On June 14, 2023, Purdue University trustees and Indiana University trustees simultaneously approved the agreements that will effectively dissolve IUPUI on June 30, 2024, completing a process that started in August 2022. Now, two outstanding universities with complementary strengths will arise in Indianapolis, making this a momentous day for our state.
At the same time, Purdue’s Board of Trustees further established Purdue University in Indianapolis, with multiple locations throughout the city and degrees from Purdue University West Lafayette. In addition to continuing the PU part of IUPUI, Purdue will bring many more programs from possibly all colleges and departments in West Lafayette to Indianapolis.
Purdue will have the physical resources, state appropriations and freedom to independently operate its urban campus. This will allow Purdue to expand the academic and research excellence that the university is known for to Indiana’s capital city, while investing in and partnering with Indianapolis to significantly grow the tech-driven economy in central Indiana.
“Today’s announcement launches transformative growth for our state’s land-grant university, and Boilermakers are excited to serve the people, businesses and communities of Indianapolis. We thank all of our partners: those at Indiana University; the government, civic and business leaders who have been with us throughout this process; and the many colleagues, alumni and neighbors who provided insightful input. We thank our Indiana General Assembly for their support,” Purdue President Mung Chiang said. “An urban setting offers unique programs in academics, research and partnership for students and faculty, and Indianapolis has its many special strengths. Starting today, new opportunities for Purdue University in Indianapolis are limitless.”
Purdue’s first comprehensive urban campus
The new Purdue University in Indianapolis will assume responsibility for the existing engineering, computer science and technology programs at IUPUI and confer Purdue West Lafayette degrees. Purdue will also be able to introduce and grow enrollments in other colleges and departments in Indianapolis, e.g., Daniels School of Business, Pharmacy, Health and Human Sciences, Science, Agriculture and more.
Purdue anticipates substantially increasing today’s Indianapolis enrollment with plans for a 28-acre campus footprint stretching beyond the existing IUPUI engineering and technology buildings, which Purdue students will continue to use. Purdue received $60 million from the Indiana General Assembly to fund the first academic and student success building on the newly available land, and working groups are targeting additional building projects, including a possible new residence hall. Purdue University in Indianapolis students and faculty will continue to have access to all campus and academic facilities for the foreseeable future. Purdue is also exploring additional locations throughout the city of Indianapolis for expansion of academic and research programs.
To contribute to the civic life of the city and community, and recognizing the historical significance of the area surrounding Indiana Avenue, Purdue has pledged support to the Indiana Avenue Certified Strategic Plan, which will inform the development of the surrounding neighborhoods, including the Purdue University in Indianapolis campus. Purdue University is also exploring additional physical facilities throughout Indianapolis.
Since Purdue University in Indianapolis is not a regional university, there is no chancellor. Professor David Umulis will serve as the chief academic officer for Purdue University in Indianapolis in his current role as senior vice provost, reporting to Provost Patrick Wolfe of Purdue University. Dan Hasler, who formerly served as secretary of commerce for the state of Indiana, will serve as chief operating officer for Purdue University in Indianapolis, reporting to Chiang.
America’s Hard Tech Corridor
The new Purdue University in Indianapolis will also serve as one bookend for a 65-mile-long Hard Tech Corridor in Indiana, stretching from downtown Indianapolis, through the LEAP Innovation District in Lebanon with new sites from companies such as Eli Lilly and Company, all the way to Discovery Park District in West Lafayette.
Purdue will invest in making the Hard Tech Corridor the most consequential engine of economic growth and brain gain in the Midwest as it continues to generate workforce, jobs and innovation together with partners.
For business and communities in Indianapolis and central Indiana
The dramatically growing needs of Indiana have been calling for the correspondingly bold move toward the creation of Purdue University in Indianapolis to provide the world-class higher education and research capabilities the local economy needs. Central Indiana business and community leaders have expressed concern about shortages of talent well trained in the engineering, sciences, technological and health care disciplines, and a related gap in local capacity for high-end research. Purdue University has achieved excellence at scale among the very top universities in the country, ranking among the top four U.S. universities in agriculture, graduate engineering and utility patents and, across all leading American universities, as No. 1 in undergraduate STEM enrollment. Now, with a plan to ambitiously increase student enrollment at the Indianapolis campus, Purdue University in Indianapolis will create new knowledge and establish a strong pipeline of Boilermaker talent to the capital city.
After the IUPUI transition is completed, Purdue University will have continued collaboration with Indiana University, where each university’s strengths will enhance funding opportunities for joint research initiatives in Indianapolis, including creation of a joint institute for engineering in medicine between the Purdue University Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and the Indiana University School of Medicine. This new institute will develop new life-enhancing therapies and technologies while simultaneously creating a highly sought-after pool of professionals whose unique research and training will create startups and attract new companies to the Indianapolis and central Indiana region.
For Purdue University students and faculty in Indianapolis and in West Lafayette
The new Purdue University in Indianapolis dramatically increases the opportunities for faculty, staff and students in Indianapolis that can only come by joining and fully integrating with a top 10 public university and one of the world’s most innovative institutions.
Taking advantage of the excellence at scale established over the past 150-plus years, there are new opportunities for Purdue University in Indianapolis students and staff to grow their professional networks; access the full breadth of courses; leverage world-class facilities in Purdue’s Discovery Park District, including the Birck Nanotechnology Center; utilize the technology and commercialization pipeline facilitated by the Purdue Research Foundation; participate in statewide cooperative extension to see discoveries making an impact throughout the state; and access resources for career advancement.
Faculty, staff and students will also be able to take full advantage of new programs developed in Indianapolis integrated with departments pursuing advancements in cybersecurity, autonomy, advanced manufacturing, microelectronics, AI, business analytics, biomedical engineering, sports technology, hospitality and tourism management, pharmaceutical discovery and manufacturing, to list a few. Purdue’s strengths lie in its mission and its people – and the combined physical locations create the environment to solve the problems of tomorrow as one university with one mission leading the charge together.
Putting the Old Gold and Black and Indianapolis together, Purdue University in Indianapolis will create unique opportunities for current West Lafayette students and faculty, allowing them to pursue research, internship or entrepreneurial opportunities with Indianapolis companies or opt to take entire semesters on the new urban campus. There are also compelling possibilities for faculty in West Lafayette, including tighter faculty-industry collaborations, improved access to the Indianapolis entrepreneurial ecosystem, better opportunities to attract faculty who prefer an urban lifestyle, and advantages for dual-career hires.