Purdue, IU Recognized For Economic Development
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowPurdue and Indiana universities are among the latest schools recognized by the Washington, D.C.-based Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. The group shines its light on schools which are committed to making a difference in economic development. Ball State University and IUPUI received the distinction last year. July 10, 2014
News Release
Washington — In recognition of a strong commitment to economic engagement, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) today designated 14 public institutions as Innovation & Economic Prosperity Universities. The designation acknowledges universities working with public and private sector partners in their states and regions to support economic development through a variety of activities, including innovation and entrepreneurship, technology transfer, talent and workforce development, and community development. Each university received the designation after conducting a thorough self-review with outside stakeholder input and subsequently submitting an application that went through a rigorous independent review process.
The 14 institutions that comprise the second annual class of Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities are: Georgia Institute of Technology, Indiana University, North Carolina State University, The Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, South Dakota State University, Texas Tech University, the University of Houston, the University of Illinois, the University of Massachusetts Boston, the University of Massachusetts Lowell, the University of Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, and Wayne State University.
“Public universities serve as economic engines for their local communities and states by conducting cutting edge research to reach new breakthroughs, and by developing the talent to help existing businesses grow stronger and enabling new ones to develop and thrive,” APLU President Peter McPherson said. “The 14 institutions receiving the 2014 Innovation & Economic Prosperity University designation serve as models. They demonstrate how public research universities extend beyond their campuses to engage their communities in economic development that creates jobs and improves lives.”
APLU’s Commission on Innovation, Competitiveness, and Economic Prosperity (CICEP) is continuing to lead efforts to help public universities plan, assess, and communicate their work in local and regional economic development using the CICEP “Economic Engagement Framework” (http://www.aplu.org/CICEPFramework). The framework includes tools for university self-assessment, metrics determination, and economic impact analysis.
“Institutions engaging in the Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities designation program have an opportunity to work with the CICEP Framework to identify both institutional accomplishments in innovation and economic development, and also areas for growth and improvement,” said Jim Woodell, APLU Assistant Vice President for Innovation and Technology Policy. “Using one or more of the tools as part of their self-study, universities assess where they are and where they and their regions are headed.”
Innovation & Economic Prosperity University designees conducted an institutional self-study and solicited input from external stakeholders. Each university designee identified three areas of institutional strength in economic engagement, and described programs in these areas. Designees also identified areas for growth and improvement for their university’s economic engagement enterprise, and developed an improvement plan. This work demonstrated a commitment to continuous learning and improvement in this kind of engagement vital to universities and their regional partners.
Applications for the designation were scored by a panel of reviewers representing other universities and also national partners, including the Association of University Research Parks, the University Economic Development Association, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the National Association of System Heads, and the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance. Scoring was based on a range of criteria emphasizing universities’ development of their economic engagement enterprise, their planning efforts around economic engagement, strategic communications around these efforts, and participation in encouraging economic engagement among peer institutions.
Each of the IEP designated institutions now qualifies to submit an application for APLU’s 2014 Innovation and Economic Prosperity University Awards, which will be given out at the association’s annual meeting in November. The awards include an “IEP Connections” award, recognizing the university that is doing the most to build connections between categories of economic engagement — innovation and entrepreneurship, talent development, and social, community, and cultural development. “Best in class” awards will also be given in each category of talent, innovation, and place.
Source: Association of Public and Land-grant UniversitiesJuly 10, 2014
News Release
Bloomington, Ind. — Indiana University announced today that it has been designated an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities in recognition of IU’s commitment across all of its campuses to being a leader in regional economic development.
APLU is a research, policy and advocacy group that represents more than 230 public universities across North America. The designation awarded to IU and 13 other universities today comes from APLU's Commission on Innovation, Competitiveness and Economic Prosperity, which was created to help member universities assess and communicate their economic development work.
“This important designation by the APLU reflects IU’s clear commitment to the state of Indiana and, in particular, to the role the university can play in spurring and supporting economic development,” IU President Michael A. McRobbie said. “This honor also is strong validation of the work being done by IU’s Office for Engagement, which is a powerful advocate for the university’s faculty entrepreneurs and a passionate voice for IU’s research mission.”
“Public universities serve as economic engines for their local communities and states by conducting cutting-edge research to reach new breakthroughs, and by developing the talent to help existing businesses grow stronger and enabling new ones to develop and thrive,” APLU President Peter McPherson said. “The 14 institutions receiving the 2014 Innovation and Economic Prosperity University designation serve as models. They demonstrate how public research universities extend beyond their campuses to engage their communities in economic development that creates jobs and improves lives.”
IU's successful application culminates an intensive yearlong process of institutional self-study and engagement with stakeholders to identify the strengths of the university’s economic engagement enterprise as well as areas for growth and improvement, all which are being addressed as part of the Office for Engagement’s recently completed strategic plan.
Specifically, IU's application noted the university’s institutional commitment to economic growth led by the engagement office’s Innovate Indiana initiatives, which are dedicated to working with other universities, as well as government and the private sector, to promote economic activity in the state. Additionally, the university singled out the role the IU Research and Technology Corp. plays in supporting the commercialization of faculty research and IU’s internal commitment to leveraging resources and expertise related to supporting faculty entrepreneurs.
In its application, the university also pledged to work to further its economic development impact by developing stronger networks between IU and its various partners. In particular, IU’s Office for Engagement has plans to broaden th