Purdue University North Central
Encyclopedia
Purdue University North Central is a regional campus within the Purdue University system
Purdue University System
The Purdue University system is a public university system within the U.S. State of Indiana that is anchored by the main campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana that is a public land-grant university...

 that is located in rural LaPorte County
LaPorte County, Indiana
LaPorte County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 111,467. The county seat is the city of La Porte. This county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, Northwest Indiana and Michiana. The largest city is Michigan City...

 near Westville
Westville, Indiana
Westville is a town in New Durham Township, LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,853 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Michigan City, Indiana-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area...

 in northwestern Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

.

Academics

Purdue North Central offers a number certificate programs, associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and two master's degrees: in Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...

 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
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...

 continuously since 1971. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
Abet
Abet may refer to:* Abet Guidaben , former Philippine Basketball Association basketball player* ABET, Inc., a non-profit organization that accredits higher education programs in applied science, computing, 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
Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs
The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs , formerly the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs, is a U.S. organization offering accreditation services to business programs focused on teaching and learning....

, the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission, and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education was founded in 1954 to accredit teacher certification programs at U.S. colleges and universities. NCATE is a council of educators created to ensure and raise the quality of preparation for their profession. NCATE is recognized by the U.S....

.

Campus and student body

Purdue University North Central is located on 268 acres (108.5 ha) in rural LaPorte County near Westville, Indiana
Westville, Indiana
Westville is a town in New Durham Township, LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,853 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Michigan City, Indiana-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area...

 along U.S. Highway 421
U.S. Route 421
U.S. Route 421 is a spur route of U.S. 21. It runs for from Michigan City, Indiana, at U.S. 20, to Fort Fisher in North Carolina. The highway goes through the cities of Indianapolis, Indiana, Lexington, Kentucky, Boone, North Carolina, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina and...

. Purdue University North Central has three academic buildings and a veterinary
Veterinary medicine
Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals...

 emergency facility. The grounds of Purdue University North Central have Shakespeare's Garden adjacent to a picturesque pond, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

 courts, a baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 diamond, and four outdoor basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 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

style="font-size: 1.25em;" | History at a glance
Purdue University North Central was established via the 1967 merger of:
Purdue University Laporte Extension Established 1948
Location LaPorte
LaPorte, Indiana
La Porte is a city in La Porte County, Indiana, United States, of which it is the county seat. Its population was 22,053 at the 2010 census. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the...

, IN
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

 USA
Purdue University Michigan City Extension Established 1949
Location Michigan City
Michigan City, Indiana
Michigan City's origins date to 1830, when the land for the city was first purchased by Isaac C. Elston. Elston Middle School, formerly Elston High School, located at 317 Detroit St., is named after the founder....

, IN
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

 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
Michigan City, Indiana
Michigan City's origins date to 1830, when the land for the city was first purchased by Isaac C. Elston. Elston Middle School, formerly Elston High School, located at 317 Detroit St., is named after the founder....

, 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
LaPorte, Indiana
La Porte is a city in La Porte County, Indiana, United States, of which it is the county seat. Its population was 22,053 at the 2010 census. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the...

 during 1948 and in Michigan City, Indiana
Michigan City, Indiana
Michigan City's origins date to 1830, when the land for the city was first purchased by Isaac C. Elston. Elston Middle School, formerly Elston High School, located at 317 Detroit St., is named after the founder....

 during 1949.


Athletics

Purdue University North Central teams are members of NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...

 and compete within the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference
The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. Its 14 members are located in the Midwestern United States...

. 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.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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