Professor Michael McRobbie
President, Indiana University
Michael A. McRobbie is a member of the US Studies Centre Council of Advisors.
Professor McRobbie became Indiana University's (IU) eighteenth president on July 1, 2007. In making its unanimous decision to appoint him, the IU Board of Trustees cited McRobbie's extensive record of accomplishment in various senior administrative roles at IU over 10 years as well as his strong academic credentials. They stated that McRobbie's broad expertise in fostering research partnerships and his collaborative leadership style had contributed greatly to enhancing the educational and research missions of the university and to strengthening IU's glorious traditions in the arts.
McRobbie is responsible for IU's eight campus system which has a total budget of around $2.7 billion, and over 5000 faculty, 11,000 staff, and 100,000 students.
In his Inaugural Address, McRobbie set out a new vision for IU that stressed and reaffirmed IU's fundamental mission of excellence in research and teaching to be achieved through a great faculty, responsive and relevant education, an enhanced global presence, expanded infrastructure, a rededication to the arts and humanities, and new initiatives in engagement and economic development. He expanded on many of these themes and described a year of progress in his 2008 State of the University speech.
McRobbie became IU's vice president for information technology in 1997, and he led the university to national leadership in that field. This leadership was based on the IU Information Technology Strategic Plan, which he initiated and which is now considered a model for institutions across the nation. He also played a major role in the creation of the School of Informatics; directed the development of I-Light, the management of the Internet2 Abilene network and numerous other networks; and founded IU's Pervasive Technology Laboratories, funded in 1999 by a grant of $30 million from the Lilly Endowment-then the largest research grant to IU from a private organization. As president, he has directed the preparation of IU's new IT Strategic Plan. His efforts in information technology were recognized when he was named one of the Premier 100 IT leaders by Computer World Magazine.
In May 2003, McRobbie took on additional responsibilities as vice president for research. His aim was to improve the environment for research at IU by increasing external funding, expanding research space and facilities, and improving research support services. He was instrumental in securing a $53 million grant from the Lilly Endowment for the Indiana Metabolomics and Cytomics Initiative (METACyt)-the largest grant ever obtained at IU Bloomington-and established the highly successful New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities Program, which supports the creation of major works of art in various genres. He initiated a study of IU's research space needs, which will guide the development of new buildings and facilities under his presidency through the recently completed IU Master Plan, which he initiated.
McRobbie was appointed interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at IU Bloomington in 2006. In that position, he worked to rebuild academic leadership by appointing six new deans and a number of other key senior leaders, helped complete the IU Life Sciences Strategic Plan, further addressed the needs of arts and humanities programs, and oversaw the move of IU Bloomington to become a more selective campus, while ensuring that it remained accessible and affordable to low-income and minority students through a major increase in financial aid.
He also worked to reinvigorate IU's global relationships that support the university's international academic and educational programs. Over recent years he has led university delegations to China, Japan, and Korea, as well as visiting Israel, and has established or renewed cooperative agreements in research and education with several premier universities in those nations. He has also overseen the preparation of IU's International Strategic Plan.
A native of Australia, McRobbie came to IU from the Institute of Advanced Study at the Australian National University (ANU), where he was a professor of information science and chief executive officer of the Cooperative Research Centre for Advanced Computational Systems. He earned a bachelor's degree with first class honors from the University of Queensland and a doctoral degree from ANU. In 2007, the University of Queensland awarded him an honorary Doctor of Science. He was also awarded another Honorary Doctor of Science in 2008 by SungKyunKwan University in Korea.
McRobbie has been an active researcher in computer science and logic over his career. He has been principal investigator on numerous large grants from agencies such as the National Science Foundation, has published a number of books, and has served widely on editorial boards and conference committees.
He has had a substantial involvement in the development of the life and health sciences in Indiana and is a member of the Boards of Clarian Health Partners-one of the largest hospital systems in the United States-and the Riley Children's Hospital, one of America's leading children's hospitals.
He has had extensive experience in working with industry and has led large university/industry joint initiatives in various areas. Outside of the United States, he has had special experience working with industry, research, and government organizations in Asia, especially in Japan, and was a co-founder of the Asia Pacific Advanced Network (APAN) in 1996.
He has held numerous government, research and private sector committee, board, and advisory appointments nationally and internationally.
In addition to serving as IU's top administrator, McRobbie is a professor of cognitive science, computer science, informatics, and philosophy and an adjunct professor of library and information science on the IU Bloomington campus. He is also a professor of computer technology in the Purdue School of Engineering and professor of philosophy both at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). He recently became the first sitting IU president to be named an honorary member of the Alliance of Distinguished and Titled Professors. Though his academic career has focused primarily on information technology, he has demonstrated a continuing strong interest in and commitment to the humanities and was recently elected an honorary member of the Australian Academy of Humanities.
He holds numerous awards and honors and in 2007 was made a Sagamore of the Wabash by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, the highest honor the State can bestow.
