Indiana University president calls for $500 million to bolster life sciences

Oct. 19--BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University President Michael McRobbie's inaugural address -- in which he boldly proposed a half-billion dollar construction plan to expand education and research -- was met with praise and a little skepticism on campus Thursday.

Most of the 1,800 who witnessed the historic event were impressed with McRobbie's tone of leadership and excitement. Others worried that finding the money for his initiatives may be difficult.

In a far-reaching speech that laid out a number of goals, IU's 18th president announced plans to bring top-notch educators to campus with a new high-salary professorship designed to draw Nobel laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners.

And to remain competitive for future students, he vowed to catch up with other Big Ten schools by upgrading the main campus' 50-year-old residence halls into more contemporary living spaces -- similar to the apartment residences that have flourished at the IUPUI campus.

But the loftiest goal came in McRobbie's pledge to spend $500 million during the next five years to bolster the life sciences education and research infrastructure at IUPUI and Bloomington -- the two hot spots for research. Combined with current projects totaling $500 million, the buzz is that IU will spend nearly a billion during the next several years.

"We are already a great university," McRobbie said, in his Australian accent. "But as higher education becomes ever more competitive, we must strive for excellence in all aspects" of two key missions: education and research.

"Our success in these missions will ensure the success of our engagement in the life of the state -- whether it be the IU physician bringing the latest breakthrough from the School of Medicine to the bedside in a Clarian hospital, or the IU-trained teacher helping improve the reading skills of school children in Gary."

The event drew hundreds of dignitaries, including Dennis Richardson, the Australian ambassador to the United States, along with representatives of McRobbie's alma maters from down under.

"I thought he was very aggressive in a very positive way," said Scooter Pegram, who teaches French and minority studies at IU Northwest in Gary. "He dove right into the job. He has an agenda, and it sounds like he's ready to run with it."

Sitting under a tree, reading a textbook, freshman art history student Ashley Thomas of Clinton, Ind., said McRobbie's spending plan sounds pretty good.

"As long as it's not a waste," Thomas said. "If the money is spent on something that is not progressive, then it might be. But if it really helps, then good."

Getting the funds might be difficult. University officials say IU has committed the first $250 million -- through a matching program that will be launched through the IU Foundation -- but the university plans to lean on the Indiana General Assembly for the other half of the $500 million plan.

McRobbie, who sat across the aisle from Indiana Speaker of the House Pat Bauer, D-South Bend, hopes state lawmakers share in his vision.

"The better we are as a research institute, the better it is for the state," McRobbie said after the speech in a short news conference.

Legislators warn that McRobbie will have to lobby hard for any more money. They're wary of the amount of debt taken on in the last few years and point to a record $500 million approved for higher education funding in the last session.

Sen. Robert L. Meeks, R-LaGrange, said IU is unlikely to find support for such large-scale projects while the state is trying to sort out a property tax crisis that left residents in some counties with skyrocketing tax bills.

"It's going to be very difficult," said Meeks. "I'll tell you right now there's a mood among those with fiscal sensibilities not to fund anything right now."

IU's best tack would be to give up something else and seek less money for operating expenses or renovations to existing buildings, said Meeks, the state senate's appropriations chairman.

Patrick Patterson, a junior from Indianapolis, liked aspects of the speech, particularly the news about better residence halls.

"Sometimes you can see the paint peeling on the walls," said Patterson, who lives in Wright Quad. "But I will say the custodial staff always does a good job for us."

Patterson also liked the idea of offering a new professorship to attract the nation's top educators. He said there has been somewhat of a "brain drain" from IU in recent years.

"I've always had good professors, but one of them was drawn away to Arizona State, and I think it was because of a money issue," he said. "If they can do something about that, to keep that from happening, that would be a good thing."

After the speech, McRobbie addressed the issue with the media.

"We are in a battle for the best brains in the world," he said. "It is a very hot market, and we have to be responsive to that."

MCROBBIE'S KEY PROPOSALS:

In his inaugural speech Thursday, Indiana University President Michael McRobbie called for:

--Recruiting: Establishing a new professorship solely to recruit top faculty -- Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners and elected members of the National Academies and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

--Residence halls: Overhaul campus living space in Bloomington over the next 15 years, starting with plans to renovate 2,000 rooms into suites.

--Building boom: Sink $250 million into new buildings and facilities in Bloomington and Indianapolis, paid for through donations. This would be on top of $500 million in construction already planned or under way. McRobbie will ask the General Assembly for another $250 million.

--Arts: To enhance the arts at IU, boost in film studies and convert the old University Theater into a state-of-the-art facility to support the scholarly study of film in its traditional and modern forms.

ABOUT IU:

Strengths:

--National reputation of excellence in several programs, including music, information technology and some medical fields.

--Strong history of research, including famous findings by Alfred Kinsey and the invention of Crest toothpaste, and has second-highest year of sponsored research this year.

--Solid, respected academic departments across a broad range of arts and sciences.

--Strong fundraising efforts and consistently ranked among the largest endowments of public universities in the country.

Weaknesses:

--Has traditionally lagged Purdue University and other institutions it considers to be peers in admissions standards and qualifications of incoming students.

--Late to enter statewide economic development efforts and bring its own inventions into the marketplace.

--Struggled to compensate professors at competitive rates, although has recently made more money available to increase salaries.

--Over past decade has had intra-university squabbles over roles of various campuses and had trouble identifying missions for each of them.

--Star reporter Andy Gammill

Star reporter Andy Gammill contributed to this story.

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