Dear Members of the University Community:
I invite you to attend a public forum of the Lincoln Project, an initiative of the American Academy for Arts and Sciences that’s traveling the country to examine the challenges facing public research universities and begin formulating solutions. The forum will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 9, in Room C20 of the Pomerantz Center.
Although this is not a ticketed event, seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis, so I encourage you to register via EventBrite. A reception will follow in the Blank Honors Center lobby.
Over the past three years, the Lincoln Project has traveled to campuses across the country to meet with leaders in higher education, government, and business. This will be its first stop in Iowa. Previous stops have included New York City, Austin, Atlanta, Chapel Hill, Charlottesville, Ann Arbor, and Madison.
Lincoln Project Co-Chair Mary Sue Coleman, former president of both the University of Iowa and the University of Michigan, as well as president of the Association of American Universities, will co-lead the forum with project advisers Phyllis Wise, former chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and current CEO of the Colorado Longitudinal Study, and Jim Leach, University of Iowa chair in public affairs and interim director of the University of Iowa Museum of Art.
This project provides opportunities for vital conversations about how we can all support our region’s intellectual infrastructure and advance a robust national research enterprise to position Iowa well in the developing global economy. Through the Lincoln Project, we have the chance to demonstrate that our public universities—which today are often seen as expenses to be minimized—are in fact assets to be leveraged and maximized.
The visit is being sponsored by the UI Office of the President, the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, and the UI Public Policy Center.
I believe this is a very important discussion for our institution, and I hope to see you there.
Sincerely,
Bruce Harreld
UI President
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Leslie Weatherhead in advance at leslie-weatherhead@uiowa.edu or 319-335-2131.