Before Chris Krull transitioned to a career in academia in 2005, she worked as a human resources consultant specializing in helping people take their next steps.
That theme persisted when she started teaching at IUPUI as an adjunct faculty member, later joining the school full-time through a grant and focusing on competency-based education and an HR management certificate program.
As Purdue prepares to make its next giant leap with a fully integrated extension of its flagship campus in Indianapolis, Krull is well-equipped to help lead the way. As the inaugural director of Teaching and Learning Programs at Purdue in Indianapolis, Krull is committed to ensuring that students are well-supported as they take the next steps toward their goals.
“The work we’re doing now to prepare for the July 1 launch of Purdue in Indianapolis ties into my work in HR, recruitment, employee development and helping people make their next step,” shares Krull, whose preceding title was assistant dean for Career and Student Success of the College of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI. “In an academic context, we’re figuring out what pieces need to be in place so we can support our incoming and our continuing students to reach the next level.”
Jenna Rickus, Purdue’s vice provost for Teaching and Learning, says Krull stood out from the beginning as an engaged, collaborative and student-centered partner.
“She quickly became our go-to person for administrators in West Lafayette who were learning the landscape of the pre-programs at IUPUI,” Rickus says. “I found myself repeatedly going to Chris, and she was an effective communicator and liaison to the rest of the community — faculty, staff and students alike — at IUPUI. She was an obvious leader and point-person for our realignment, integration and re-envisioning of the Purdue in Indianapolis location.”
Krull says she’s especially excited to influence the opportunities that continuing students will have as new members of the Purdue community.
“Everything is being built through a lens of what our current students have access to today and what we can bring to Indianapolis from West Lafayette to support a vibrant culture of student engagement, success, and opportunities,” she notes. “I am excited for our continuing students because they will be the first to get to experience what it means to be a Boilermaker in Indianapolis. We’re not reinventing everything, but we are trying to build a bridge. There are great people and strong programs in Indianapolis and West Lafayette, and the connecting thread is our students.”
Krull adds that the integration between the Purdue West Lafayette and Indianapolis locations aims to bring out the best of both cultures.
“We’re very student-focused in Indianapolis, and we’ve done a lot of work to understand how to serve a diverse student population — which we’re very proud of,” she says. “We get things done down here, and having Purdue’s full support behind us means that we can open up even more opportunities for our students, staff, and faculty in Indianapolis. I am excited about the intentional focus on experiential education opportunities for Purdue students studying in Indianapolis and look forward to being a part of the first launch of Boiler Gold Rush in Indianapolis.”
More information about Purdue in Indianapolis is available at the Purdue University in Indianapolis website.
Andrea Mattingly
Director of Communication for Teaching and Learning, andrea@purdue.edu