President Robert Manuel’s Five-Year-Plan is already making changes on campus, and all of the new programs are catching the attention of people beyond the campus community.
A Jan. 5 article in the IndyStar listed Manuel as one of the 15 people to watch in 2015. He was mentioned among people such as Indiana Governor Mike Pence.
“It [being recognized] is an honor,” Manuel said. “But it’s really the work that the university has done to connect to the community and the conversation about economic development.”
Manuel thinks that it is not just his work that gave him a spot on the list, but rather being the face of the university, which he said has the community at the core of its values.
“The University of Indianapolis president has been pushing UIndy to invest in and improve its campus and its Southside neighborhood, since he took office in 2012,” according to the IndyStar article. “Manuel … was one of the most prominent voices supporting the creation of an economic development corridor along Madison Avenue.”
Manuel gave an example of just one of the things that UIndy is doing to help the community.
“We did the Quality of Life Bus Tour,” he said. “LISC [Local Initiatives Support Corporation], and all of our community leaders, are getting together and trying to figure out what boundaries we are talking about and what elements of a quality of life plan we are talking about. That is the kickoff to major conversations about Southside economic and quality of life development.”
Another part of the community outreach programs will be housed in the new Health Pavilion when it is completed next August. The Health Pavilion will include a clinic where community members can get general healthcare within walking distance of where they live.
“It [the Health Pavilion] is a tangible manifestation of this conversation that we are having,” Manuel said. “The building is to benefit the academic enterprise. The community gets advanced because we are hoping to have a hospital clinic, so basic healthcare can be provided.”
Manuel is confident that the university’s core values and direction will hold up to scrutiny independent of the expectations set by the media.
The article, “Indy’s 15 People to Watch in 2015,” can be found on the IndyStar website at www.indystar.com.
