More Michael

Steering a university in a long-term positive direction takes thinking – not in terms of years, but decades.

This is exactly what the IU board of trustees did last week by voting unanimously to extend the contract of IU President Michael McRobbie for an additional five years.

McRobbie was inaugurated as the president in July 2007, and his current contract is not set to expire soon – it lasts until 2012.

However, at last week’s meeting, trustee Steve Ferguson made a motion to authorize board President William Cast to draft a contract that would last until 2017.

The move was a preventative measure. Ferguson said several top universities are searching for new presidents, and that the extension was intended to keep McRobbie here as long as possible.

There is no doubt that McRobbie deserves to stay. He has overseen major new development projects, including the recently opened $10 million Innovation Center and the $15 million renovation of the University Theater.

McRobbie has made the increase of outside funding from grants a major goal for his administration and has succeeded. For example, a $10 million grant was awarded for the development of supercomputer technology in September.

But McRobbie’s tenure has not just been a construction boom and influx of money.
Friday, Gov. Mitch Daniels

announced additional state funding cuts to higher education. Earlier this year, McRobbie had to make the difficult but necessary decision to freeze salaries for all faculty and staff in order to keep tuition increases relatively moderate.

But in response to the governor’s announcement, McRobbie vowed to not let this news disrupt the “forward momentum that we all have worked so hard to achieve in recent years.”

The trustee’s action sends a message that long-term thinking will be valued at this University.