The official launch of Purdue University in Indianapolis is just months away, and the College of Engineering is hoping to bring its strengths to its new campus.
Starting July 1, Purdue will officially have its own urban research campus in the capital city. Indianapolis engineering students will have more opportunities to work with Purdue’s growing industry partnerships and gain real-life work experience.
“Students will be able to engage with industry all of the time,” said Joe Tort, associate director for the Office of Professional Practice. “They're going to have lots of opportunities to really apply what they're learning in the classroom to companies.”
In August 2022, Indiana University president Pamela Whitten and former Purdue President Mitch Daniels announced the end of IUPUI. After 53 years, the universities created campuses: IU Indianapolis and Purdue University in Indianapolis. Purdue will retain about 15 percent of IUPUI’s student body. Purdue announced plans to add 28 acres to its campus in the capital.
Purdue will keep computer science, engineering and technology schools, according to an agreement between the two universities. The new campus will be an extension of the flagship West Lafayette campus, and graduates will receive West Lafayette degrees.
A university spokesperson said he can’t share final numbers of how many IUPUI faculty and non-faculty will work for Purdue in Indianapolis. Purdue has sent out its offers and “there has been a very good take rate overall to this point,” he said.
In July, the campus will offer five undergraduate engineering majors, including a motorsports engineeringprogram — the only accredited motorsports engineering degree in the country — will be unique to the Indianapolis campus. PurdueSenior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education & Academic Programs in Indianapolis Alina Alexeenko said new graduate programs including pharmaceutical engineering will be available.
“We're very excited about a lot of these new horizons in Indianapolis,” Alexeenko said.
Tort said Purdue already works with about 500 companies for experiential learning programs and this campus in Indianapolis will bring even more Indiana partners. The college is excited about working with Indianapolis start-ups and early-stage companies, Tort said.
A potential new learning-while-working model for students would see engineering students continuously employed for an entire year with local companies, Tort said.
“That should be helpful for the state of Indiana, helpful for the companies and retaining talent, not just from local students, but from the worldwide population that will be coming to our campus in Indy,” Tort said.
Last November, the college announcedguaranteed, paid internships for Indianapolis students in good academic standing. Tort said first-year students also learn basic professional skills, like creating resumes, writing cover letters and interviewing.
“Already in West Lafayette, 90 percent of our engineering students report having professional experience prior to their graduation,” Tort said. “For all those students who are looking to pursue these options in Indianapolis, we're very confident in the skills that we're going to be able to help students receive in order to be successful in this.”
From day one, Alexeenko said undergraduate engineering students will work on real-life problems. The Engineering Projects and Community Service program has been used on other campuses since the ‘90s at a smaller scale, but that program will be the main pathway for Indianapolis students, she said. Currently the college partners with the Indianapolis Children’s Museum, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum and the Indiana School for the Deaf.
Additionally, first-year students can take part in experiential learning co-ops with Purdue’s Data Mine program.
“Real life context, real problems, working with real partners, with all the constraints, all the requirements that come with it,” Alexeenko said. “We think that that will be a very unique opportunity for students.”
While students on other campuses might have a year to figure out a major, the college’s Indianapolis campus requires a more focused path, Alexeenko said. Students begin learning immediately in their majors.
Officially launching this summer, Alexeenko said Purdue has already seen applicants from all 50 states for its Indianapolis campus. The College of Engineering is offering campus tours for admitted and prospective students as well as listening sessions with local industry and community groups.
“We're excited about what will happen for the community in Indianapolis, the opportunities our students will bring from multiple places with multiple perspectives,” Alexeenko said. “We think it will be in many ways a gain for Indiana and a gain for our students.”
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.
