In my previous experience in higher education, I had the good fortune to help spark and support a renaissance of economic development in one of the boroughs of New York City.

Coming to Northwest Indiana, I saw a remarkably similar economic energy and opportunity along and around the communities of the south shore of Lake Michigan, and beyond.

For example, the South Shore Line’s Double Track and the West Lake Corridor projects were in motion, along with the rise of Transit Development Districts. Additionally, major regional economic development organizations, like the Northwest Indiana Forum and One Region, were providing a regional infrastructure for convening major leaders of business and industry, not-for-profits, government, and colleges and universities, and then advancing collaborations for unprecedented regional impact.

Whereas I once viewed my prior experience in New York City as once-in-lifetime, Northwest Indiana has presented a twice-in-a lifetime opportunity.

It is within this exciting context that Indiana University Northwest finds itself at a pivotal moment in its history, founded in new vision of leveraging the vast intellectual and creative power of our School of the Arts; College of Arts and Sciences; College of Health and Human Services; School of Education; and the School of Business and Economics, all which enable us to fully realize our place as an anchor institution in the region. In this critical anchor role, our community-based research is propelling our economy and quality of life.

Leading the way

A recent, prime example of this, is the comprehensive study by our Center for Urban and Regional Excellence, undertaken with the Lake County Commissioners to examine the more than 9,000 tax sale properties in the county, which chronically do not receive any purchase bids and repeatedly cycle through the tax sale process. These “churners” negatively impact tax revenues and impede new development. Our study has led to proposed legislation to address this problem in Lake County and other similarly situated counties. As of the time of this writing, a bill was passed unanimously by the Indiana Senate leading to optimism of its ultimate passage into state law.

Another initiative, IU Northwest’s “Northwest Indiana Housing Study,” which was recently designated one of 34 projects to receive funding under the READI grant, spearheaded by the NWI Forum. The growth of the region depends upon an educated and skilled workforce as access to talent continues to be a main factor for companies interested in relocating to the region. Our study will assess available housing and best practices for development, which will be vital in planning for an increased workforce and economic growth.

The great impact of these research projects has illuminated the pressing need for research and data analysis resources for Northwest Indiana.

IU Northwest is now planning to create a collaborative Regional Research/Data Analytics Hub, bringing the expert knowledge and experiences within communities, together with the expertise of our faculty.

The Hub will serve as a gateway for all stakeholders and organizations in need of research and analysis support to more effectively utilize data in their respective decision-making and planning.

It will not only be able to capitalize on the expertise of our own faculty and students, but the Hub will also be able to facilitate collaborations with similar talent across multiple disciplines from all Indiana University campuses, as well as other higher education institutions to benefit Northwest Indiana.

A driver of innovation

As an anchor institution, IU Northwest is also well-positioned to help the region become a driver of innovation. The seminal Brookings publication by Bruce Katz and Julie Wagner, “The Rise of Innovation Districts: A New Geography of Innovation in America,” speaks of the potential for colleges and universities to advance innovation districts where "leading-edge anchor institutions and companies cluster and connect with start-ups, business incubators and accelerators" and have “the unique potential to spur productive, inclusive and sustainable economic development."

The opportunity to seed an entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem, is one that IU Northwest has embraced.

We also recently received funding from Procter & Gamble to develop the RedHawk Entrepreneurs program within our School of Business and Economics. Through this initiative, we will integrate real-time business simulations into our entrepreneurship curriculum and launch a new RedHawk Entrepreneurial Center that will form a pathway to improve student outcomes, inspire innovative mindsets, nurture career development, and foster entrepreneurial success.

We are already planning to expand the RedHawk Entrepreneurial Center into a more comprehensive Business Academy to serve new businesses within our community, with a focus on socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. The Business Academy will foster incubation, providing technical assistance and a supportive social network for new entrepreneurs or their prospective businesses ready to expand or scale.

As STEM education is at the core of many facets of innovation, IU Northwest is also building a new STEM Center supported by $5 million in funding from a U.S. Department of Education Hispanic-Serving Institutions grant. The center, serving both IU Northwest and Ivy Tech, will provide core activities around faculty training in asset-based and culturally relevant pedagogies, curricular innovations in early career STEM courses, and expanded opportunities for undergraduate research and STEM field internships.

While we have made significant progress, IU Northwest understands that its legacy value to the region will be contingent upon the sustainability of its anchor mission. Indiana University recently developed a university-wide strategic framework, IU 2030, which will guide all campuses, including IU Northwest, with their respective institutional planning.

Among its pillars, IU 2030 sets forth “Service to State and Beyond” as a major priority. This community-facing pillar, supported by the university, will provide the foundation and framework for IU Northwest to prioritize its anchor work and contributions to the region for the foreseeable future.

Among our long-term contributions, we will be developing a new generation of leaders in Northwest Indiana. As a primary engine of social and economic mobility and as one of the most diverse campuses in the state, IU Northwest’s role will become even more valuable in supporting, developing, and preparing students to lead our future in an increasingly, and wonderfully diverse region, nation, and world.