressed the importance of education in attracting the new business vital for jump-starting the state's economy.\n"If the state of Indiana is to compete successfully in the new economy and halt the 'brain drain' … we must improve the quality of education, preschool through college," Herbert said. "Failure to do so means that we lack qualified workers to fill the new positions."\nHerbert said he hopes to garner prestige and employment opportunities by pushing for more research programs, particularly in the IU School of Medicine. In conjunction with Clarian Health Partners, the school hopes to become a leader in the field of cancer research and treatment. \n"We have plans to build a new cancer treatment hospital in partnership with Clarian," Herbert said. "Our goal is to become one of the top five cancer research centers in America and the best in the Midwest within the next five years."\nClarian Health is an "umbrella identity" for Methodist Health Group, IU Hospital and Riley Hospital for Children, according to www.clarian.org. \nJohn Walda, chairman of the board of Clarian Health Partners and IU vice president of governmental affairs, said he believes the new facility will benefit IU as well as the state.\n"It will provide a state-of-the-art facility for the School of Medicine faculty and private doctors engaged in cancer treatment to practice in," Walda said.\nBy providing quality practitioners and facilities, the hospital will boost IU's reputation as a medical school, Walda said.\nAnother key initiative by which IU hopes to serve the economy is fostering an entrepreneurial culture, Herbert said. The Advanced Research and Technology Institute, founded by the IU Emerging Technologies Center, was the first step toward this.\n"Just this year, (ARTI) assisted faculty members in patenting more than twice as many of their discoveries as in 1996, the year ARTI was established," Herbert said.\nDue to the success of the IUETC, Herbert said plans for another incubator for graduated companies are in the works.\nAbout 84 percent of incubator companies stay in the state said Mark Long, president and chief executive officer for ARTI. He said he hopes they will continue to grow and employ more graduates.\n"If I could create the next Eli Lilly, that would be a great economic boost for Indy," Long said laughing.\nHerbert spoke optimistically about Indiana's economic outlook and the role IU will play in developing it.\n"Through vision, strategic actions, teamwork and Hoosier resolve, we will build an Indiana as good as its promise," he said. "We can look to a future in which we struggle not to find jobs for workers, but to find enough workers for all the new jobs."\n-- Contact staff writer Mike McElroy at mmcelroy@indiana.edu.