Address offers few new strat plan insights

Provost Lauren Robel gave few new insights into the Campus Strategic plan during her State of the Campus address Tuesday.

Robel spoke to a room filled mostly with administrators, with only a few staff members and students. Her topic: the future of IU with the implementation of the Strategic Plan.

“With the utmost respect for the work that we do in our most immediate neighborhoods, these 167 colleagues have invited us to raise our gaze to who we are collectively and where we can be better together,” she said of the faculty, students and staff who comprised the strategic planning committees.

Robel outlined each of the six sections in the Strategic Plan, which will be submitted to IU President Michael McRobbie April 15.

“Right before I submit my taxes to the United States government,” Robel said, drawing laughter from the audience.

Robel said the central theme of the Undergraduate Life section is a commitment to student engagement and future success.

“It stresses that in all renovations of our campus spaces, from residence halls to classrooms to the Union, we will prioritize designs that support this engagement,” she said.

This section also builds on some initiatives that are already taking effect, Robel said, citing the launch of the Center of Excellence for Women in Technology as an example.  
Robel said the center both organizes and increases accessibility of resources for women interested in technology careers.

“The campus plan hopes to spark a similar set of conversations and heighten visibility around our programs in science and technology more generally,” she said.

Ronda Stogsdill is the executive secretary for Robel and also has a daughter who is a freshman attending IU.

“I thought it was a very good plan to bring in diversity and educate our world and make it bigger,” Stogsdill said.

Robel said the graduate section not only focused on student success but also the quality and visibility of the graduate programs.

Jacqueline Fernett, director of marketing and communications for the Office of Enrollment Management, said she thought the research perspective was interesting.

The Research section focused on grand challenges and the importance of collaborating with outside entities, Robel said.

A grand challenge would be chosen each year for the next five years for faculty to collaborate on and work on, Robel said.

“Faculty who have commented on this part of the draft plan have been broadly supportive, and have already suggested a number of challenge areas, including climate change, food security and aging,” she said.

The faculty section was built around faculty support, shared governance, campuswide faculty recruitment and retention and accountability.

Grand challenges are ambitious but achievable, multi-disciplinary team-based objectives that will be tackled over the course of the next six years, Robel said in a March 3 meeting.

“And it begins with a commitment to family-friendly policies and programs, which enhance one of Bloomington’s strongest assets as a community,” Robel said.

Ron McFall is the interim director of the Office of Scholarships. He said he particularly liked Robel’s comments on collaboration on campus.

“I think that spoke very well to the ability for all of us to work together and get those initiatives taken care of,” he said. “I was impressed.”

International and global initiatives were the focus of two groups, Robel said.

“The group focusing on students recommended, centrally, that we assure that our student support services are keeping up with our popularity among international undergraduates,” she said.

Robel also mentioned her recent experiences in Seoul, South Korea and Shanghai.
“Wherever I went — indeed, wherever I go whether in Indiana or overseas — our alumni are witness to the alchemy that takes place in our classrooms, recital halls and laboratories,” Robel said. “Their lives are a powerful confirmation of the importance of what we do here and of the very human connections that make this residential and research-driven campus so intellectually potent.”

Lastly, Robel said the Strategic Plan will continue to build on the initiatives outlined in New Academic Directions.

“What will our campus look like in five years if we adopt this plan?” Robel said. “I will leave that to your imaginations. But at the very least, we will surely be a community that understands and values the benefits of working together towards common campus goals.”