UIndy Awarded $1 Million Grant
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe University of Indianapolis says a $1 million grant from the city will help fund a planned health sciences center. The facility is part of the school's recently-announced $50 million capital investment plan. Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard discussed the grant Thursday during his State of the City address.
February 28, 2014
News release
Indianapolis, Ind. — A $1 million grant from the City of Indianapolis will help the University of Indianapolis develop its planned health sciences center and install key features at a neighborhood park, elements of a broader effort to enhance university programs and revitalize the city’s Southside.
Mayor Greg Ballard used his State of the City Address on Thursday at UIndy to announce the funding, which comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant program. The city’s interest in reinvigorating neighborhoods intersects with UIndy’s own commitment to serve as a catalyst for bringing new business and jobs to its Southside community.
“We are making significant investments on campus and in our surrounding neighborhood,” UIndy President Robert Manuel said. “With nearly 1,000 employees and more than $23 million in annual spending in Marion County, UIndy serves as a major anchor for an area of the city that is in need of investment. As we expand programs and enhance facilities, we want to do so in ways that bring benefits to our neighborhood.”
UIndy recently announced a five-year, $50 million development plan that includes the construction of a four-story, 134,000-square-foot health sciences center as the new home for its programs in nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, psychology, kinesiology and athletic training. The classrooms, laboratories and offices will enable the university to develop new academic programs, including a Master of Public Health degree that debuts this fall.
A partnership with a medical clinic, to be located within the center, will make health and wellness services available for residents and businesses in a section of the city with few such amenities, while also providing clinical experiences for students. The center is expected to bring new economic activity and more than 200 jobs to the Southside, and its unique nature will foster collaboration and research on healthcare disparities and other public health issues.
When the grant is finalized this spring, the university will receive $900,000 to equip the health center with computer workstations, specialized treadmills, gait and movement tracking systems, a therapy pool, an escalator for mobility training and features along an outdoor walking path.
An additional $100,000 will support the development of University Heights Park, which UIndy established last fall in the neighboring University Heights subdivision.
The university-owned one-acre site in the 4100 block of Mathews Avenue will serve as an outdoor lab for students in biology and related fields, as well as a recreational and gathering space for nearby residents and community groups. UIndy will construct a shelter and provide heavy maintenance at the site. Students will collaborate with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and residents from the University Heights Neighborhood Association to transform the vacant lot with walking paths, new trees and native plants and grasses, creating a natural wildlife habitat.
The grant award is contingent upon approval from HUD and the City-County Council.
Source: University of Indianapolis