A state university

Entering the era of Michael McRobbie as IU president, the university’s eight campuses must be poised for transition. It will be a transition to make IU a research based university and to a focus on the spread of IU’s mission internationally, no doubt. But the most important, and most debated, transition that the university will be faced with is the incorporation of the multiple university campuses into the national and international conception of IU. This transition is the one that has been the impetus for an unfortunate debate. \nThe core of this discussion about the incorporation of other university campuses contains neither a legitimate concern for the degree quality of IU-Bloomington nor the fear that IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis will lead the university down a path too focused on research and less focused on education. Such assertions are merely justifications for the core belief that such a view perpetuates – IUB is the best and everyone else can rot for all we care.\nConsider for a moment that the request for general education funding at IUB for the 2006-07 academic year was $671,373,149. The total amount of the General Education fund requested by the University in its entirety was $1,351,041,810. The request for IUB makes up approximately 49.6 percent of the total amount of the General Education budget.. The IUPUI request was a significantly lower second at $477,791,379, though its estimated total expenditures were $64,036,232 more than those of IUB. The university’s third largest campus by enrollment, IU-South Bend, requested just $56,590,655. IU-Southeast New Albany, the fourth largest campus, requested $47,008,140.\nViewing these numbers makes it clear that, because of its large enrollment and flagship status, IUB is in fact viewed the top dog in the IU hierarchy. A challenge to that position is unlikely, and if it does happen, the “contender” will be IUPUI. IUB’s view that the Indianapolis campus is its adversary is counterproductive and it degrades the success of another member of the IU family.\nRather than be concerned about IUB remaining the flagship campus of IU, it would be beneficial to build up the other campuses around the state, so that all IU students can proudly and accurately call themselves Hoosiers. Funding projects that will prove beneficial to other campuses will only result in broader success for the University. For example, Gov. Mitch Daniels recently decided to back the construction of university apartments at IU South Bend and IU Southeast for approximately $40 million. At IU Southeast, the housing project is expected to help the school’s competition with surrounding universities such as the University of Louisville.\nIf calling IUB the flagship campus of IU will keep the opponents of progress at bay, then by all means, tout it as such from the highest mountain. But continuing a childish complaint about a collective partnership between all IU campuses will be detrimental to university progress. The enhancement of IU, with all its many campuses and students, should in fact be the mission pursued. I hope IU’s new president will continue in this regard and render IU the true state university in Indiana.