Purdue Calumet, PNC Chancellors Discuss Purdue University Northwest’s Progress Towards July 1 Official Launch

Purdue Calumet, PNC Chancellors Discuss Purdue University Northwest’s Progress Towards July 1 Official Launch

Newly named Chancellor of Purdue University Northwest and current Purdue University Calumet Chancellor, Thomas Keon, along with Purdue University North Central Chancellor, James Dworkin, joined members of the media via conference call Friday to discuss the current states of the universities in the merger process and the plans moving forward towards the official merge into one university on July 1.

Among one of the most prevalent topics during the Q&A session was how the faculty and students were handling the merger process now, and Chancellor Keon’s expectations on how they would adjust to associating themselves not as Peregrines and Panthers, but as Purdue University Northwest.

“We have done an excellent job pulling together the superficial and structural aspects of the merger,” explained Keon. “Clearly going forward there is that sense of ‘we-ness’ there. It will take a lot of work and integration but I know we will get there.”

“Keon has been very good about making that point and developing that sense of we from the beginning of this,” added Dworkin.

When asked how the sense of “we” has applied to the unification of the schools’ academic programs, both Dworkin and Keon credited the staff and faculty of both schools for working diligently; reporting that consolidation of programs that had the same curriculums were about “90% done,” according to Keon; which would soon lead into the necessary new accreditation process of the unified programs.

And while the Chancellors admitted that some accreditations will be more challenging than others, for instance in Nursing where state accreditation is also required, both stressed that the steps have been taken to ensure accreditation is a smooth transition; including the use of fact finders from the Higher Learning Commission, the organization which accredited both PUC and PNC, to make sure everything was in place.

“It’s been a very positive experience,” said Dworkin, describing the process of planning for unified accreditation.

“We are still so confident in this process that we don’t even have a contingency plan,” Keon added.

IIMM asked how this transition from “us and them” to “we” was additionally being handled from an athletics standpoint, where often school allegiances are their most divisive.

“We knew early on that we have to unify the athletic teams,” said Keon. “Practically speaking, there are no conferences that would take two teams, so we are going to have one set of 13 teams; the Purdue University Northwest ‘Pride’, and both the A.D., Rick Costello, and Associate A.D., Tom Albano, have been working as a team knowing this.”

One final major topic of discussion was just how much of a financial savings the unified school could expect from the process, and while Keon revealed a number, he stressed the unquantifiable impact of a community united.

“Our expectation is that we will end up with $4 million in measurable savings,” explained Keon. “But really the impact of the unification will go far beyond the financials.”

And that impact starts on Day 1, Keon emphasized at the end of the session, with a new school and a new image that will, perhaps be the most difficult part for outsiders looking in to adjust to with the merger.

“We are going to ask the community to do the hardest thing we can ask, and forget about any perceptions they had about Purdue University North Central and Purdue University Calumet. The one message I would like to convey to them and prospective students is that they should look at us as who we are going to be as Purdue University Northwest.”