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News Release

Last modified: Thursday, August 11, 2011

Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie to become chairman of Internet2 Board of Trustees

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 11, 2011

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie has been named vice chairman and chairman-elect of the Board of Trustees for Internet2 for the 2011-2012 academic year. He will become chairman of the organization's 18-member board for a three-year period beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year.

Internet2, formed in 1996, is an advanced networking consortium led by the research and education communities and dedicated to developing breakthrough Internet technologies and advanced applications also used in healthcare, science and the arts and humanities.

Internet2 has more than 330 member institutions representing leading universities, corporations, government research agencies and not-for-profit networking organizations. Internet2's broader community represents 60,000 institutions in the U.S. and 50 other countries, and includes the same partnerships that produced today's Internet.

To connect all these communities, Internet2 provides a next generation nationwide network and advanced technologies that enable its users to collaborate in new and innovative ways. Internet2 also leads initiatives aimed at deploying leading-edge networking capabilities to communities across the U.S. with an emphasis on underserved parts of the country.

"I am honored to have been asked to chair the Board of Trustees of Internet2," McRobbie said. "I have dedicated much of my career to advancing information and computer technology, and believe deeply in the work and mission of Internet2. I have been closely involved in its activities, committees and management since it was established."

"Internet2 is having a major impact on the way researchers and educators work by providing unparalleled access to vast amounts of information and remote access to the world's leading scientific and computing facilities," McRobbie added. "This, in turn, provides innovative new opportunities for collaboration. And on a broader level, Internet2 is bringing next generation networking technologies into classrooms, libraries and museums around the country."

Internet2 President and CEO Dave Lambert applauded the selection of McRobbie to a new leadership role with the Board of Trustees.

"It is an honor to welcome President McRobbie to these leadership positions on the Internet2 Board of Trustees," Lambert said. "Michael's previous contributions to the development of Internet2 have been instrumental to its founding and success as the nation's premier university-driven and university-governed research and education network. I am confident his leadership in these new roles -- and in these new times -- will bring a completely new dimension of value and success to our community."

McRobbie, elected as an Internet2 trustee in 2009, has long been an academic leader in information technology, computer science and research and holds a professorship in computer science and in a number of other fields.

McRobbie, who became IU's 18th president in July 2007, joined the university as vice president for information technology in 1997, a role he held until he became president. He also served as vice president for research from 2003-2007, and interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at IU Bloomington from 2006-2007.

McRobbie initiated IU's involvement in Internet2's original network and has served as a member of the Internet2 International Relations Committee. In 2004, he was named to Computerworld magazine's list of "Premier 100 IT Leaders," which honors the top information technology strategists in the United States.

Under his leadership IU has emerged as a national leader in information technology, and IU's original IT strategic plan is now considered a model for educational institutions across the country. He established the IU global network operations center, which is regarded as the pre-eminent center for the management of high-speed education and research networks worldwide and now employs around 80 people.

He played an important role in establishing IU's School of Informatics and Computing as well as in securing two of the largest grants in IU history - totaling more than $80 million - to establish technology-related laboratories and initiatives at the university. He also directed the development of I-Light, the first higher education-owned optical fiber network, which now provides high-speed broadband Internet capability to colleges and universities across Indiana.

For more information about President McRobbie's appointment contact:

Mark Land
Associate Vice President, University Communications
Indiana University
mdland@iu.edu
812-856-1172 (office)
812-322-9016 (mobile)

To learn more about Internet2, go to https://www.internet2.edu.

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