Indiana University and Purdue make big plans as IUPUI enters final year (2024)

College students headed back to school Monday in Indianapolis as IUPUI, a 53-year joint effort between Indiana University and Purdue University, enters its last year. 

But it’s not all doom and gloom, as both IU and Purdue plan to expand in the capital city with new campuses in fall 2024. 

Indiana University President Pamela Whitten said this summer has been “terrific and busy” moving ahead with IU’s strategic plans. Vision 2024, Whitten’s team leading IUPUI’s transition into IU Indianapolis, are “most of the way through the planning.”

“Just over these next 10 months or so, we actually do the activities to formally sever the partnership and realign,” Whitten said. “As of July 1, we will officially be IU Indianapolis.” 

Purdue will start the new Purdue University in Indianapolis next year too.

Listen: IUPUI split paves way for two new universities

IU and Purdue made the dissolution of IUPUI official June 14 after 53 years. The universities plan to grow in Indianapolis, particularly in STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Indiana University will retain 85 percent of the IUPUI student body — over 23,000 students — and will own and operate the current IUPUI campus after the split.

Indiana University and Purdue make big plans as IUPUI enters final year (1)

Construction, research and more STEM opportunities in the works for IU

This year, Whitten said she expects a “great deal” of participation and planning for a new research campus next year. Whitten said changes won’t happen overnight.

“We’ll make sure that we grow at a pace that enables students to have a phenomenal experience,” Whitten said. “The bottom line is, the students are why we’re here. And we want their college experience at IU Indianapolis to just be phenomenal.”

The Indianapolis campus will see some construction this year, Whitten said. The university will break ground on lab and research buildings after receiving $60 million in state funding. A Science and Technology Corridor at Michigan and West Streets is in the works. 

Some academic changes are on the way for next fall. 

IU will take over IUPUI’s School of Science, Whitten said, so degree programs and curriculum will be updated and expanded. By next year the campus will also begin a program to directly admit eligible School of Science students into the IU School of Medicine.

Indiana University and Purdue make big plans as IUPUI enters final year (2)

The university will double enrollment in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, she said, so new developments with the school are in the works in Indianapolis. IU will launch the Department of Computer Science and new fields in engineering.

This summer a committee led by Vice Chancellor of Research for the Indianapolis campus Phaedra Corso prepared strategic research themes for IUI’s future, Whitten said. The committee will begin searches for research leaders and faculty this fall. 

“So there will be a lot of activity and participation this year as faculty and staff lead those efforts to bring in those new folks, to develop those new research arms, to create those new labs and spaces for us as well, to update and create new curriculum related to science and technology,” Whitten said. 

Outside of STEM,  she said the university will still grow programs within business, law, art, humanities, and law as a “comprehensive university.” 

“There’s so much there that’s wonderful that will continue, or even be kind of improved upon,” Whitten said. 

Search is on for chancellor and executive vice president for IU Indianapolis

IU Indianapolis is in need of a leader. 

The university officially selected a search committee for IUI’s chancellor and executive vice president in August.  Isaacson, Miller, an executive search firm, will work with IU. Whitten said the university hopes to have finalists visit campus in November.

Read more: President Whitten’s first year: Focus on students, discontent over union

Whitten said the university has been direct in wanting to create the country’s best urban research university, so the leaders should be “strong, thoughtful and visionary and will work well with both internal stakeholders and external stakeholders.” That could be someone with an academic background or someone outside-of-the-box, she said.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to be innovative and forward-thinking, in terms of what we’d like the university to become,” Whitten said. “We’re looking for a leader that has that same aspirational vision for IU Indianapolis.”

Purdue University in Indianapolis’ leaders will be Professor David Umulis as chief academic officer and Dan Hasler will be chief operating officer, according to a release. 

Purdue plans to expand physical campus and science programs

Purdue University in Indianapolis will take over IUPUI’s computer science, engineering and tech degree programs. Purdue spokesperson Tim Doty said in an email Indianapolis students will earn Purdue West Lafayette degrees.

Purdue will update its physical campus in Indianapolis as IUPUI comes to an end. 

Purdue received $60 million from the state to fund an academic and student success building. Students will be able to use existing IUPUI engineering and technology buildings, and the university is planning to add another 28 acres to its campus. Doty said Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business Executive Education and some Purdue Innovates programs already found a home in the Bottleworks District. 

Doty said motorsports engineering, executive education, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity will be a focus for the university. 

Indiana University and Purdue make big plans as IUPUI enters final year (3)

Study programs aligned with the Purdue Computes initiative and the launch of the Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School in West Lafayette will “take advantage of their urban-centric campus in Indianapolis and fuel job growth in the state of Indiana,” Doty said. 

Purdue will retain 15 percent of students. A Purdue spokesperson told Inside Higher Ed 74 employees who work for Indiana will be affected by the split.

“We are aligning current IUPUI employees into the new model for Purdue University in Indianapolis as an extension of the West Lafayette campus,” Doty said. “We’re excited to teach our continuing Purdue students currently enrolled at IUPUI, take advantage of our proximity to downtown Indianapolis’ tech and business ecosystem, recruit students for 2024 and beyond, while building new programs and capacity.”

The future of IU and Purdue’s relationship in Indianapolis

IU and Purdue’s websites state very little will change for students this year, and current students’ degree paths will be honored so long as they continue to make academic progress. 

IU will continue to provide student services for Purdue and IU students in the future, Whitten said. 

Doty said Purdue’s partnership with IU will continue with future opportunities in engineering, biophysics and medicine. The universities recently partnered for the Pediatric Device Consortium. 

Whitten said IU and Purdue are excited about future collaboration. 

“I will be the first to talk trash on football Saturday or during a basketball game, but to be very honest, the state of Indiana is very, very lucky to have schools of the caliber of Purdue and Indiana University,” Whitten said.

Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her at aubmwrig@iu.edu or follow her on Twitter at @aubreymwright. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Indiana University and Purdue make big plans as IUPUI enters final year (2024)

FAQs

Why is Purdue pulling out of IUPUI? ›

It's about economic growth and it's about brain gain for our capital city and central Indiana,” Chiang said. IU will retain most of IUPUI's student body and facilities. Purdue will keep IUPUI's engineering, computer science and technology programs. The university plans to add 28 acres to its Indianapolis campus.

What will IUPUI be called in 2024? ›

After a period of unprecedented change, IU Indianapolis became official on July 1, 2024. The realignment began in 2022 when Indiana University and Purdue University issued a joint memorandum of understanding to separate Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) into two institutions.

Is Purdue or IU more prestigious? ›

As mentioned above, IU is often praised for its business and humanities programs, while Purdue has a stronger reputation in STEM. In general, Purdue may have a slightly better overall reputation due to its engineering program being ranked amongst the best in the nation.

Is IUPUI different from Purdue University? ›

IUPUI will now be two separate schools: IU Indianapolis and Purdue in Indianapolis. IU will continue hosting most programs at the former IUPUI campus, while Purdue students will take classes with the same curriculum as students in West Lafayette but with the ability to enroll in some electives from IU Indianapolis.

What is the hardest college to get into at Purdue? ›

Purdue Acceptance Rate – Class of 2027
  • College of Health and Human Sciences: 54%
  • College of Liberal Arts: 66%
  • College of Pharmacy: 78%
  • College of Science: 45%
  • College of Veterinary Medicine: 34%
  • Daniels School of Business: 61%
  • Exploratory Studies: 77%
  • Polytechnic Institute: 60%
Jun 25, 2024

Why is Purdue so prestigious? ›

Purdue is a Big Ten school that provides “a world class education” with a name “that is known all over the world and not just the state of Indiana.” The university is especially “known for being a great engineering school,” but has a bevy of amazing programs including “a great nursing program,” “a great Pharmacy ...

What is the difference between Purdue West Lafayette and Indianapolis? ›

What is the difference between Purdue West Lafayette and Purdue University in Indianapolis programs? The degrees are the same, but the location of the delivery of that degree is different. There may also be some distinctions in areas of focus.

Is IUPUI and IU Bloomington the same? ›

Academic Differences: Indiana University (IU) in Bloomington is a larger research university with a more prestigious psychology program when compared to IUPUI. The department at IU offers a wide variety of courses and research opportunities for undergraduate students.

What is IUPUI academic ranking? ›

Indiana University-Purdue University--Indianapolis is ranked #201 out of 439 National Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.

Which school is better, Purdue or Butler? ›

The University of Notre Dame comes in at number 18, Purdue University is ranked 51st, and Indiana University is number 73 among both public and private national universities that offer undergraduate, masters and doctoral degrees. Butler University in Indiana retained the top ranking among Midwest regional universities.

Is Purdue an elite 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.

Is Purdue a top 20 school? ›

Purdue University—Main Campus' ranking in the 2024 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #43.

Why is Purdue splitting from IUPUI? ›

Purdue, local, and state officials gathered in Monument Circle Thursday to celebrate the launch of the university's campus in Indianapolis. Officials say the split from IUPUI will create more jobs and opportunities in the capital city.

What is IUPUI best known for? ›

IUPUI includes the nation's largest nursing school, the main campus of the largest medical school in the country, the only dental school in the state, and the country's oldest school of physical education. IUPUI is among the top 20 campuses in the nation for graduate professional degrees conferred.

Are Purdue degrees respected? ›

Academically, Purdue Global degrees are respected and recognized. Accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission ensures high academic standards at Purdue Global. Purdue University and Purdue University Global are separate parts of the Purdue University system.

What will happen to IUPUI sports? ›

In the split, all IUPUI athletic teams are going to IU Indianapolis. While IU Indianapolis will still be the Jaguars, the school will not recruit students who are interested in pursuing engineering or other Purdue degrees going forward.

What percent of Purdue students are from Indiana? ›

Student Demographics

Students from the State of Indiana make up 47% of Purdue's student body.

How many students drop out of Purdue engineering? ›

Even in times of pandemic, keep a retention rate of 91.7% of our FYE students after their first year in engineering at Purdue. Building the FYE community plan and site for residential and online learners.

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