Purdue University Calumet: At the service of Northwest Indiana

With campus student housing and parking garage construction projects, as well as the Purdue Technology Center of Northwest Indiana and Academic Learning Center in Merrillville on schedule for completion within the next several months, I have been asked, "What's next for Purdue University Calumet?"

Indeed, what is on schedule for completion by next fall is amazing in the growth and development of our university. Yet, the strategic vision for Purdue University Calumet does not end with those brick and mortar projects. As we look farther down the road in terms of where our university is headed, it is apparent to me that we have a growing responsibility to heed the needs of our region.

That is to say we must be ever more at the service of Northwest Indiana. Of course, one important way we do that is by producing graduates who go on to apply their Purdue degrees to advance our region. But from an outreach perspective, we can-and will-do more.

So when editorial board members of our two, Northwest Indiana, daily newspapers, The Times and Post-Tribune, asked me that question at meetings earlier this fall, I shared with them plans for three institutes/centers that will emerge and develop at Purdue Calumet over the next few years.

• Water Institute-using applied research to create opportunities for economic development relating to water quality, efficiency and conservation, recycling, and security.
• Center for Energy Efficiency and Reliability--a mechanism for using energy as a catalyst for enabling our region to transition from large manufacturing to technology-based businesses.
• Center for Minorities and Women in Construction-an entity for encouraging success and inclusion among minorities and women within the construction industry.

While still in their initial stages, these institutes/centers potentially will enable Purdue Calumet to expand its outreach role in unprecedented ways. Placing Purdue Calumet at the service of Northwest Indiana is not just a university strategic goal, but our vital responsibility.

Sincerely,

Howard Cohen
Chancellor