IU’s federal relations initiative

Our office has three missions:

First, we must be a facilitator of information exchange. At IU, we will strive to gather information from our faculty and staff about interests which may be advanced through a federal program or grant. In order to do this effectively, we will create a process for gathering information from the faculty which is thorough and comprehensive, and which will provide an accurate barometer to measure institutional interests. In Washington, we will monitor what Congress, the executive branch and the agencies are doing in order to have early opportunities to influence decision making and to tap resources. We will provide systems and settings in which this information will be shared with our IU constituents. We also will identify potential partners from outside of the university whose goals are consistent with ours so that collaboration can take place.

Second, we will speak for the university on higher education policy matters which are important to our future. Our job is to present a consistent and coherent message in Washington on these matters so that IU’s influence can be maximized.

Finally, we will aggressively advocate for IU in seeking support for the ideas and projects of our faculty. Our success will be determined by the quality of the job which we do in establishing a priority list for IU’s projects which are supported with legislatively directed funds, by being reliable and respected advocates for IU and by building and using important relationships with decision makers in the federal government.

I view the Office of Federal Relations as a service office for the academic enterprise that makes IU a pre-eminent university. We are here to help expand horizons for research and service, and to enhance the teaching mission of IU through the support of our federal government.

Please use our resources liberally, and let us know how we can be more effective.  

Sincerely,

John Walda