New office aims to bring money to IU

You have to spend money to make money.\nWith that idea in mind, IU President Adam Herbert created the new Office of University Planning, Institutional Research and Accountability at the beginning of September. \nIU associate vice president of the office Victor Borden sees the creation as an investment for the University.\n"If it doesn't contribute, the office will go away. But I think it will be a great return on investment -- it has been in my experiences at IUPUI," he said.\nBorden also sees a potential growth in state support as a result of documented progress.\n"If the state sees that IU is contributing to the economic development of the state, then the legislation will be more supportive," Borden said.\nIU contributes to Indiana's economic development, he said, by educating future professionals and creating jobs through research. Educated graduates bring higher paying jobs to the state, boosting the economy.\n"A bachelor's degree and graduate degree have a higher return of investment. They are bringing higher paying jobs to the region, as well as creating new jobs," Borden said. "Also, IU conducted $400 million in sponsored research last year, and people had to be hired to do that. We just have to make a better case of documenting it."\nWith a $900,000 per year budget, Borden said the new office will indirectly bring new revenue to IU.\nThe office, which was designed to help IU administrators search for evidence of the progress of its students, will consist of three staff members: Borden, who was already employed in a similar office at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis, and two others who have yet to be hired. The new office plans to increase accountability for IU through the comparison of statistics such as bar exam scores, graduation rates and job placement.\n"The man in charge already works for the University," said IU spokesman Larry MacIntyre. "It's not going to be a huge operation."\nBorden, whom the University previously paid $108,000 a year, will receive a 20 percent increase in salary. The salary of the other two staff members, an administrative assistant and a professional analyst, will depend on the qualifications of those hired, Borden said.\nBorden described the creation of the Office of University Planning, Institutional Research and Accountability as a shifting of resources and an indirect investment. He sees better accountability as a way to stimulate academic progress. Progress, in turn, attracts more external funds.\n"The primary focus is on improving progress towards major goals and demonstrating this progress to the external public," Borden said. "That then becomes evidence in soliciting more funds and more support. Foundations are very keen on seeing evidence that the organizations they give to are making positive progress."\nMost of the $900,000 was already being spent before the office's creation, said Charlie Nelms, IU vice president of institutional development and student affairs. Nelms described this office as a combination of previously existing offices -- staff members from the Office of University Research and Reporting will now work for the new office, and Borden will report to Nelms.\n"Some of the people have already been working on other units, so we've pulled people together from a wide array of units and centralized the function," Nelms said. "These are not brand new dollars"