Academic Plan - Enhancement of the Resource Base
As a percentage of the campus budget, state funding for higher education has steadily declined throughout the last decade. Strategic growth must be nurtured through entrepreneurial ventures, external research funds, and fundraising. In September 2007, a Master Plan was launched to shape the growth of Indiana University on both the Bloomington and the IUPUI campuses. IUPUI is poised to initiate an aggressive campaign for funds that will support the initiatives outlined in this plan. We must increase state funds, expand our recruitment efforts to attract and retain students, communicate more frequently with donors and friends, create more space for research and teaching activities, streamline our day-to-day operations to boost efficiency, and recruit and retain additional faculty.
Major Initiative: Fundraising Campaign Using IUPUI’s Academic Plan as a Driver
Fundraising is enhanced by a good academic plan. A strong plan will help spark the imaginations of members of the campus community, and will help engage prospective friends and donors. The previous Campaign for IUPUI raised over $1 billion, more than double the total of any previously completed campaign conducted by a public university in Indiana. The time is ripe to begin again – this plan must be circulated broadly, both within the campus community, as well as across the state. The plan must be used to articulate IUPUI’s vision for excellence, and to serve as a platform to help create the resources that will enable that vision to ultimately become reality.
Additional Area of Focus: Develop a master plan for IUPUI
Achieving excellence is impeded by the pressing needs for additional research and creative space, as well as shortages in classrooms and student housing. Our faculty and students must have tools in order for IUPUI to be one of the best urban public research institutions of the 21st century – they must have the facilities and the space necessary to support learning, research, and creative activity. Facilities that support the cross-fertilization of ideas across traditional academic disciplines are particularly important. As an example, the Innovation Center at IUPUI is being designed to enhance collaborative activity among science, engineering, and business faculty. The Center will promote innovation and economic development in Indiana, with a particular focus on the expected role for the life sciences in the future economic growth of our state.
The Master Plan will serve as a template for all future growth and construction on the IUPUI campus. When difficult decisions present themselves with regard to construction of new facilities and expansion of existing ones, the Master Plan, which integrates the needs of the IUPUI campus with those of IU Bloomington, will help guide the choices that are made. The process of planning will involve collaborations with the cities of Indianapolis and Bloomington, particularly with regard to expansions on the peripheries of the campuses. The plan is slated to be completed by December 2008.
Status of Additional Action Items Related to Enhancement of the Resource Base:
Increase State Funds
Action Items:
- Inviting Legislators and Community Members to Campus
Recommendations:- Invite local, state, and federal elected officials to special events on campus (this should be coordinated through the Offices of Community Relations, External Affairs, and Alumni Relations with support from select faculty)
- Schedule forums and lunches to invite discussions among legislators, students, and faculty
Full Report [PDF]
- Economic Impact
Recommendations:- Publicize economic impact markers internally and externally to ensure that all IUPUI stakeholders are aware of IUPUI’s impact on the state’s economy
Full Report [PDF]
Increase Research Funds
Action Items:
- Grant Facilitators
Recommendations:- Increase awareness among investigators that the Office for Research and Sponsored Programs can help identify funding sources
- Create an administrative structure within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research to facilitate applications for center grants or other large multidisciplinary grants
Increase Corporate and Alumni Donors
Action Items:
- Newsletters
Recommendations:- Survey departments to identify the types of communications sent to alumni (Evaluation of these data will inform future recommendations)
2008 Update [PDF]
Space Issues
Action Items:
- Capital Resources
Recommendations:- Review state matching grant programs to determine the potential for whether such legislative action might be pursued in Indiana (Implementation should move forward through the IUPUI Office of External Affairs and the IU Division of Public Affairs and Government Relations, should the economic and political climate be viewed as supportive)
Full Report [PDF]
- Space Shortage
Recommendations:- Form a Space Management Advisory Council to assist administrators with analysis and monitoring of space needs
Full Report [PDF]
Increased Efficiency
Action Items:
- Duplication of Effort
Recommendations:- Establish an Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and restructure the Office for Professional Development to enhance communication and reduce duplication of effort (OPD has now been dissolved and a Consortium formed among CTL, CRL, and CSL)
- Streamline mentoring programs and internship programs through partnerships between academic and administrative units
- Track and discuss resource utilization at the campus level through established committees or offices
Full Report [PDF]
- Responsibility Center Management
Recommendations:- Institute a true flat tax that is based on a fixed percentage of budgeted expenditures to provide the budget for the support centers and the Chancellor’s Reallocation Fund
- Implement the flat tax on a hold-harmless basis and at the lowest breakeven tax rate possible for the support centers
2008 Update [PDF]
- Information Technology and Telephone Systems
Recommendations:- Conduct a thorough financial review of the student technology fee and other funds used to support technology
- Create a mechanism to enable UITS to support school-based technology centers directly, without decreasing program flexibility
Full Report [PDF]
2008 Update [PDF]
- Examine Low-enrolling Courses
Recommendations:- Continue to monitor the ongoing effectiveness of current policies through the Enrollment Management Committee (Current processes for monitoring low-enrollment courses are working)
2008 Update [PDF]
- Re-examine Day-to-Day Operations
Recommendations:- Improve efficiency of Human Resource Management Systems, including access to the system, Human Resource transactions, the Time Information Management Environment, and the Faculty Appointment Monitor
Full Report [PDF]
Faculty Recruitment and Retention
Action Items:
- Faculty Club
Recommendations:- Move club to a more accessible and larger space in University Place to attract wider faculty/staff participation and expand club activities
Full Report [PDF]
Quality of Life
Action Items:
- Parking
Recommendations:- Increase convenience and access of existing parking facilities and on-campus transportation
- Partner with city/county government to share stops and plan collaboratively for future improvements in mass transit
Full Report [PDF]
2008 Update [PDF]
- Campus Culture and Student Housing
Recommendations:- Develop a housing master plan that includes stronger academic components, remodeling of existing facilities, and addition of a traditional dining hall, being mindful of competitive rental rates
- Increase the number of indoor informal gathering spaces and outdoor seating
Full Report [PDF]
2008 Update [PDF]
- Public Art on Campus
Recommendations:- Allocate funds to initiate, support, and promote art and cultural activities on campus, including a full-time staff position to develop and administer a comprehensive plan for art and cultural activities
- Create sculpture gardens that include permanent works of public art as well as temporary installations, and support rotating art exhibitions in public spaces
- Develop arts programming for students, faculty, staff, and community members and implement marketing strategies that highlight IUPUI’s commitment to excellence in the arts
Full Report [PDF]
2008 Update [PDF]
- Recognition
Recommendations:- Develop an inventory of existing faculty/staff/student recognition awards (Inventory of 370 awards has been completed)
