Trustees approve changing college name to Purdue Polytechnic Institute

The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (May 15) approved renaming the College of Technology to the Purdue Polytechnic Institute to better reflect its changing and expanded mission.

The college’s transformation is a key element of the university’s Purdue Moves initiative.

Gary Bertoline, dean of the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, said the curricular and cultural transformation of the college warrants a new name and frame of reference.

“The Purdue Polytechnic Institute provides a 21st century poly-technical education that will prepare students with skills, knowledge and experiences required by business and industry today and in decades to come,” he said. “It incorporates innovative learning environments, integrates humanities with technical studies in a learn-by-doing atmosphere, and offers new options for majors and for earning a degree. As we work to address the needs of today’s economy, we are redefining the polytechnic experience.”

Read the full Purdue University news release.

Explore more comprehensive information about the ongoing transformation.

 

Comments

justin mc intyre's picture

Please tell me this is a bad joke....I bet the School of Engineering or the School of Science wouldn't stand for this.  As a '02 BS and a '15 MS alumni, I would donate cold hard cash to reverse this.

tfroonin's picture

Thanks for your comments Justin.  We encourage you to learn more about the college’s transformation and name change (see FAQs, for example) on the Transformation section of our website.  Since the name was unveiled in the fall of 2013, many students, alumni, and industry partners have grown to understand the significance of the name and the innovative learning experience embodied by this name.  Many people view other schools with the term “Polytechnic” as being very distinguished, such as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and California Polytechnic State University.  Of course our Polytechnic programs are not modeled on the programs at those schools and are instead being shaped around what employers and communities have been clearly telling us is needed.  The college’s transformation will be so profound that a name change is warranted – and students will benefit from the experiences our new college will offer.  As someone who has just earned their master’s degree (congratulations!), you might agree that there are three parts of an education that many people believe are most important once they have graduated (and they are the three parts that most people list on their resumes):  university, degree/major, and grade point average.  None of those three will change for any student as a result of the college’s name change.  Thanks for being a passionate Purdue College of Technology alumnus; we trust there will be equally passionate Purdue Polytechnic alumni in the future.  Best wishes for continued success.

John Yuzdepski's picture

Indeed, the word "polytechnic" should define the College of Technology. I applaud the change and the realignment of the College's mission. Integrating technical disciplines into a fusion of ideas and practices that will generate creativity and innovation across areas of studies is how the College will best prepare professional technologists for leadership not just specialized functions.

Professor Mintzberg of McGill has argued long that the effectiveness of any professional program should be measured by its relevance to practice. Today, in almost any enterprise, technology advancement happens in inter-disciplinary teams who work at the intersection of many fields, including engineering, art, finance, and policy.

Preparing leaders who can think broadly and utilize a whole range of approaches is the greatest contribution that the College can make. Re-naming and aligning the mission along those lines is a highly visible and constant reminder of what is needed to be innovative and creative.