Feature
Next Steps
August 15, 2007
A conversation with Bennett Bertenthal, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Bennett Bertenthal was appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University in 2006.
A neuroscientist by training, Dr. Bennett Bertenthal understands the potential of the life sciences to improve our health and well-being. As dean of one of IU's most diverse and wide-ranging colleges, he has a unique perspective on what the Life Sciences Initiative means for the university, and what it will take to get us to the next level.
How would you assess the IU Life Sciences Initiative so far?
I served as assistant director at the National Science Foundation (NSF) from 1996 until 2000, so I know that it takes a long time for something that's initially a grass roots effort to become a line item in a budget. We're on schedule and should feel emboldened by our experience. We've gotten the attention of the legislature and now we're ready to step into high gear and move beyond the initial promotion and think about the Initiative in broader terms.
What should be IU's focus moving forward?
So far our main point has been that the life sciences are going to promote jobs and bolster the state's economy. That's certainly true, but it's only part of what the life sciences will do. What's equally important is that the life sciences are going to promote the physical and psychological well-being of people. When you have people that are healthy, they're going to work better and be more productive. We call this human capital, and it's responsible for as much as 80% of the prosperity of the nation.
So alongside making people healthier, what we're talking about is training people to drive the life sciences in Indiana. There needs to be an intimate connection between universities and the private sector regarding the life sciences. We can't just assume that we'll import life sciences professionals from other states. IU needs to be a leader in training the next generation of life sciences researchers and business leaders, and we can do that by working closely with companies like Eli Lilly.
Indiana is small state. If we're going to compete against huge life sciences initiatives on the coasts we need to begin pooling resources — public and private — across the entire state. Public and private universities should be brought together to establish a major presence in life sciences. We need this to build a workforce as well as to be the principle driver of basic research necessary for new developments that the private sector would be interested in pursuing. This can't happen by borrowing ideas from other states.
How do the "arts" — disciplines including English, history, sociology, and so on — play a role in the Life Sciences Initiative?
First, it would be unrealistic to think that every initiative is going to apply to every sector of the college to an equal extent. Even within the sciences, the Initiative is not going to apply to everyone.
So, truthfully, the Life Sciences initiative will apply less to a majority of people in the humanities and arts. But there will be some constituencies within the humanities that will be able to contribute. For example, we need people who are able to write about life sciences and explain the science and its benefits to the population at large. We can look at disease and well-being not only from medical and scientific perspectives but also in literature and from an historical perspective.
The point is that we all stand to benefit from IU and Indiana becoming a leader in the life sciences. Indiana has serious problems with obesity, diabetes, and other health issues above the national average. If we're going to tackle these problems and solve them, we need to work together.
