Office of the President
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    Photo of John L. Anderson

    Greetings from Illinois Institute of Technology. With the fall semester in session, there is more than the usual amount of energy on campus. Contributing to the energy is our new strategic plan, Many Voices, One Vision. Unveiled this May, the plan has identified five university-wide priorities:

    • Improve the financial strength of IIT
    • Distinctively define the IIT graduate
    • Increase the impact of IIT's research by focusing on interdisciplinary themes
    • Promote innovation and excellence
    • Elevate the reputation of IIT Armour College of Engineering to international stature
    One change to our engineering program that has already taken place is the naming of Natacha DePaola as new dean. A recognized scientist who focuses her research on cellular mechanics, biofluid dynamics, and tissue engineering, DePaola served as chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute before joining IIT. Over the next five years, we plan to increase the number of tenure-track engineering faculty, grow the number of doctoral students, and creatively extend our reach in areas such as energy and sustainability. 

    Like our students, many of our faculty are continuing their efforts to position the university as a leader in charting the course toward a cleaner and greener future. The Perfect Power System is one of IIT's top projects for 2009 and the coming years. Based on a smart microgrid, the system will redefine the concept of electricity distribution and management, serving as a laboratory for helping to solve the widespread and costly problem of power outages. Perfect Power will also serve as a model resource for lawmakers, increase the energy efficiency of the IIT campus, and allow for exploration of other renewable electricity generation.

    As one of the Midwest's top Ph.D.-granting universities, with several nationally ranked programs, IIT is committed to the advancement of the human condition through quality teaching and research. Through our schools of engineering, the sciences and humanities, design, architecture, law, business, and psychology, we are educating students to excel in a complex global society.

    One of the ways that we prepare our students is through participation in unique, team-based interprofessional projects that allow them to pursue challenging issues with students from a variety of majors and backgrounds. Our faculty research initiatives also are addressing some of the most complex topics of our time, from energy and sustainability to biomedicine to cancer research. And through University Technology Park, the university is helping to build the South Side of Chicago into a thriving hub for science entrepreneurs.

    I encourage you to explore this website to learn more about the people—students, faculty, and staff—that make IIT distinctly unique.

    Sincerely,

    John Anderson

    John L. Anderson began his first full week as the eighth president of IIT with a press conference promoting alternative energy research and development with Congressman Dan Lipinski. Anderson was elected president in May 2007.