Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana and Purdue universities have struck a new agreement for IUPUI that will essentially split the schools’ operations and rebrand the larger school as Indiana University Indianapolis. Here is a summary of what’s changing and what isn’t.
What will change?
The IUPUI name will be retired. The campus will be renamed Indiana University Indianapolis, although Purdue will continue to offer classes and programs there.
The current collaboration between IU and Purdue will be split into separate academic organizations, each governed by its parent university.
The universities will work together on a new biosciences engineering “institute,” made up of IU’s School of Medicine and health-related disciplines and Purdue’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and other health-related disciplines.
IU, which appointed Andrew R. Klein as interim chancellor of IUPUI in February, will postpone its chancellor search for the coming school year “to enable us to select a leader who will advance our new vision.”
IU will take over operation of what is now the School of Science at IUPUI, except for its Department of Computer Science, which will become part of Purdue.
IU will expand its Bloomington-based Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering with new computer science programs in Indianapolis.
Purdue will assume responsibility for engineering, computer science and technology “as a fully integrated expansion” of Purdue West Lafayette.
Purdue plans to open a branch of its Applied Research Institute on or near the current IUPUI campus.
What will stay the same?
Purdue University will continue to offer engineering studies on campus, but hasn’t decided on a name for its Indianapolis programs
The campus will remain in its current location, alongside the White River and Fall Creek, and within walking distance of downtown.
The campus will continue to be fully owned and operated by Indiana University.
When will this happen?
The realignment plan was announced Friday by leaders of Indiana University and Purdue University, following votes by the schools’ trustees on a memorandum of understanding.
The realignment is scheduled to be completed by the fall 2024 semester.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
Why 2 years for “realignment”?
How long did it take you to complete your last institutional realignment?
Maybe you can provide some pointers!
R.E. Lilly and Cummins make snapshot Major strategic decisions on a Friday afternoon, so clearly it can be done…
Why the change?
Some have said (me) that IUPUI could be considered a step-child of 2 Big Ten institutions; but at least a step-child has one loving parent.
This is a solution looking for a problem.
They basically acknowledged they both did their own thing but the bylaws of the school didn’t allow for public discourse.
Many years ago there were discussions among Purdue and IU about a new “name” (Indianapolis University) to replace IUPUI. No consensus could be reached on the new name or alignment of duties and the idea died. Indiana Central on the south side of Indy realized that the name “Indianapolis” was not copyrighted. They obtained rights to the name and renamed their school University of Indianapolis. A very smart decision by U of I leadership.
Mark T.
I remember that whole controversy.
Like you, I was hoping that IUPUI would rebrand itself into an independent
university called the University of Indianapolis. It would have benefited
Indianapolis tremendously.
The University of Indianapolis already exists: https://uindy.edu
The word “Indianapolis” cannot be trademarked as it is in the public domain by virtue of it being the name of a city. Hence, Indiana Central University could not and did not “obtain rights” to the name. No one gave it to the school, and no one can take it away from the school.
The state of Indiana is working to develop this biotechnology corridor from Indianapolis to Lafayette. What seems to be lost in the equation is that southern Indiana with Baxter, Cook and Catalent not to mention the tech heavy Crane could be a technology dynamo. Though PU develops great engineering minds, they still need great business minds and lawyers to to keep these projects on track. Which, IU is well equipped.
Making IUPUI the center of this dynamo would make since. It is close to the Lilly, Elanco, Corteva, Butler, logistics, statehouse, Pacers, Colts, hotels an convention space just for starters.