Date: July 28, 2022
To: Board of Trustees
From: Theresa Mayer, Executive VP for Research and Partnerships
cc: Mitchell E. Daniels, President; Jay T. Akridge, Provost and Executive VP for Academic Affairs and Diversity; Christopher A. Ruhl, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer; Steven R. Schultz, General Counsel
Matt Folk, President and CEO, Purdue For Life Foundation
Re: Institute for a Sustainable Future
Purpose. This memo requests that the Board of Trustees approve of the creation of the Purdue Institute for a Sustainable Future as a new Purdue University interdisciplinary institute.
Background. The creation of the Purdue Institute for a Sustainable Future aligns our organizational structure and institutional investments to enable Purdue faculty to develop solutions to pressing global, national, and state challenges in the interdisciplinary areas of environment and climate. This new university-wide institute integrates our internationally recognized, cross-cutting research efforts as currently represented through two smaller units under the previous Discovery Park Center structure – Purdue Climate Change Research Center and Center for the Environment. This integration reduces administrative redundancy, conforms to our recently adopted single Discovery Park District branding, and better aligns our combined research strengths to areas of significant global and national interest as well as to federal, foundation, and industry funding priorities.
As required by Purdue policy C-6 (Centers and Institutes), Board approval is required to establish a new university-level institute of this type.
Discussion. The creation of the Purdue Institute for a Sustainable Future (the “Institute”) will enable the university’s deep bench of researchers to pursue collaborative, interdisciplinary solutions to the complex global challenges in sustainability, including water cycle, quality, and management; water-energy-food nexus; environmental health, contamination and remediation; climate and extreme weather; socio-economic, policy and regulation. The Institute aligns with Purdue’s Land Grant Mission of building human capital, advancing research focused on our world’s most important problems and engaging deeply with our partners.
The interdisciplinary organizational structure and investments of the Institute will lower barriers to cross-sector collaboration both within and outside of Purdue, and will provide the infrastructure and resources to support multi-investigator and center level proposals and programs. The Institute will become the intellectual home for over 50 core faculty and 200 affiliated faculty from seven colleges and 45 departments (with 10 in Engineering and 11 in Agriculture). Over the past four years, these faculty have been awarded over $70 million per year in interdisciplinary external funding. At a national level, members have served as program officers at the National Science Foundation, advisors on national science councils, and expert witnesses on numerous topics including climate change and environmental contamination. Members lead several United States Agency for International Development (USAID) projects to advance the development of solutions for cleaner water, safer soil and air, and increasing equity in governance of environmental resources. Locally, members serve on key taskforces, councils and committees, including on Governor Holcomb’s Wetlands Taskforce, and as chair of the Greater Lafayette “Go Greener” taskforce.
The Institute will report to the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research and Partnerships and will be governed by an internal advisory council that represent the engaged academic units. It will also have an external advisory group that will be developed with input from the advisory council and Institute members. The Institute will remain responsive to changing priorities by creating a structure that promotes communication and interdisciplinary teaming and provides support to develop large proposals and programs. The consolidation of expertise within the Institute will also allow for quick and diverse strategic response to acute or immediate issues, such environmental contamination events, extreme heat, and many others.
Requested Action. We respectfully request that the Board authorize the creation of the Institute for a Sustainable Future pursuant to Purdue policy C-6.