I am pleased to report that the revitalization of the Main Campus and the surrounding neighborhood continues at a rapid pace. Two major new construction projects along State Street—the McCormick Tribune Campus Center and State Street Village, a residence hall complex—will open this fall. As the first new buildings on campus in more than 25 years, both are already being embraced as architectural landmarks. The campus center, designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, features a sound-buffering, concrete-and-steel tube that encloses “el” tracks passing directly over the one-story building. The 367-bed residence hall complex, designed by Helmut Jahn—who studied at IIT under Ludwig Mies van der Rohe—comprises five-story buildings joined by glass walls that muffle noise from passing trains.

The neighboring community is also undergoing significant transformation. The eight Stateway Gardens high-rises south of 35th Street are coming down to make way for a 1,300-unit, $300 million mixed-income residential community. Construction will begin this year. This redevelopment project will complement our earlier successes with Michigan Place, a residential community northeast of the campus. We are offering financial incentives to faculty and staff to become part of this important neighborhood partnership.

We’ve also been tending to our architectural past. Earlier this year, we launched the Mies Society—chaired by former Illinois governor James R. Thompson—to spearhead a $20 million campaign. This new phase of our multimillion-dollar campus plan will bring technology advances to classrooms and labs while preserving our landmark Mies-designed buildings.

IIT's focus on bricks-and-mortar isn’t a distraction. Our primary focus remains unchanged: We continue to provide students a world-class education that prepares them for careers as leaders and innovators in technology, science and the professions. We’re working hard to “click” with a new generation of students in new ways, creating degrees and programs that respond to a changing world.

We’re also focused like a laser on enrollment. Last fall, undergraduate enrollment increased more than 20 percent. We’ve set equally ambitious goals to increase this year’s incoming freshman class by another 15 percent. Graduate school enrollment has also increased and is on-target to meet or exceed goals. These recruiting successes help underscore the effectiveness of new marketing initiatives, more aggressive tracking and frequent communications with applicants throughout the process, and better packaging of financial aid options.

Recently, I announced the appointment of Allan Myerson, former dean of the Armour College of Engineering and Science, as senior vice president and provost. He is moving rapidly to modify the academic structure to better support students and reflect our institutional priorities. The first important change is dividing the 11 departments within the current Armour college into two colleges: the Armour College of Engineering and the College of Sciences and Letters. The College of Sciences and Letters will include biomedical engineering and math and science education, both of which are expecting significant growth in the near term.

IIT is also reaching out through programs that integrate academics and community service. For instance, as you’ll read about in the following pages of this edition of IIT Magazine, a team of students led by mechanical engineering professor Kevin Meade is helping change lives. Their Interprofessional service project, or IPRO, developed a more effective engineering approach to using an orthotic device that helps children suffering from scoliosis and other crippling spinal deformities. This summer, the team will travel to El Salvador where the device will be demonstrated. Our neighbors, the Chicago White Sox, are also tapping into IIT’s expertise. IPRO students have developed a reliable method to measure homerun distances. This automated homerun measurement and graphical display program will debut at “Home Run Derby” preceding this year’s All-Star game at U.S. Cellular Field. IIT is having an impact on lives in other ways. Elsewhere, the Digital Media Center—established to bridge the technology gap in Southside Chicago schools—has boosted technology access and usage among children, teachers and parents. Since the program’s inception in 2000, the center has served more than 2,700 learners.

Finally, I want to report on additions to our academic leadership team and Board of Trustees. In addition to Allan Myerson, key new academic appointments include Henry Perritt as vice provost and director of the Center for Law and Financial Markets, and Harold Krent as dean of Chicago-Kent College of Law.

We also welcomed two prominent Chicago business executives to the IIT Board of Trustees: Byrne Mulrooney, president of the Midwest Region, Operations Solutions, for Electronic Data Systems Corporation, and John A. Wing, retired chairman of the board and CEO of ABN AMRO Inc. (formerly The Chicago Corporation).