NSA Crane Educational Partnership
Naval Support Activity Crane is located in Southwestern Indiana, approximately 35 miles south of Bloomington, Indiana. NSA Crane is the third largest U.S. Naval installation by area in the world covering more than 97 square miles (62,000 acres). NSA Crane is charged with ensuring quality support, enabling Naval Surface Warfare Center — Crane Division, Crane Army Ammunition Activity, and other tenant commands to remain focused on their engineering, ammunition, and logistics missions. NSA Crane is recognized worldwide as a modern leader in diverse, technical, and reliable products aimed at meeting today and tomorrow’s US military needs.
IU's Educational Partnership Agreement with Naval Support Activity Crane, established in 2015, was recently renewed for five years during a signing event on Nov. 18, 2021, between IU President Pamela Whitten and NSA Crane Commanding Officer Cmdr. James L. Smith.
The purpose of the Education Partnership Agreement is to aid IU students' educational experience by providing a mechanism by which they can benefit from the NSA Crane's staff expertise, unique facilities and equipment. Under the partnership, IU has already completed over a half dozen projects in collaboration with NSA Crane, including multiple projects related to environmental monitoring and sustainable development of lands near the installation and the reduction of its energy waste, including a net-zero building analysis and recommendations for increasing its use of sustainably energy.
The inclusion of The Media School in this partnership only further strengthens the ties between IU and NSA Crane. This partnership provides media students practical experience in a government setting while also supporting Indiana’s only active duty military installation.