Purdue Takes Next Step in Combined Campuses
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowPurdue University's unified Calumet and North Central campuses will be known as Purdue University Northwest. The school's board of trustees has approved the new name, which will be phased in over the next two years. The school says the move is a key step in its continuing efforts to cut costs and promote student affordability. Purdue Calumet and Purdue North Central plan to market academic programs as one regional campus. During today's meeting, trustees also approved state funding requests for initiatives including additional summer courses and engineering faculty.
July 18, 2014
News Release
West Lafayette, Ind. — The Purdue Board of Trustees on Friday (July 18) approved Purdue University Northwest as the name of the unified Calumet and North Central campuses.
James B. Dworkin, chancellor of Purdue North Central, and Thomas L. Keon, chancellor of Purdue Calumet, praised the campus naming as a key step forward in their unification efforts. Combining the campuses reflects Purdue's continuing emphasis on administrative cost savings and promoting student affordability and accessibility, they said.
“I am very happy that our naming process is complete,” Dworkin said.
“This is a major step forward in our campus unification. Our unification effort reflects our commitment to ensuring the academic and administrative excellence of Purdue North Central and Purdue Calumet. Both campuses have established themselves as valued members of the Northwest Indiana community, and we're pleased that the trustees kept this goal in mind with the selection of Purdue University Northwest.”
Keon added that the name selection underscores a sense of cohesiveness that will serve both of the campus locations going forward.
“Northwest Indiana is ready for a more enriched Purdue University with excellent academic programs, experienced faculty and quality students,” he said. “Coming together as Purdue University Northwest reflects our commitment to working closely together to create an even stronger presence in the many communities we serve.”
The name's adoption will be phased in over the next two years as work continues to unify administrative oversight functions into one central office and provide opportunities for students to seamlessly pursue degree programs at either campus location. For now, Purdue University Northwest will be used in activities connected with the continued unification plan.
Purdue Calumet and Purdue North Central will begin to market academic programs as one regional campus after gaining accreditation to do so by the Higher Learning Commission.
The target date for completion of unification is July 1, 2016. Announced Feb. 26, the unification will include a formal plan that will be presented to trustees at a later meeting.
Once unification is complete, the two campus locations will be respectively identified as the Purdue University Northwest-Calumet campus and the Purdue University Northwest-North Central campus.
Current students will not see their curriculum, coursework or graduation requirements change. Incoming students will still apply and enroll at the campus location of their choice.
In addition to approving the name, trustees authorized the two chancellors to develop a new logo and to create new nomenclature to distinguish the existing regional campus references.
July 18, 2014
News Release
West Lafayette, Ind. — Purdue trustees on Friday (July 18) approved the 2015-2017 legislative request for line items, which, among other items, includes funding for two new initiatives that support the university's Purdue Moves.
The two new line-item requests are for strategic growth in the College of Engineering and expansion of summer course offerings. Both requests are key components of Purdue Moves, a range of initiatives introduced by Purdue President Mitch Daniels to broaden the university's global impact and enhance educational opportunities for students.
The Board of Trustees also reviewed performance funding metrics prescribed by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, which will be used to determine the university's request for operating funds for the upcoming biennium. Actual operating appropriations will not be known until the 2015 legislative session has been completed.
The university's legislative request will be submitted to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education in September. After review, ICHE will then forward the request as a recommendation to the General Assembly for consideration during its legislative session.
“Our request includes two new line items that are directly tied to enhancing our educational, teaching and research capacity,” said James Almond, Purdue senior vice president for business services and assistant treasurer.
“Beyond those requests, we are seeking only a modest 3 percent inflationary increase for the other recurring line items, all of which are in strategic areas that provide tremendous benefit to people throughout the state.”
Purdue is requesting $5 million to support summer expansion in order to increase summer course offerings and provide students additional flexibility to incorporate internships, study abroad and undergraduate research into their Purdue experience, both during the summer and the academic year. The requested recurring line item would help enhance this student-focused initiative with funds supporting summer financial aid, facilitating student employment opportunities, and expanding and enhancing summer programming.
Purdue is requesting $6 million as part of a recurring line item to partially support the hiring of additional engineering faculty in the 2015-2017 biennium. In April 2012, the College of Engineering began a plan to grow student enrollment and the number of faculty, which would make it one of the nation's largest colleges of engineering. The growth plan is tied to a national call to graduate 10,000 more engineers per year in order to increase the state and national capacity for innovation, economic development and job creation. The strategic growth initiative has already helped enhance the college's reputation, making the university even more competitive, both in attracting top-quality students and faculty and in competing for research funds. The state's funds will be leveraged through university dollars and external funding.
The university also is requesting 3 percent inflationary increases for its recurring line items. These requests include:
Statewide Technology. The Purdue College of Technology's statewide educational delivery system is a partnership among regional/community education, industry and government. Formally created in 1983, Statewide Technology helps meet the state's needs for trained technologists and technicians and provides a method of updating those currently employed in state-of-the-art technology and practices. The system also helps meet the needs of recent high school graduates who can't attend the West Lafayette or regional campuses. Funding requested: $6.9 million, up $202,000.
Agricultural Research and Extension (Crossroads). This supports applied research and education for problems and emerging issues specific to Indiana agriculture. Crossroads, an investment in the College of Agriculture begun in 1991, has helped position the college as a national leader in agricultural sciences and bolstered the college's support for the state's agriculture and agricultural sciences industries. Funding requested: $8.75 million, up $256,000.
County Extension educators. Extension educators provide Hoosiers with unbiased research-based knowledge. Because educators are located in every Indiana county, this information is rapidly delivered to communities in a timely, relevant and valuable way. Funding requested: $7.7 million, up $226,000.
Technical Assistance Program (TAP). The program was established in 1986 with the mission of advancing the state's economic prospe