Why McRobbie matters

Last Friday, the Indiana Daily Student looked at student reactions to the selection of Michael McRobbie as the next IU president. In what’s becoming this semester’s theme, the article found that students were apathetic toward the announcement and ignorant of not merely its possible significance, but even its occurrence. \nI know you’re busy with midterms and spring break plans – but the shift to a new president could have a major impact on your lives here at IU, and if you don’t get involved or don’t stay informed, you might lose out. So, here are some reasons why we students need to not only pay attention to the current developments, but make sure that our voices are heard:\n• Student engagement. I was at Thursday’s trustee meeting and press conference where McRobbie was announced as the new president. The proceedings began with each trustee, in turn, expressing support for McRobbie and briefly discussing why he’ll do a good job – during this, only student trustee Casey Cox and McRobbie spoke about the importance of teaching (research, on the other hand, received much more emphasis). No one mentioned affordability, except in terms of diversity scholarships. When asked how he’d keep in touch with IU students, McRobbie said through his knowledge of University networks and contacts (rather than, say, directly). \nNow, I don’t think McRobbie means to snub students in any way – for example, his plan to convene student task forces to update the “living and learning environment” at IU and IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis sounds pretty neat – but it’s worth remembering that, having been an IU administrator for a decade, it has been awhile since he has worked with students extensively. If students don’t speak up before the inevitable conflicts come between, say, teaching and research, or affordability and excellence, they could find their interests losing out to those of other groups in the IU community.\n• Graduate education. When I asked McRobbie about the status of graduate student health and dental care, he said that he is planning to conduct a comprehensive review of the state of graduate student support, as he’s concerned that insufficient support could hurt IU’s competitiveness. This didn’t surprise me, both because of his emphasis on research and due to his expressed goal of recruiting new faculty to replace the retiring baby boomers (things to which graduate students will be instrumental). Still, it’s good to know that if graduate students keep pushing on this issue, we might achieve some change.\n• Diversity. In a speech to the Bloomington Rotary Club, McRobbie announced a plan “to double IU’s minority student enrollment by 2013.” At the press conference, he stated that he’s completing a proposal that would provide the funding for the first year of this effort. Still, details at the press conference were rather vague – again, showing a need for student awareness.\nIn short, we’re at a crossroads in IU’s future. If the University is to go the direction you want, you must show the way.