From the Desk of the Chancellor, Nov. 30, 2009

Chancellor Charles R. Bantz View print-quality image

Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity just ranked IUPUI as the 8th best public college in the Midwest. What great news!

What I especially like about this recognition is that it’s all about high quality and high value. And its focus is undergraduate education.

As I mentioned at the 40th Anniversary Staff and Faculty Recognition Breakfast, the “aught decade,” the first of the 21st century, brought a renewed focus on student achievement and success at IUPUI. During this time, we opened Campus Apartments on the Riverwalk, which includes residential living-learning experiences, and the Campus Center, which gives students a reason to stay longer on campus and bond with other students.

We launched the RISE to the IUPUI Challenge to emphasize the kinds of learning experiences—residential, international, service, and experiential—that will define an IUPUI undergraduate education. Major new scholarship programs—Bepko Scholars and Fellows Program, Presidential Scholars Program, and Plater Scholars Program—focused on high ability students. To close out the decade, we just launched the new Honors College.

Leading up to 2000-2009 and its accomplishments, Dean Scott Evenbeck and other University College founding faculty were visionary and astute in putting the best research into the best practices, such as improving first-year experiences and establishing learning communities. Our faculty also adopted the nationally recognized Principles of Undergraduate Learning, which has guided and enhanced the curriculum across campus.

These and other efforts created a cascade of impact on undergraduate learning that is getting people’s attention. IUPUI has been called “up and coming,” “a school to watch,” and now we’re among “the very best.” We have much to be proud of!

For more information on the Forbes methodology and other results, see the IUPUI press release and referenced links.