Purdue University North Central

Purdue University North Central
Established	1948 (details)
Type	public coeducational
Endowment	$0.9 million
Chancellor	James B. Dworkin
Students	4,463
Undergraduates	4,379
Postgraduates	84
Location	Westville, IN, USA
Campus	rural: 305 acres (123.4 ha)
Athletics	CCAC (NAIA DII)
Nickname	Panthers
Mascot	Pounce the Panther
Affiliations	Purdue University System
Website	www.pnc.edu

Purdue University North Central is a regional campus within the Purdue University system that is located in rural LaPorte County near Westville in northwestern Indiana.

Academics

Purdue North Central offers a number certificate programs, associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and two master's degrees: in Business Administration and in Elementary Education. Undergraduate students at Purdue North Central can transfer to any other Purdue campuses and complete their degrees there.

For the Fall semester of 2011, Purdue North Central has more than 100 full-time faculty members and over 150 part-time instructors. Over the years, Purdue North Central has graduated more than 8,700 alumni. Most continue to live in Northwest Indiana, but its graduates can be found in 49 states and 7 foreign countries.

Colleges, departments and programs

Purdue North Central recently added new degree programs in Electrical Engineering and Early Childhood Education. As the campus continues to grow and offer new degree programs, it is striving to attract students from across the United States and around the world. Purdue North Central has tuition agreements with many midwestern states, which lowers tuition for many out-of-state students.

The smallest campus in the Purdue system, PNC has often been the fastest growing component of the university. Purdue University North Central is organized into 12 departments, in 4 colleges:

• College of Business
  • Department of Business
  • Department of Organizational Leadership and Supervision
  • MBA Program
• College of Engineering & Technology
  • Department of Engineering
    • Mechanical Engineering Program (ME)
    • Electrical Engineering Program (EE)
  • Department of Engineering Technology
    • Construction Engineering Management Technology (CEMT) Program
    • Electrical & Computer Engineering Technology (ECET) Program
    • Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) Program
  • Department of Computer & Information Technology
• College of Liberal Arts
  • Department of Communication
  • Department of Education
  • Department of English and Modern Languages
  • Department of Social Sciences
• College of Science
  • Department of Biology and Chemistry
  • Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics
  • Department of Nursing

Accreditation

Purdue University North Central as a whole has been accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools continuously since 1971. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology has continuously accredited Purdue University North Central's bachelor's degree in Mechanical Technology (MT) since 1992, and the following associate degrees since the dates listed: Building Construction Management Technology (BCMT) 2004, Electrical Engineering Technology (EET) 1986, Industrial Engineering Technology (IET) 1986 and Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) 1992. In August 2010, the baccalaureate programs in Construction Engineering Management Technology (CEMT) and Electrical & Computer Engineering Technology (ECET) received their initial accreditation, retroactive to 2008. Purdue North Central is the only Purdue campus whose ECET Degree is accredited as both an Electrical ET and a Computer ET program. Other individual programs are also accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs, the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission, and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Campus and student body

Purdue University North Central is located on 268 acres (108.5 ha) in rural LaPorte County near Westville, Indiana along U.S. Highway 421. Purdue University North Central has three academic buildings and a veterinary emergency facility. The grounds of Purdue University North Central have Shakespeare's Garden adjacent to a picturesque pond, tennis courts, a baseball diamond, and four outdoor basketball courts.

For the Fall semester of 2009, Purdue North Central has 4,463 students, of which slightly less than half (1,843 students) are from LaPorte County. Female students (2,544; 57%) outnumber male (1,919; 43%) by 32.6%. Almost all are undergraduate students, except for the 84 graduate students in its two master's program. The majority (2,716; 60.9%) are full-time students taking 12 or more credit hours.

There are 725 students (16.2%) identified as ethnic minorities, of which there are 297 (6.7%) African-American; 48 (1%) Asian-American; 223 (5%) Hispanic; 32 (0.7%) Native American; and 125 (2.8%) identified as "other" minorities. The average student age is 25.

History

History at a glance

Purdue University North Central was established via the 1967 merger of:
•	Purdue University Laporte Extension	Established	1948
		Location	LaPorte, IN USA
•	Purdue University Michigan City Extension	Established	1949
		Location	Michigan City, IN USA

Purdue University North Central's first permanent site in which classes were offered was in John H. Barker's former mansion in 1948 at Michigan City, Indiana, which was donated by his daughter, Catherine Barker Hickox. Purdue University North Central first opened for classes at its current site in 1967 after having started offering classes in LaPorte, Indiana during 1948 and in Michigan City, Indiana during 1949.

Athletics

Purdue University North Central teams are members of NAIA and compete within the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Intercollegiately, Purdue University North Central sponsors a men's basketball team, a men's baseball team, a men's golf team, a women's softball team, and a women's volleyball team. The moniker of Purdue University North Central's teams is the Panthers. The official mascot is Pounce the Panther.

Prior to the Panthers moniker, Purdue University North Central's moniker for its intercollegiate athletics teams was the Centaurs from 1967 until 2003.

See also

• Purdue University System

External links

• Official website
• Official athletics website
• Campus map