Recent editorials published in Indiana newspapers
The (Munster) Times. March 7, 2018
Quality of place cures Region population loss
The bad news is Lake County's long hold on being the second-most populous county in Indiana is slipping and could be lost by 2050, according to new data from the Kelley School of Business.
The good news: Our community leaders and planners have time to take a crack at reversing the trend by cultivating quality of place.
Even better news is that a number of Region cities and towns seem to comprehend the finer points of that cultivation and already are moving in the right direction.
On The Times Sunday business cover, reporter Joseph Pete revealed a new report released by the Indiana Business Research Center and Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.
It forecasts that Lake County will be the only one of Indiana's 12-biggest counties to lose population by 2050, potentially shrinking by nearly 3 percent in that time period. That's a projected loss of more than 14,000 residents.
LaPorte County is projected to shed 5 percent of its population by 2050.
Conventional wisdom and good planning principles dictate that enhancing amenities, service and infrastructure - key components of quality of place - can help slow or even reverse such trends by attracting and retaining residents.
It's no accident within that same time period that Porter County is expected to see strong population growth more than 15 percent.
Marquee Porter County cities and towns, including Valparaiso, Chesterton and Portage, have made significant investments in quality of place in recent years.
A vibrant, walkable downtown Valparaiso is but one example.
It's not all lost in Lake or LaPorte counties, either.
Crown Point has one of the most iconic and vibrant downtown areas in the Region and has made significant investments in re-purposing derelict properties, building new development corridors and creating a youth sports complex mecca.
In the heart of the Region's urban core, Whiting has made marked improvements in quality of place amenities with an improved lakefront, family-oriented entertainment options and a tourism draw with the National Sports Mascot Hall of Fame. Hammond has its own high-end youth sportsplex in the works.
Recent Times articles have detailed investments in improving downtown areas in Portage, Lowell and Cedar Lake. And Michigan City continues to find new ways to maximize amenities of its lakefront through planning and events.
Munster, meanwhile, is building a long overdue downtown feel with its Centennial Village project.
It would be easy for Lake County residents, local government leaders and business entities to look at the Indiana Business Research data as a negative.
The proper reaction is allowing it to serve as a wake-up call to spur better planning and new ideas to improve Northwest Indiana's quality of place.
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The (Bloomington) Herald-Times. March 8, 2018
Provost speech a call to help others
One of the most compelling parts of Indiana University Provost Lauren Robel's State of the Bloomington Campus address this week involved the engagement of IU students in improving the lives of others.
She is rightly proud of IU Corps, an initiative designed to connect students with meaningful engagement opportunities locally and throughout the world. The idea is to match students with partners who have similar interests and goals.
Two great strengths of IU Bloomington make the initiative possible, she said in her speech. First, this is a generation of students that is not shy about expressing its desire to make a positive difference. And it happens to have an abundance of "passion, energy, compassion and intelligence" to draw from.
The second strength is less cerebral and more structural - the large number of service-learning organizations and classes that build service to others into their overall mission.
IU Corps builds on the positive activities already in place by providing a single point of contact that will help those not familiar with the university to plug into the sheer energy, power and creativity provided by college students who want to do good. On the other hand, IU Corps gives students a place to go where they can plug into their passions. They can be linked to children in need, people in poverty, animals who need some love or hundreds of other opportunities in our community or around the globe.
Robel's speech stressed this important point: The engagement made easier by IU Corps will be as fulfilling and even life-changing for the students as for the people and groups the students are helping. Opportunities to help provide a sense of purpose to a student's life that goes beyond learning material in a class or having fun on a weekend.
Robel also used her speech to encourage students to participate in the vital civic duty of voting. A competition called the Big Ten Voting Challenge should help motivate IU students to register to vote and to go to the ballot boxes in the primary and general election.
She talked about other important items sitting on the campus's plate, including the three Grand Challenges initiatives that have been launched to date. They are meant to tackle mammoth issues such as curing diseases, coming to grips with climate change and addressing the problems of addictions.
Finally, there was mention of two key collaborations IU Bloomington is involved in - the partnership with IU Health on a new hospital and Regional Academic Health Center and the work IU is doing to partner with communities in south-central Indiana, including a new Center for Rural Engagement.
Her address showed clearly the importance a major university can have when it embraces a leadership role in helping others. All in all, the provost's speech was refreshing.
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South Bend Tribune. March 8, 2018
Slow tariff talk for Hoosier's sake
Our local congressional representatives and U.S. senators should urge the Trump administration to slow down in its push to impose tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum.
The proposals have been touted as a fix to declining U.S. production numbers and shrinking employment in the steel and aluminum industry here. But the rising cost of steel and aluminum that will result from the tariffs could have a significant impact on area businesses.
The RV industry in Elkhart County, which the Brookings Institution rates as one of the top five counties in the country when it comes to exports as a percentage of GDP, would be vulnerable if foreign governments chose to retaliate with sanctions of their own.
South Bend-based Masterbilt would see its prices increase across the board as domestic steel and aluminum producers match prices with tariffed imports.
Masterbilt, which produces 90 percent of its parts with stainless steel or aluminum, could see its margins narrow along with the rising cost of material used make its products.
The proposed tariffs have caused deep concerns among the Republican-controlled Congress. Even 2nd District Rep. Jackie Walorski, who has rarely challenged President Trump, is concerned about the president's proposal and asked him to reconsider his idea to avoid the potential "harmful impact" on Hoosier workers and businesses.
U.S. Sen. Todd Young praised the president for addressing unfair trade but asked that measures be "balanced and implemented in a targeted approach." U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, and U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, didn't comment, but Donnelly said he would review the measures once they were implemented.
Now is the time to review the potential impact tariffs would have on the local economy, and our area lawmakers need to step up to ensure the best interests of Hoosiers is their first priority.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than 22,000 workers directly employed in steel and aluminum production in Indiana and more than 300,000 workers employed in industries that use those materials. It's easy to see the potential impact tariffs could have, and it could become even worse if other countries choose to retaliate with their own set of sanctions. Agriculture has been frequently mentioned as a potential target, another big Hoosier industry.
Our local congressional representatives should urge the administration to tap the brakes on its movement toward sanctions on products critical to Indiana's economy and the well-being of their constituents.
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The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette. March 7, 2018
Continuing pledge
The last administrative detail in separating Indiana and Purdue universities' half-century partnership in Fort Wayne was completed Monday. The Higher Learning Commission's approval of the IPFW realignment is a bittersweet milestone in the promise the two first-class institutions hold, but also a concern for losses the region might experience.
IPFW Chancellor Ron Elsenbaumer pledged continued cooperation in a news release.
"As we transition to being separate and independent - yet equally committed - partners, I encourage everyone to remember our number one priority - our students," he wrote.
Anyone who has studied at or sent a student to West Lafayette or Bloomington can be confident students will come first, whether it is studying at Purdue University Fort Wayne or Indiana University Fort Wayne. Students, in fact, will likely experience the least disruption from the change and, we hope, will reap the greatest benefit.
But those who have witnessed the effects of IPFW's contributions to this region won't forget them. Its graduates top the list - our family members, neighbors, co-workers and more. They contribute to our community in countless ways and a 2014 survey of new graduates found 89 percent planned to live and work in northeast Indiana after graduation.
IPFW has enriched the region in many other ways. Its Centers of Excellence are key contributors: The Community Research Institute, Wireless Technology Center, Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics and the Environmental Resources Center, to name a few.
Culturally, IPFW has brought the world to Fort Wayne through music, art and theater. Its Omnibus Lecture Series has been a community treasure, with free community lectures by fascinating and entertaining speakers, including Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Sandra Day O'Connor, John Updike and Nikki Giovanni.
The university has inspired us with sponsored events such as RiverFest, which helped show residents the potential of our three rivers. The annual Tapestry event continues to raise thousands of dollars for scholarships and to serve as an inspiring and educational event for women. NCAA Division I athletics have been a gift to the community - drawing students and fans to IPFW and raising the region's stature.
The contributions IPFW has made should continue under its new structure, but northeast Indiana residents must remain vigilant to ensure they do. Indiana and Purdue universities are arguably the most powerful institutions in the state. It's easy for university and state officials to focus on Indianapolis and the flagship campuses at the expense of other Indiana communities. It will be our responsibility to hold state officials to their word in maintaining both academic and community strengths in this region.
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