IU Northwest cuts ribbon on Center for Urban and Regional Excellence space
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Indiana University Northwest this week officially unveiled a new space for its Center for Urban and Regional Excellence, or CURE, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The university says the space, located in the John W. Anderson Library on the Gary campus, creates a central hub for all of the services provided by the center.
Established more than two decades ago, CURE provides a variety of resources, including adult education, “Senior University” for individuals over the age of 55, reading skills programs, and a community garden.
The center offers dozens of monthly classes ranging from homeownership to computers to smartphone utilization, IU Northwest said.
Director Ellen Szarleta says the goal is to not only provide centralized resources for residents, but also to go out into the community and find ways to serve its greatest needs.
“There are two branches to CURE,” Szarleta said in a news release. “One is the outreach and engagement side, and the other is the partnership side. In our community, these needs were identified long ago. This work is part of our public mission as a university.”
Szarleta said CURE is currently working on a food desert project in the region and continues to work with the city of Gary through its “Love Your Block” grant program.
“Ellen has been a pillar in this community for many years,” Gary Mayor Eddie Melton said. “Ellen is the doctor who helps us ‘cure’ a lot of the social issues that we address in this community. When it comes down to bringing this community together, her and her team are instrumental in every single way.”