Purdue trustees approve IPFW realignment agreement

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s Board of Trustees on Friday (Dec. 16) approved a realignment agreement and plan that lays out the future governance framework for the Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne campus. The trustees’ vote marks the key approval needed for the plan to move ahead after Indiana University’s Board of Trustees voted for approval Dec. 1.

The agreement provides that Purdue will continue to have authority and responsibility for managing and operating the Fort Wayne campus as it has since its inception. The realignment, subject to various conditions, will occur on July 1, 2018. As part of the agreement, Purdue’s nursing, medical imaging and dental education programs will be transferred to IU, which currently manages the medical and social work programs on campus, and Purdue will administer all other academic programming. Each university will focus on its respective academic mission areas, with IU focusing on a new health sciences initiative and with Purdue exploring potential new programs in both STEM disciplines and the humanities.

The realignment plan stems from recommendations in a Legislatives Services Agency (LSA) report, completed in January 2016 at the direction of the Indiana General Assembly.

“Based on work from the LSA group, it was clear that the status quo was no longer serving the best interests of IPFW students or the community,” said Mike Berghoff, chair of Purdue’s Board of Trustees. “There are still details to be worked out, but one guiding principle will be that both universities remain committed to offering high-quality programs that serve students and the community, but in a way that is focused on each institution’s core strengths.”

Berghoff said a transition team will be assembled to implement the realignment plan and address outstanding issues leading up to the July 2018 effective date. He said Purdue will conduct an analysis of potential new programs in both STEM disciplines and the humanities designed to attract new students and reverse IPFW’s recent declines in enrollment and revenue.

Additional information about the IPFW realignment is available online.

Source: Michael Berghoff, trustees@purdue.edu