Leaders from the Indianapolis campuses of Indiana and Purdue universities outlined visions for increased collaboration and a transformed urban campus at an Economic Club of Indiana luncheon Wednesday.
The Indiana READI program has provided funding for more than 360 economic development projects since it was launched in 2021.
The blueprint includes campus-specific plans for the university’s six campuses outside Bloomington, including IUPUI, which is set to be renamed IU Indianapolis under a realignment plan.
The university intends for its realigned Indianapolis campus to act as a center for the fields of cybersecurity, data analytics, manufacturing, microelectronics, artificial intelligence and engineering—“the fields from which the biggest changes are coming.”
The IU SciTech corridor will begin at the corner of Michigan and West streets, one of the main entrances to the downtown campus and house both IU and Purdue programs, President Pamela Whitten told the university’s board Friday.
Purdue University has rehired Dan Hasler to coordinate the school’s expansion in Indianapolis following an August decision to split IUPUI into separate Indiana University and Purdue operations.
Local business and tech-industry leaders say they see the effort as a chance to increase the pipeline of qualified employees who can work at local companies.
The move is intended to drive growth in enrollment, research and particularly prestige, in part by eliminating the school’s tongue-twisting name. Purdue intends to grow its presence in Indianapolis as well.
When the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum first released dolls commemorating IU’s men’s basketball titles, they sold in record time. The second run is planned to be much bigger.
It’s too early to pass judgment on men’s basketball coach Archie Miller, but that hasn’t stopped negative chatter on message boards after several disappointing performances. If it hasn’t already, that venom could spill onto IU Athletic Director Fred Glass.
While the economic impact for the 2021 All-Star weekend could top $100 million for Indianapolis, the hard costs and soft expenses for the Pacers and city will easily reach eight figures.
Leaders of Division I are moving forward to devise a plan to sell alcohol at its championship events, while Division II honchos are taking a hard pass and Division III is taking a wait-and-see approach.
Central Indiana residents prefer pro football and Indy’s franchise to all other leagues and teams by a wide margin, according to the study. But its author says recent protests by players around the league could put a dent in their popularity.
In the annual study that values college football programs like Wall Street values for-profit companies, Ohio State University leads the pack at $1.5 billion.
The Pacers organization is preparing to take the virtual court with its new video-gaming team. Meanwhile, Terry Hutchens has compiled a bucket list for Hoosiers hoops fans.
The Boiler Business Exchange hopes to draw more than 10,000 supporters. Purdue University is eager to keep its brand strong in central Indiana, where many of the school’s alums reside.
The limited-edition doll commemorating five Indiana national basketball championships sold out in a few short hours on Friday. That’s faster than North Carolina- and Kentucky-themed wobblers.
Jared Jeffries is leaving his NBA front office job to team up with former Lakers star Rick Fox in the latter’s sports group for professional video gaming.
Carmel native Catherine Onofrey has spent much of this year developing a virtual reality basketball game set inside Assembly Hall. After graduation, she’ll help General Motors develop driverless cars.
Lots of basketball prognosticators say there is NO way Boston Celtics Coach Brad Stevens would take the IU job. But there’s at least one good reason he—and Steve Alford—would consider it. And there may be even more.
