Trustees approve new VP position

The IU board of trustees voted Friday to create the office of vice president for governmental relations, which will oversee the existing offices of director of state relations and director of federal relations. Thomas C. Healy, assistant to the president for government relations at Florida Gulf Coast University, was appointed to the post.\nThe restructuring will take effect June 1. IU President Adam Herbert proposed the organizational restructuring and said the new office will help the University work closely with state and federal funding committees.\n"It is clear that partnerships between the University and government are absolutely essential," Herbert said. "And what I'm trying to develop is a more comprehensive and sophisticated approach to governmental relations."\nThe position was created in the face of budgetary frugality on behalf of the state. Because Indiana's state budget is stretched so tightly, Herbert said there is increased pressure to receive federal appropriations.\n"We cannot ignore the reality that the Congress does continue to appropriate money to support initiatives and projects on our campuses," Herbert said. "On the federal level, one of the things that stand out is that we simply must have collaboration throughout the University."\nHerbert said the new position is vital for the University in the face of the current economic situation.\n"We recognize that these are very difficult times financially," he said. "… As we operate in a context that is becoming increasingly more complex, more demanding of communication, we simply must move to a new strategy that is built upon teamwork and collaboration."\nBefore the new post was approved, separate offices handled government relations, which mainly consists of the University's relationships with government grants. Directors dealing with federal and state relations each reported independently to the IU president. \nBut Herbert said the University needed to adopt the new structure to organize and focus the University's government relations.\n"It is the case that we must become more aggressive in terms of partnerships with other universities," Herbert said before the board. "In order to accomplish that, I think it is essential that we have a senior-level person that has overriding responsibilities for these activities." \nTrustee Patrick Shoulders said the president's plan is a positive amendment to the University's current structure. He said the new position allows the University continued success without laying a heavier burden on students. \n"The state is strapped for cash," Shoulders said. "We can't continue to lay big increases on our student body. We have to find other sources of revenue like government grants."\nHerbert emphasized the central idea on which his plan is based is the concept of teamwork.\n"We simply must shift from an approach that is based on individuals to team approaches to the lobbying and fostering greater understanding of our institutional needs," he said.\nHerbert said Healy is the ideal candidate for the new position because of his experience with universities and the government.\n"He knows universities, he understands their dynamics and he understands the concerns of students," Herbert said. "In addition to that, he has been engaged in the lobbying arena for over 20 years. He understands those processes better than anyone I've had the opportunity to work with."\nHealy has worked in higher education for more than 35 years and is a former colleague of Herbert's, having served at the University of North Florida while Herbert was president there. Healy said in a statement he is anxious to contribute to IU.\n"I am eager to serve Indiana University in a position in which I can significantly contribute to the growth and vitality of this remarkable institution," Healy said. "I look forward to once again joining Dr. Herbert and my new colleagues later this spring."\n-- Contact staff writer Rick Newkirk at renewkir@indiana.edu.