Indiana University’s efforts to foster regional collaboration were front and center during the University Economic Development Association (UEDA) 2024 Summit, which was hosted by IU South Bend.
The annual event brings together national experts in leveraging university resources for greater economic development and community impact. This year’s theme was “Regionalism: Prosperity Through Collaboration,” inspired by the South Bend-Elkhart region.
Almost 200 representatives from higher education, business and government discussed how partner organizations can work together to drive positive change and economic growth.
IU President Pamela Whitten and IU South Bend Chancellor Susan Elrod both took part in discussions surrounding the important role the university and community partners play in improving the quality of life for the communities IU campuses touch.
“Even though we are a university with significant national and international connections, we are part of Indiana,” Whitten said. “We identify goals that impact the culture, economy and needs of the state. We are doing amazing things that are based on the relationships we have with leaders across the state.”
Whitten highlighted efforts across the campuses to create to address workforce development needs in the state.
“We are figuring out how to get students interested in these fields. We are moving forward with initiatives to create pipelines to pull more people into these highly technical industries,” Whitten said.
Elrod emphasized collaborative efforts in the region to address the state’s shortfall in healthcare workers. She led an effort that launched the North Central Indiana Healthcare Talent Alliance earlier this year which brought together organizations from K-12 education, the healthcare industry and business community.
“The two major healthcare systems in our area are in tremendous competition for talent, but it’s important to note that they are at the table to talk about ways to increase the talent pool for everyone,” Elrod said. “The alliance would have been much more difficult if we didn’t already have a foundation of collaboration. Having those relationships in place is so important – before you have a crisis situation to work through.”
About 90% of IU South Bend healthcare graduates come from the region and stay in this community after graduation. The campus is working with K-12 partners and has already established programs at the high school level to interest students in pursuing a healthcare education after graduation.
But healthcare isn’t the only industry benefiting from collaboration in Indiana. Secretary of Commerce David Rosenberg highlighted the state’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) for helping provide hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to promote regional collaboration.
“To attract some of the cutting-edge businesses, we realized we had to create the ecosystem they need to be successful. It’s critical to bring the universities with us since they are the ones that can develop the talent and technology that makes that attractive,” Rosenberg said. “The companies need to see the path that will get them the workers who will be able to seamlessly move into the workforce.”
Whitten highlighted efforts like IU South Bend’s new Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship for developing spaces where students can explore new business ideas.
“We realize we had to step up and be a leader in this space. We want students who are interested in launching a startup to have the people and resources around them to support them and help them develop those ideas,” Whitten said.
Whitten said higher education will play a vital role in helping people achieve social mobility and businesses succeed.
“We are an industry uniquely poised to unleash the potential that can change an area. The students are invested in their communities and want to see them succeed. That is really the secret sauce moving forward.”
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See our full 2030 plan here: https://southbend.iu.edu/chancellor/strategic-planning/index.html