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Advancing the City and State

Advancing the City and State

How IU Indianapolis serves the state and beyond

IU Indianapolis is driving impact across Indiana through partnerships, research, innovation, and community-engaged learning. This page highlights campus-wide initiatives that support Service to the State and Beyond, a key pillar of the IU Indianapolis Strategic Plan.

Explore metrics, success stories, and resources that showcase how faculty, staff, and students, in collaboration with community partners, are creating meaningful impact across the city, the state, and beyond.

Impact by the numbers

These metrics reflect IU Indianapolis’ progress toward the Service to the State and Beyond goals within the IU Strategic Plan. Together, they highlight how campus-wide efforts are expanding partnerships, strengthening talent pipelines, and increasing impact across Indiana and beyond.

Goal 1: Expanding workforce development

4,879external partnerships in FY 2024-2025

↑ 36.5% since FY 2022–2023

IU Indianapolis continues to expand its external partnerships to support workforce development and talent pipelines across Indiana, nationally, and globally. These collaborations span nonprofit organizations, corporations, government agencies, and peer institutions, and include education, training, and other joint initiatives.

88.1%of graduates stay in Indiana (2019–2021 cohort)

↑ .5%since 2016–2018 cohort

IU Indianapolis plays a key role in retaining talent, with the majority of graduates building careers in Indiana after completing their degrees, showing ongoing retention in Indiana’s workforce.

Goal 2: Strengthening P–12 education pathways

511P-12 Partnerships in FY 2024-2025

37%of IU system P–12 partnerships are at IU Indianapolis

IU Indianapolis continues to enhance educational opportunities by collaborating with Pre‑K through 12 schools across the region. These partnerships, including high school career pathways, support early college awareness, readiness, and student success.

Goal 5: Connecting global engagement to local impact

41global engagement activities in FY 2024-2025

+141.2%growth in global engagement activities compared to FY 2022-2023

IU’s expanding international partnerships and programs, supported by its Global Gateways, promote student success, facilitate transformative research and creative collaborations, and strengthen global connections that bring international perspectives to local challenges.

News

Impact in action

Across IU Indianapolis, faculty, staff, students, and community partners are advancing the goals of Service to the State and Beyond through research, partnerships, innovation, and community-engaged learning. These stories highlight just a few examples of how campus-wide efforts create meaningful impact across the city, the state, and beyond.

IU sports media students gain hands-on experience at Final Four

IU Indianapolis students are gaining hands-on experience through courses and programs like the Sports Capital Journalism Program by covering the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Final Four in Indianapolis. Students from IU Indianapolis and Bloomington develop reporting and writing skills that prepare them for careers in sports media. This work demonstrates how student learning, faculty guidance, and collaborative programs create meaningful impact by developing skilled professionals ready to contribute to Indiana’s workforce and the broader media industry.

Additional story: Final Four in Indianapolis: IU Indy sports programs provide mentorship, volunteer opportunities

Strengthening food access through research and partnerships

IU Indianapolis researchers are working alongside community partners to address food insecurity in Marion County. By applying expertise in technology, design, and supply chain management, faculty and students are helping local food systems operate more effectively and serve more families. This work reflects how research and partnership drive meaningful community impact while addressing local needs and challenges.

Advancing literacy across Indiana

Through a $1.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., IU Indianapolis is strengthening teacher preparation and expanding the use of evidence-based reading instruction across Indiana. Faculty, students, and community partners connect research to classroom practice, supporting educators and improving literacy outcomes for students statewide. This initiative highlights IU Indianapolis’ role in building stronger educational pathways and supporting long-term success for learners across the state.

Translating research into community impact

Faculty at IU Indianapolis collaborate with schools, families, and community partners to turn research into real-world solutions. Projects like those led by Dr. Jeremy Price create inclusive and supportive learning environments while strengthening connections between education systems and the communities they serve. This work demonstrates how research, partnership, and innovation inform practice and drive meaningful change locally and beyond.

Improving health outcomes through innovation

At the IU School of Nursing, research in music therapy is helping children facing serious health conditions manage stress and improve well-being. By developing and expanding interventions like Active Music Engagement, faculty, students, and community partners advance patient care while supporting families during challenging experiences. This work highlights how innovation in research contributes to improved health outcomes and broader advancements in care.

Expanding access to care in the community

Through programs like Give Kids A Smile, IU Indianapolis students, faculty, and community partners provide free dental services to underserved children across central Indiana. These efforts reduce barriers to care while offering hands-on learning opportunities for future healthcare professionals. This work reflects a commitment to improving community health and increasing access to essential services.

Explore Luddy School impact stories

Discover how the Luddy School at IU Indianapolis is making an impact locally and globally through student innovation, faculty research, and collaborative projects with community partners. These stories highlight ways Luddy faculty, staff, and students are translating expertise into meaningful outcomes for communities, education, and industry.

Explore data and tools

Explore tools and resources that support community-engaged work and track progress toward the IU 2030 Strategic Plan.

IU Collaboratory

Track, share, and explore community engagement

The IU Collaboratory is a systemwide platform that captures and showcases community-engaged research, teaching, and service. Faculty and staff can use it to document partnerships, measure impact, and connect their work to IU’s strategic priorities.

Explore IU Indianapolis Collaboratory

IU 2030 Progress Viewbook

Explore strategic plan progress

The IU 2030 Progress Viewbook provides a transparent look at the university’s progress toward strategic goals, including Service to the State and Beyond. It includes key metrics, highlights, and systemwide data across all campuses.

View IU 2030 progress

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