New urbanism in its successful manifestations is one strategy toward revitalizing American cities. But the blueprint for the new often is a legacy from the old. Take, for instance, Bloomington’s Vinegar Hill—a neighborhood portrayed in the late Carol Shields’ Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Stone Diaries. A class of IU students is helping to prepare a nomination for the National Register of Historic Places for Vinegar Hill, just south of the collegiate gothic limestone buildings of the campus.

History, function, trends and future needs— all figure into the IU campuses’ individual architectural signatures. What university architects have worked to preserve--whether limestone is used a flourish or as a mainstay—is a reflection of tradition, not of a "throw-away culture."

IU’s potential for contributing to the state’s economic growth and development has never been greater, says IU President Adam Herbert, who has named an internal task force to set a roadmap to define and to strengthen the university’s contributions.

The new Indiana Venture Center is a public-private partnership that will provide a supportive environment for start-up and fast-growing young firms in the state.