The Indiana University Board of Trustees will vote during the noon hour Friday on a recommendation to build a new IU medical complex in Downtown Evansville.
IU President Michael McRobbie told the board that all four proposals for the med school, including one on the USI campus, another off Cross Pointe Blvd, and another in Warrick County near the Gateway complex, were strong, but the downtown site is the best for all concerned.
Mayor Lloyd Winnecke will head-up a community celebration during the noon hour at the Old National Bank Atrium. He's been a strong supporter of the downtown proposal on the D. Patrick property bordered by Fourth, Sixth, Locust and Cherry streets. The site includes a current Deaconess Clinic, and would be adjacent to the the Ford Center and the planned convention hotel.
Assuming the IU Trustees follow the recommendation, the medical complex and up to 2000 students would transform Downtown Evansville. One of the reasons for the downtown recommendation is that students told the committee that they prefer a “walkable” site.
Construction is expected to start next year, with the school opening in time for the fall 2017 semester.