2015 in review: the Transformation gains momentum

This has been a year of tremendous success for the college by nearly every metric we track. We have achieved these accomplishments because of the great work of our faculty, staff, and students. We have had many challenges over the past year, but we have persevered and overcome many of them. The transformation of the college is picking up momentum as we better prepare graduates for their future, conduct cutting-edge research, and engage with industry and the State of Indiana.

Change is never easy, especially at the scale we are attempting in the college. We should all take time to reflect on our accomplishments, because they are remarkable. Here are a few of our notable successes over the past year:

  • Students: Our first- and second-year retention rates increased significantly and are now above the university average.
  • Enrollment: Undergraduate enrollment grew for the second straight year after a decade of decline, and graduate enrollment also increased.
  • Diversity: Although the pace is slow, we continue to increase the number of female students in our programs and we remain at the top for the number of URM students in our programs.
  • Globalization: We continue to grow our international partnerships and opportunities for students and faculty, including increased activities in Peru, Colombia, and Germany.
  • Engagement: the Purdue Polytechnic Indianapolis High School was awarded a charter, and professional education continues to grow through our ProSTAR programs.
  • Funding: The $10 million Lilly Endowment grant and an increase in overall giving to the college are allowing us to deliver on our promise of broader, deeper, and richer learning experiences for our students
  • Facilities: We have expanded into new spaces on campus in MSEE, Physics, and Wang Hall.
  • Research: 2014-15 was a record year in research awards.
  • Curriculum: TECH 12000 successfully linked with Communications and English courses and scaled up delivery of this model to a majority of our first-year students.
  • Overall: The college was renamed with unanimous support from the Board of Trustees.

We have had many more accomplishments over the past year. I urge you to take time to reflect on what you have done to help us get to this point and give yourself credit for being part of our success story. Thank you for all you do for the college and Purdue University, and remember that the work you do is advancing and contributing to the success of our society and the world. It is important work; our transformation efforts, to paraphrase a famous Purdue grad, are not to take a small step but to take a giant leap.

 

About The Author

Gary Bertoline's picture
Gary R. Bertoline is Dean of the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Computer Graphics Technology, and a Professor of Computer & Information Technology. Prior to becoming dean, he served as Associate Dean for Graduate Studies in the College of Technology. From 1995 through 2002, Gary served as Department Head of Computer Graphics Technology at Purdue University.