MEMORANDUM
 

To:	Fort Wayne Senate
From:	Educational Policy Committee L. Wright-Bower, Chair
Subject:	Update of SD 91-6 (Superseding the current version) Statement of Purpose: An Elaboration of the University Mission Statement
Date:	Monday, February 14, 2000
Disposition:	To the Presiding Officer for implementation

Whereas, the Strategic Planning Committee has recommended a replacement of Senate Document 91-6, and,

Whereas, the enclosed document has been reviewed by the Strategic Planning Committee, EPC, and FAC over the past year, along with review from the Enrollment Management Committee, the North Central Steering Committee, and the Academic Officers Committee, and

Whereas, it is important to review the IPFW Mission Statement at regular intervals,

Resolved, that the Faculty Senate approve SD 99-19, Statement of Purpose: An Elaboration of the University Mission Statement.

Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) is a state-assisted university serving Indiana's second largest city and the surrounding region. The university offers a wide range of associate, baccalaureate, and master=s degree programs, as well as a growing number of certificate programs. Students are drawn primarily from nine contiguous counties in Northeast Indiana; all commute or live nearby in non-university housing. The student body includes both traditional and nontraditional students, and about one-half of all undergraduate students are enrolled full-time. Fall semester enrollment in credit programs regularly exceeds 10,000, and the average student age is 27. IPFW supports an NCAA Division II athletic program and a broad range of noncredit continuing education programs. IPFW is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

IPFW seeks to be recognized for its achievement in providing an excellent environment for students seeking undergraduate education or graduate education, regardless of their intent to study on a full- or part-time basis. The campus welcomes, and provides support services for, beginning, transfer, and returning adult students seeking to complete a university-level program. IPFW also provides special support services for non-traditional and underprepared students.

IPFW History

The history of IPFW is a history of mergers. The campus has sought to meld the best and most appropriate elements of the Indiana University and Purdue University systems into a single, coherent university. IPFW has steadily evolved since the initial merger of the Indiana University and Purdue University Fort Wayne regional campuses in 1964. A gift of additional land by a consortium of local donors has increased the size of the campus to 566 acres, including land on the east and west banks of the St. Joseph River. While IPFW continues to provide Northeast Indiana with programs linked to and maintaining the special strengths of Purdue and Indiana universities, it has also emerged as a unique institution and is earning strong local support and a growing national reputation.

Academic Programs

Degree and certificate programs are offered through nine schools or divisions. Arts and Sciences, Fine and Performing Arts, and Health Sciences contain departments offering both Indiana University and Purdue University degree programs. Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science and Organizational Leadership and Supervision offer only Purdue degree programs; Business and Management Sciences, Education, General Studies, and Public and Environmental Affairs, only Indiana. The Academic Counseling and Career Services office serves lower division students who have not chosen a degree program. The Division of Continuing Studies offers credit and non-credit programs throughout Northeast Indiana in cooperation with degree-granting schools and divisions. Other entities, such as the Indiana University School of Medicine, offer programs at IPFW with varying degrees of campus affiliation. Many individual schools and programs are accredited by professional program associations.

IPFW stresses the constructive relationship between teaching and research. Most IPFW faculty members devote 25% of their effort to research. Some receive support from internally funded summer fellowships and grants-in-aid. Other support is also available through the Purdue University and Indiana University systems. External grants and contracts regularly account for more than $1 million a year. These activities reflect the research missions of Indiana and Purdue universities; however, projects tend to involve individuals or small groups of researchers rather than large staffs and facilities, and special emphasis is placed on studies directly related to regional needs and interests. Faculty are encouraged to involve undergraduate students in research projects.

Core Mission

The core mission of IPFW is to provide quality postsecondary education in northeastern Indiana by focusing on student learning, while fostering intellectual exploration and attainment, and serving the region.

IPFW Goals

Long-range goals of the university include continued improvement of academic programs, expanded faculty development programs, enhanced library collections and services, increased university and external support for research, increased academic and fiscal autonomy, attraction and retention of a more heterogeneous student body, expansion of graduate programs which serve regional needs, active support for regional economic development programs, and greater integration with the economic and cultural communities of the region.

The sixth-largest university in Indiana, IPFW has grown without sacrificing its commitment to faculty-student interaction. Quality of teaching will continue to be a major criterion for faculty compensation and promotion-and-tenure decisions and will also continue to be recognized through awards for distinguished teaching. To attract and retain outstanding teachers, IPFW will continue its effort to provide competitive levels of faculty compensation. IPFW will also sustain and enhance support of faculty research and will expand opportunities for students to participate in research projects. The university will also promote the use of technology as a feature of university education across the curriculum.

IPFW is committed to preparing students of Northeast Indiana for productive lives in a multicultural, changing world. Special attention is given to bringing university education to nontraditional students. The campus will expand efforts to increase matriculation and retention of minority students and, in a related effort, to hire and retain minority faculty.

The campus will continue to build programs of academic support for all students, including those programs intended for students of outstanding ability. Because diversity of student body and staff is an essential component of the university experience, IPFW also intends to attract a somewhat larger number of students from outside the region. To this end, and to accommodate verifiable local demand, campus plans include establishment of a limited number of student residences.

IPFW plays an important role in the cultural and economic life of Northeast Indiana. Faculty community service is and will continue to be encouraged. The university maintains and expects to strengthen relationships with community arts organizations and also seeks additional opportunities to serve as a vital resource for business, industry, public and private education, and government in Northeast Indiana. Retraining of the workforce and response to changes in the economy will be important priorities in years to come, as will efforts to improve services for an increasingly diverse student body. The campus seeks to organize its efforts and its relationships with Indiana University and Purdue University in ways that will enhance its ability to anticipate and respond to regional needs. The continued development of the campus, with community support engendered by this development, will allow IPFW to meet the increasing demand for higher education in Northeast Indiana.