Future Developments

Posted on June 9, 2015

Most Fort Wayne residents would likely say that IPFW needs no introduction. But this sense of familiarity can be deceiving when it comes to the city’s major public university, leading many to underestimate how unique and important the university is.

“We’re a comprehensive institution in that we offer a broad array of programming,” said Chancellor Vicky Carwein. “Students who come to IPFW really have the opportunity to choose IU programs, or Purdue programs, or a mixture of both, and that is the unique aspect of IPFW that no other university in the United States has.”

 

On top of this singularity, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne was recently designated a Multisystem Metropolitan University, instead of simply a regional campus, opening up a number of doors in terms of future development including advanced graduate degrees and expanded research opportunities.

“Our mission and our mandate is to serve this part of Indiana, Northeast Indiana, and we have been exceedingly successful,” Carwein said. “And then, after graduation, most of them stay here to work. And that is such a huge contribution to the economic development of our community.”

 

The change in designation is an accomplishment of the most recent legislative session in Indianapolis, and Carwein says that the university found vocal advocates from the very beginning in GFW Inc.

“Greater Fort Wayne Inc. has been a great partner for us, but they’re also a tremendous supporter,” she said. “We did very, very well in the [most recent legislative] session, and in large part it was because of Greater Fort Wayne Inc.”

 

While GFW Inc.’s legislative arm is certainly at work here, Carwein also mentioned other benefits of the partnership, including internship opportunities that assist IPFW students in gaining workplace experience before graduation.

The work of building a strong community goes beyond just business development and support–it also requires a robust institutional framework for training and education, one that Greater Fort Wayne Inc. continues to support through its partnership with IPFW.

 
 
 

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