IU Indianapolis expanding into second year
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The arena construction zone, near the NCAA headquarters. Photo: Arika Herron/Axios
IU Indianapolis is starting its second year in growth mode.
Why it matters: The higher education landscape has changed dramatically since IU and Purdue announced plans to split their joint venture known as IUPUI three years ago.
Driving the news: This month marks one year since each institution embarked on its own to grow its presence in the capital city.
- IU took over much of the old IUPUI campus in the split, but is continuing to expand its footprint.
- Two new buildings are under construction right now — the IU STEM Lab Building, a 52,000-square-foot extension to the existing Science and Engineering Lab Building that will open in fall 2026 and the $110 million James T. Morris Arena that will serve as a home for the IU Indianapolis Jaguars and a site for major public indoor sporting events.
Plus: The IU School of Medicine's new medical education and research building — a 326,000-square-foot, 11-story flagship facility — just opened its doors.
- And the five-story, 150,000-square-foot IU Launch Accelerator for Biosciences is underway in the 16 Tech Innovation District.
What they're saying: "Our freshman enrollment last year was 10% higher than the previous year, and this year that will be closer to 20% higher than last year," said Chancellor Latha Ramchand.
The intrigue: While IU Indy's students are predominantly commuters, Ramchand told Axios that many want to live on campus and they're considering adding capacity to meet that demand.
Between the lines: That could be more challenging going forward, though.
- All public colleges and universities just announced a two-year tuition freeze, and the institutions took a 5% cut in state funding over the same time.
- None of that even takes into account the uncertainty at the federal level around funding and policies.
Yes, but: Ramchand said she isn't going to let any of those things get in the way of IU Indy's mission.
- "The way I think about it is, higher ed is the place where you come to learn and we are all about continuous learning," she said.
- "We've seen a lot of change in the last year, and if we don't learn from that, and if we don't adapt to that … and make sure we're changing in response to the changing needs, the changing perceptions, the changing attitudes of society, then we're really not being true to ourselves as educators, right?"