President Chiang visits Purdue University Fort Wayne and seven counties in northwest and central Indiana

Purdue President Mung Chiang is continuing to canvass the state of Indiana, visiting Purdue’s regional campuses and meeting with Purdue Extension staff of each of Indiana’s 92 counties. Last week, Chiang and other members of his administrative team traveled to northeast Indiana’s Adams, Delaware, Jay, Madison, Tipton and Wells counties and to Purdue University Fort Wayne.

The statewide tour, which began in August 2022, illustrates Purdue’s commitment to meet with groups of residents and community leaders to discuss how Indiana’s land-grant institution can be a vital resource and partner in agriculture, health, youth development and economic growth.

With Purdue’s vast network of resources, research and experts in multiple fields, it is able to provide innovative solutions, resources and activities that foster success.

During the visit with Extension team members in the six counties, Mung was joined by Purdue Vice President for Engagement Roberto Gallardo; Anne Hazlett, Purdue’s senior director of government relations and public affairs; Bernie Engel, Purdue’s Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture; and Angie Abbott, interim director of Purdue Extension and associate dean in the College of Agriculture.

While Purdue Extension — which has offices in every Indiana county and operates in the College of Agriculture — serves as a valuable tool in agriculture, 4-H youth development, community development, and health and nutrition, meeting attendees discussed a growing list of other issues that are critical to success in the 21st century. Those vital resources include available and affordable housing, quality and accessible child care, and reliable and fast broadband coverage.

In the visit to Purdue Fort Wayne, Chiang and his recently named chief of staff, Ian Hyatt, met with PFW Chancellor Ronald Elsenbaumer and his key staff.

The academic partners discussed the current state of affairs across PFW in teaching and learning, enrollment and student opportunities. They also met with a group of student leaders to get their perspective on the campus environment, Fort Wayne and their experiences.

The series of tours is part of Chiang’s ABCD strategy to better serve the state through four initiatives: Airport for the Greater Lafayette region, Broadband for rural counties, (hard-tech) Corridor for central Indiana, and Purdue@DC, which brings unique capabilities to the nation’s capital. 

Chiang will continue to schedule additional tours in 2024-25. By visiting all 92 Indiana counties, he hopes to reaffirm Purdue as a trusted and reliable resource for the entire state.

About Purdue University 

Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.