BREAKING THROUGH - Indiana University Southeast

Such was the saga of IU Southeast and SouthernIndiana’s long-held dream of an on-campus housingoption for students, finally achieved this year and nowunder construction.President Adam Herbert’s Mission Differentiationproject to define the niche of each of IU’s eightcampuses helped set the stage for housing approvalsat both IU Southeast and IU South Bend. Completedin the summer of 2005, President Herbert’s teamrecommended the development of guidelines for theconstruction of housing on the regional campuses.In May of 2006, the IU Board of Trustees issued thoseguidelines, and the leadership team at IU Southeastset to work.Long before, campus administrators had documentedthe anticipated impact of residence halls on enrollmentgoals and graduation rates. The campus’s strategicplan included initiatives for enrollment growth over thenext 10 years to achieve a target of 6,700 students. Theleadership team believed that housing would bea critical element in achieving that goal for twospecific reasons:1. With a core of students living on campus, atransformation in the campus culture would beginthat would strengthen student engagement, a provenelement in recruiting and retaining students.2. The perception of the campus among thecommunity would be significantly elevated, resultingin greater interest among prospective students andtheir families.This meant the plan would call for much more thansimply buildings for students to live in. The goalof student housing became the development ofthe campus community, providing students withintentional opportunities to connect and integratetheir in- and out-of-classroom learning, to understandthe needs of the common good and one’s role in thelarger whole, and to support students’ educationalsuccess by addressing their overlapping academic,personal, and social needs. Three different marketresearch studies over seven years had validatedsignificant student demand for housing.Based on this research, the strategic plan, and theTrustees’ guidelines, Vice Chancellor for StudentAffairs Ruth Garvey-Nix and Vice Chancellor forFinance and Administration Stephen Taksar developeda comprehensive community-based proposal forresidence halls, including the financing of the $20.7million project as a self-sustaining operation, notrequiring tuition or tax dollars. To buttress thefinancial foundation, Chancellor Sandra Patterson-Randles secured a $1 million anonymous gift from alocal community source to support the project. Manyother community leaders and the Board of Advisorsexpressed their full support for housing on campus.The Trustees of Indiana University approved theproposal as written in November of 2006 andforwarded it to the Indiana Commission for HigherEducation. After that review, it was shepherdedthrough the state government approval process byIndiana State Representative William C. Cochran(D-New Albany). Eventually reviewed by the statebudget director, the proposal was finally approved byGovernor Mitch Daniels in April. President Herbert ledthe long awaited groundbreaking ceremony on campuson June 27, 2007.In this first phase, just over 400 students will fill fivebuildings constructed near the IU Southeast lake.The halls are designed with a “lodge” concept; a largecommon space in each building will host communityprograms and casual interaction among residents. The$20.7 million construction project is anticipated tohave an economic impact of up to $44 million locally.Residence halls on campus could bring an impact ofnearly $4 million annually across Southern Indiana andMetro Louisville.The rise of the Grant Line Road campus is evident inother buildings too. The University Center is in themidst of an $9 million expansion and renovation tobecome more student centered. More square footageis devoted to student use; student service offices arenow clustered together to improve convenience;and more services are being offered like expandeddining options, a new coffee bar, a game room, anenlarged Commons, and an enhanced bookstore.The University Center will also enhance its service tothe community with a new conference center featuringrenovated meeting rooms and improved food service.Hillside Hall, a building of business and educationclassrooms, was also renovated and upgraded thisyear, creating academic facilities fitting for the top-tiereducation students receive there.The new IU Southeast softball team got its “field ofdreams” thanks to generous support from the Clark-Floyd Counties Convention and Tourism Bureau andthe Koetter family. Built this year and dedicated inApril, the softball field is part of the Koetter AthleticComplex on Hausfeldt Lane. Widely considered amongthe best softball facilities in the National Associationof Intercollegiate Athletics league, the final and futurephase of the project will install lighting to enable nightgames to be played.The tennis courts were also rebuilt this year,now upgraded to accommodate collegiate-leveltournaments. The Clark-Floyd Counties Conventionand Tourism Bureau also supported this effort.With many facilities improvements underway,IU Southeast has kept “green” sensibilities in mindand embarked on a $2 million energy savings program.Eleven different projects across campus included solarwater heaters, new exterior lighting, and upgradedcontrols for energy management. Another five energysavings projects were specific to the University Centerrenovation such as roof insulation and high efficiencyboilers. These improvements will result in an annualsavings of nearly a quarter of a million dollars and areduction in the campus’s so-called “carbon footprint.”The 177 acres of the IU Southeast campus housemore than the buildings that make up the University.They hold the hope and promise of the dream for IUSoutheast to be the leading comprehensive universityserving the citizens of Southern Indiana.IU Southeast is rising.ON THE RISE 3