McRobbie to give semi-annual speech

With the University as his congress, IU President Michael McRobbie will deliver the State of the University address at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Frangipani Room in the Union.

The speech, delivered twice a year by the President to the IU community, will focus on progress the University has made, University-wide initiatives and the challenges of the upcoming year.

The address is open to the public, with students, faculty and Bloomington community members invited to the IMU to hear the President speak.

The event will also be broadcast live online at broadcast.iu.edu as well as on the IU Bloomington Campus Cable station, channel 32. It will also be rebroadcast at 6 p.m. on WTIU-World or Comcast cable channel 17, and repeated at 11:30 p.m. on WTIU-HD or WTIU channel 5.

MISSED LAST YEAR’S SPEECH?

Here is a brief rundown of the 2010 State of the University address:
The State of the University address in 2010 was titled “The Principles of Excellence” and focused on six core areas: education, faculty, research, international engagement, science and health, and economic development.

When speaking about education, McRobbie stressed the importance of attracting diverse and under-represented students from local, national and international communities.

In regards to faculty, the President said he hoped to hire new faculty even through the recession, and acknowledged the 2009 Nobel prize winner in economics, Distinguished Professor of Political Science Elinor Ostrom. In relation to this, McRobbie called the University a leading international university, but said it must continue to increase the number of international and study abroad students.

IU researchers, McRobbie said, received a record $603.9 million in grants and awards from external sources in 2010.

In his 2010 address, McRobbie also mentioned the collaborative work between IU and Clarian Health Partners, referencing the vote to change the name of Clarian Health to Indiana University Health.