New Schools Approved For IPFW
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Purdue University Board of Trustees has approved the creation of three schools at IPFW. The university says the new schools are the result of ongoing academic restructuring efforts on the Fort Wayne campus as it prepares for the realignment of IPFW into two separate institutions.
Among the changes, the university is merging the department of manufacturing and construction engineering technology and the department of computer, electrical, and information technology into the School of Polytechnic. The school will be part of the College of Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science.
The College of Visual and Performing Arts will use a $1 million grant from the English-Bonter-Mitchell Foundation and a $1 million allocation from the state to establish the School of Music. The university says the school, which will be the first of its kind Purdue’s history, will offer new degrees in music technology, commercial music, and music industry studies. It will also host national music festivals on campus.
The College of Education and Public Policy at IPFW will be renamed the College of Professional Studies and will house the newly-created School of Education. The university says the school will include the current department of educational studies and department of professional studies.
"As we look to the future and transition to Purdue Fort Wayne, creating these three new units with the unique designation of ‘schools within colleges’ makes us more attractive to prospective students," said Carl Drummond, vice chancellor for academic affairs and enrollment management. "By expanding our academic offerings, we can expand our reach with the goals of increasing enrollment and producing more graduates to meet the needs of the northeast Indiana region and beyond."
The Purdue Board of Trustees also approved additional changes for the IPFW campus:
- The department of human serves and department of hospitality and tourism management will move from the College of Health and Human Services to the College of Professional Studies.
- The department fine arts and department of visual communication and design will merge into the department of art and design. The newly-created department will be part of the College of Visual and Performing Arts.
- The department of anthropology and department of sociology will be combined into one, known as the department of anthropology and sociology.
- The university will also offer a new bachelor of science in psychology, pending approval from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.
The realignment of IPFW into Purdue University Fort Wayne and Indiana University Fort Wayne, which was approved by the boards of trustees for both universities in June, is set to take effect July 1 of next year. Purdue says the realignment still needs approval from the Higher Learning Commission.