Associated Press
Michael McRobbie outlined big plans to help Indiana University improve in his first report to the board of trustees as university president.
The board selected McRobbie in March to succeed Adam Herbert, and he took over on July 1. McRobbie introduced his leadership team Aug. 17 in Indianapolis and vowed to push the school to provide the best possible education for students and pursue world-class research.
McRobbie announced 12 areas for focused improvement. Among them were collaboration between IU Bloomington and IUPUI, the role of regional campuses, effective teaching and learning, efficient use of resources and improving the climate for research.
"This is not a time for edifying rhetoric or nostalgia for the past," he said. "It is a time for action-action on all fronts, vigorous action, continuing action, unrelenting action."
McRobbie also said the university should focus on building lab and teaching space, engagement and entrepreneurship, a renewed life sciences initiative, its relationship with Clarian Health in Indianapolis, its commitment to arts and humanities, achieving greater diversity and becoming more international.
McRobbie referred to U.S. News and World Report rankings that showed IU falling to 75th from 70th among top national universities.
"However one views these indices, it is clear that over the last several years IU has essentially remained static, moving up in some areas and down in others," he said. "Our task now is to redouble our efforts to make greater progress over the coming decade, progress that will be positively reflected in the measures that are most valid and matter most to us."
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