Indiana State University Newsroom

Indiana State University is developing a relationship with a British university to strengthen a recently created department in ISU's College of Technology.

The University of Salford has received a British Council Strategic Partnership grant to continue developing a relationship with ISU to bolster Indiana State's new department of built environment. Salford officials have been working with Indiana State to strengthen the partnership, which will include a professor from the British university visiting ISU in fall 2011 to teach and provide counsel on developing the department, which debuted last fall.

"Obviously, they have a global reputation, being in many ways the best of the world," said Robert English, ISU associate vice president for academic affairs, "and we have developed a strong relationship with the faculty."

The built environment concept encompasses any manmade structure that is used recreationally or for habitation, which includes designed structures from houses to Central Park in New York City, said Bradford Sims, dean of the College of Technology. Though it is more well-known internationally, the built environment concept is relatively new to the United States, Sims added.

ISU hopes to develop a strong curriculum in the department of built environment, English said. While the department already has several programs, including ISU's interior architecture design, safety management and construction management programs, officials hope to add more programs as the department develops.

"You have to associate yourself with the best universities, and to get engaged with the type of research that is very much needed," English said, "and our relationship with Salford allows us to do that, because some of the initiatives we'll be discussing are the types of research activities we ought to be engaged in."

Since ISU and Salford entered into the pact last summer, faculty members from both schools have already begun exploring different opportunities for cooperation. Sims also will be traveling to Salford this summer to finalize plans for the coming semester and also attend the University of Salford's School of the Built Environment spring graduation ceremonies.

"We are looking to develop a long-term relationship with the largest school of built environment in the world, which is the University of Salford, and there's a lot we're going to be able to do over time," Sims said. "We're just building that relationship now."

Photo: http://isuphoto.smugmug.com/Campus-Scenes/Campus-Scenes/DSC5320Campus/828447127_2ygxT-L.jpg
John T. Myers Technology Center at Indiana State University

Photo: http://isuphoto.smugmug.com/photos/1161657169_wihW3-S.jpg
Bradford Sims, dean of the College of Technology at ISU

Contact: Bradford Sims, dean, College of Technology, Indiana State University, 812-237-3166 or bradford.sims@indstate.edu.

Writer: Austin Arceo, assistant director of media relations, Office of Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-3790 or austin.arceo-negrich@indstate.edu.