This guide is provided to help our incredible students, alumni, faculty and staff—altogether the college’s foundation—describe what makes Purdue Polytechnic unique.
Purdue University's Overall Style Guide
As one of Purdue’s 10 academic colleges, our messaging is consistent with Purdue University’s editorial style guide and brand voice guide. We also follow the Associated Press Stylebook (AP). Many of Purdue’s University-wide style rules are imported from the AP. (See complete information from Purdue’s Office of Marketing and Media: brand.purdue.edu.)
Purdue Polytechnic's Name and Brand Voice: a Do/Don't Checklist
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For the first instance in text or conversation, we prefer to call our college Purdue Polytechnic. While official names—Purdue Polytechnic Institute, Purdue University’s Polytechnic Institute, or the Polytechnic Institute at Purdue University—can be used in business or formal circumstances, “Purdue Polytechnic” is easier to understand for visitors, new students and their families. |
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Shorthand is acceptable upon second reference, as long as the grammar is correct: the Polytechnic for a shortened noun, or just Polytechnic for an adjective (e.g. “the Polytechnic curriculum,“ but not “Polytechnic’s curriculum”). |
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For our locations outside of West Lafayette, emphasize that they members of the Polytechnic family by referring to them as “Purdue Polytechnic in [Place Name]”: e.g. Purdue Polytechnic in Anderson, Purdue Polytechnic in New Albany.** |
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Our official name doesn’t include the word “college,” thus you may append some version of this phrase to any version of our name: “one of the 10 academic colleges at Purdue University.” We include this option to reduce confusion for industry partners and individuals. E.g.: Purdue Polytechnic, one of Purdue’s 10 academic colleges. |
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Avoid referring to the college as PPI. The acronym already has numerous worldwide definitions. |
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Referring to the college as “the Institute” is incorrect, and we strongly discourage phrases that further complicate our “Polytechnic” label. “Institute” in isolation leads to confusion among newcomers regarding our status as one of Purdue’s 10 academic colleges. |
Here’s an abridgement of our boilerplate text incorporating examples of the above practices:
Purdue Polytechnic is one of 10 academic colleges at Purdue University, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in aviation, computing, construction management, engineering technology, technology leadership, and technology education. In addition to Purdue University’s main campus in West Lafayette, Indiana, the Polytechnic offers select degree programs in nine Indiana communities.
And as an adjective:
The Polytechnic learning experience at Purdue is designed to produce graduates who not only have deep technical knowledge and applied skills in their chosen discipline, but also possess problem-solving, critical thinking, communications, and leadership skills sought by industries and communities. Polytechnic graduates are uniquely qualified for technology-driven careers.
**Polytechnic in Indianapolis
A note on Polytechnic’s presence in Indianapolis: There are two separate entities in Indianapolis, IN where Purdue Polytechnic is active—our exclusive location which teaches flight programs out of the Indianapolis International Airport, and Purdue in Indianapolis, a new campus with wide-ranging programs set up in the aftermath of IUPUI’s split.
When speaking or writing about our involvement in Indianapolis, be clear and direct about which of these two locations is being discussed. There is: 1) our exclusive Polytechnic location, and 2) our academic programs hosted by the new Purdue Indianapolis campus. Contrast Purdue Polytechnic in Indianapolis (our statewide location) with “Purdue University in Indianapolis’ Polytechnic programs."
Further Context: How to Talk or Write About Purdue Polytechnic
See the following sections of the website for complete information (and language to copy) on these topics:
- Purdue Polytechnic’s mission, vision and motto: A description of our college’s overarching goals, including long-term strategy. Our motto, “Industry Ready, Day One,” is also a crucial description of desired outcomes for Polytechnic students
- Our story in data: Up-to-date statistics regarding the Polytechnic alongside infographics, and a rundown of our college’s history
- Find Your Major: A single-page listing of all the majors in the college's six interest areas, with brief descriptions of each major
- Locations: A single-page summary of our locations around Indiana that includes text describing the unique aspects of each location