WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University officials on Tuesday (Sept. 8) announced a program to keep the institution one of the best values in the country.

Purdue plans to rebate $250 of the $500 student success fee to Indiana undergraduate students for the 2010-2011 academic year using federal stimulus funds. This is in addition to the previously announced (July 13) rebate of $500 for Hoosier undergraduates Purdue had already implemented for 09-10.

Purdue President France A. Córdova announced plans to rebate $250 of the $500 student success fee to Indiana undergraduate students for the 2010-2011 academic year using federal stimulus funds. This is in addition to the previously announced (July 13) rebate of $500 for Hoosier undergraduates Purdue had already implemented for the 2009-2010 school year. Also, in an effort to keep Purdue affordable, Córdova announced that all students qualifying for both federal and state financial aid will have their financial aid from Purdue boosted to offset the increase in tuition and fees for both the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 academic years.

Purdue will spend $6 million to fund both years of the rebate and the increase in financial aid to students.

“This is one more step we are able to take to ensure that a Purdue degree remains accessible and affordable,” Córdova said. “While the recent rankings placed Purdue as one of the top institutions in the country, our tuition and fees currently rank eighth among our public Big Ten peers. Purdue continues to be an exceptional value for Indiana and the nation.”

University officials considered a variety of plans to help offset tuition costs, listening carefully to faculty who wanted to make sure that university resources remained dedicated to the overall mission of access and student success.

State Budget Committee chairman Sen. Luke Kenley said the announcement was a benefit for Hoosier families, especially in light of Purdue’s prior efforts.

“We’re glad to see that Purdue is working on keeping college tuition affordable for Indiana families,” Kenley said. “Adding this effort to what they’ve already done will help more Indiana students through these rough economic times.”

Measures Purdue already has undertaken included using federal stimulus funds to rebate the $500 student success fee for new-to-campus resident undergraduates; aggressively raising money for new scholarships like the Marquis, the only university-provided scholarship in Indiana designed specifically to help good students from middle-class families; and freezing salaries and cutting $9.8 million from the university’s annual budget.

The student success fee of $500 only applies to students who were new to campus starting after spring semester 2009 since the money would be used to create programs to help develop courses and support programs to improve learning and student achievement. Córdova said using stimulus funds to offset the rebates means the university would be able to fund the student success programs over the next two years.

Two recent examples include Ideas to Innovations, a new way to teach freshman engineering students that already has increased attendance and student performance, and Signals, a $600,000 computer program that helps students monitor their class work and warns them if they need to attend help sessions or step up their homework.

Purdue has raised more than $100 million towards Córdova’s $304 million Access and Success campaign, now in its second year. Total financial aid and student support at Purdue for 2009-10 is estimated at $510 million – the most ever – and three out of four Purdue students receive some type of financial assistance.

Purdue is consistently labeled a great value for education. The university was recently ranked 22nd nationally among public research universities – a jump of four places from last year’s ranking – yet its tuition remains among the lowest of the top universities. In January 2009, Purdue was ranked ninth in SmartMoney magazine’s college “payback” survey, which quantified the long-term value of a college education.

“We are committed to maintaining Purdue’s great value for our students, while focusing on academic quality and institutional excellence,” said Keith Krach, chairman of the Purdue Board of Trustees.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University ranked 22nd among the nation’s public universities and 61st among all universities, according to U.S. News & World Report magazine rankings released Thursday (Aug. 20).

Purdue University ranked 22nd (up from 26th in 2008) among the nation's public universities and 61st (up from 66th in 2008) among all universities.

The ranking is a move up from Purdue’s ranking of 26th last year. Purdue ranked 61st among all universities, tied with Clemson University, Fordham University, Texas A&M University and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. This also is an improvement for Purdue, which ranked 66th last year.

“These rankings reflect our continued commitment to the student experience. It has been a year since we adopted our New Synergies strategic plan, and these rankings show that it is working,” President France A. Córdova said. “We are focusing our efforts on student success, and it is paying off. Students from across the nation and around the world know that when they come to Purdue, they will receive a high quality education due to the outstanding work of our faculty and staff.”

Factors that helped Purdue move up in the rankings are higher graduation rates and more classes with fewer students, Córdova said. She also noted that the alumni giving rate increased from 16 percent to 18 percent.

In the “Programs to Look For” category, Purdue is among 14 public and private universities cited for the quality of its internship programs, 24 cited for their first-year experience, and 22 cited for writing in the disciplines.

“It’s exciting and rewarding to see that the plans we have put in place to improve the academic experience of our students is being recognized,” said Randy Woodson, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost.

“The improved rankings, while gratifying, are not the goal. The goal is to make a difference for students, and the rankings are just a reflection of the fact that we are making strides on that front.”

Purdue’s College of Engineering tied for ninth nationally among doctoral-granting universities, sharing the spot with Cornell University and University of Texas-Austin. The college also ranked ninth last year.

The Krannert School of Management shared the 21st position with Georgetown University, Pennsylvania State University and University of Washington among doctoral-granting universities. Krannert has consistently been included in the top 25, ranking 17th last year and 21st in 2007.

Specialty programs in both management and engineering also ranked among the top five in several categories.

Among engineering specialties, four Purdue schools placed in the top five nationally: biological/agricultural, No. 2; industrial/manufacturing, No. 3; aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical, No. 4; and civil, tied at No. 5 with Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Purdue’s Krannert School had two top five specialty rankings: No. 4 in productions/operations management, and No. 4 in quantitative analysis and methods, tied with University of California-Berkeley.

The data for determining the nation’s best institutions of higher education come from questionnaires U.S. News sends to all accredited four-year colleges and universities. The magazine then determines its rankings based on measures that fall into seven broad categories: assessment by administrators at peer institutions; retention of students; faculty resources; student selectivity; financial resources; alumni giving; and “graduation rate performance,” the difference between the proportion of students expected to graduate and the proportion who actually do.

The magazine bases its specialty rankings on a spring 2009 survey of deans and department heads at peer institutions. The schools receiving the most votes are listed.

Information on the rankings can be found at the U.S.News & World Report Web site at http://www.usnews.com/. The magazine’s college guidebook, “America’s Best Colleges,” contains a directory of the more than 1,400 institutions.

More on Purdue’s past U.S. News and other rankings is available online at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/ranking.html.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — France A. Córdova celebrates her second anniversary as president of Purdue University today (July 16).

Over the past year, Córdova has focused on implementation of Purdue’s strategic plan, “New Synergies,” which lays out goals of launching tomorrow’s leaders, promoting both research and its commercialization, and meeting global challenges.

France A. Cordova will mark her second anniversary as president of Purdue University on Thursday (July 16) with a gathering on the Purdue Mall. Purdue faculty, staff and students are invited for lemonade, cookies and a chance to chat with Cordova from 3:30p-5p on the mall, in front of Hovde Hall.

“As I finish my second year here at Purdue, one of the accomplishments I am most proud of is progress we’ve made on the ‘New Synergies’ strategic plan. This plan combines the exemplary and diverse ideas of our campus community and stakeholders, and will help position Purdue among the top-ranked research universities in the world,” Córdova said. “Our students are the beneficiaries as we turn the concepts of the plan into reality. I appreciate all of the wonderful efforts that have been made so far by our faculty and staff, and I encourage others to get involved in our exciting future.”

The Access & Success campaign, launched in spring 2008, ensures that students have access to a Purdue education and the support to succeed once they arrive on campus. To date, more than $100 million has been raised for programs and scholarships. The first scholarships were awarded in the fall 2008 semester.

Recipients of the Trustees and Presidential scholarships that were created as a part of the campaign have received a total of $10.7 million. In April Córdova announced the Purdue Marquis Scholarship Program, which will help Indiana students who are in the top half of their class, who qualify for minimal or no state and federal aid, and whose families earn between $40,000 and $100,000 annually. Selected Indiana students will be funded at $2,000 per year, starting with the 2009-10 freshman class.

The academic characteristics of Purdue’s 2009 freshman applicant pool surpassed that of the previous year. This year’s freshman applicants averaged a 22-point SAT score increase on the 2400-point scale and a 16-point increase on the critical reading and math 1600-point scale. The students’ average class rank has increased by three percentage points. This year’s admitted student group includes Chelsea Arthur of New Carlisle, Ind., named Indiana’s Top Young Scientist.

To help ensure that students succeed academically once at Purdue, beginning in fall 2011 the university will require incoming students to have completed four years of high school math. Studies show that high school students who take senior-level math increase their odds of completing a bachelor’s degree by 73 percent.

Purdue also has continued its efforts to drive economic development in Indiana. Purdue and Indiana University will jointly lead the Indiana Innovation Alliance, a broad-based research alliance that will help the state grow its bio- and life-sciences industries, improve public health, and increase the number of physicians being trained in Indiana. The alliance will bring together a wide spectrum of businesses, government and universities to share research facilities and other resources to expand the state’s capacity to support new and existing companies in the biology and health-related fields. The Indiana General Assembly authorized $20 million for the project over the 2009-11 biennium.

Purdue recently received $20 million in bonding authority from the Indiana General Assembly for a new drug discovery facility that will serve to keep Purdue and the state at the forefront of pharmaceutical research and drug discovery.

Meanwhile, Purdue Research Park continues to spur economic growth in Indiana’s high-tech sector and now includes parks in West Lafayette, Indianapolis, Merrillville and New Albany. Purdue Research Park at AmeriPlex-Indianapolis, which opened in January, will accommodate up to 75 businesses and create 1,500 jobs, mostly in life sciences and high-tech areas.

Two new buildings opened in West Lafayette, the 80,000-square-foot Innovation Center that houses a national software solution center for EDS, an HP company, and the 105,000-square-foot Herman and Heddy Kurz Purdue Technology Center.

On a global scale, Córdova unveiled plans for Purdue’s Global Public Policy Institute earlier this month. The institute will cultivate solid, evidence-based research for policy-makers, help to create synergies between researchers across disciplinary lines in order to address global challenges, and benefit students through internships and degrees in public policy.

Córdova also extended Purdue’s partnership with Cummins Inc. and Cummins College of Engineering for Women during a 10-day trip to India and Hong Kong.

“It’s been an exciting year here at Purdue, and this is just the beginning,” Córdova said.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue President France A. Córdova introduced a number of new initiatives, including ones to enhance student success and provide better channels to encourage interdisciplinary research, during her inaugural address Friday (April 11) at the Elliott Hall of Music.

Purdue President France A. Córdova acknowledges applause after she receives the university’s charter, presidential medallion and university mace during her inauguration ceremony Friday (April 11) at Elliott Hall of Music. Among those on stage include former Purdue presidents Martin C. Jischke, Steven C. Beering and Arthur G. Hansen. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)

Córdova, who became Purdue’s 11th president in July, said helping both undergraduate and graduate students succeed is a top priority, along with fostering an environment in which Purdue discoveries can be put to use to help solve the world’s challenges in a process she calls “discovery with delivery.”

“As a research university, Purdue’s goal is to be at the forefront of discovering new knowledge,” she said. “As a land-grant university, Purdue’s goal is to take the knowledge created by the faculty on campus to the larger world outside the university, where it can make a difference for society.”

Read the full story

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue President France A. Córdova introduced a number of new initiatives, including ones to enhance student success and provide better channels to encourage interdisciplinary research, during her inaugural address Friday (April 11) at the Elliott Hall of Music.

Purdue President France A. Córdova acknowledges applause after she receives the university’s charter, presidential medallion and university mace during her inauguration ceremony Friday (April 11) at Elliott Hall of Music. Among those on stage include former Purdue presidents Martin C. Jischke, Steven C. Beering and Arthur G. Hansen. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)

Córdova, who became Purdue’s 11th president in July, said helping both undergraduate and graduate students succeed is a top priority, along with fostering an environment in which Purdue discoveries can be put to use to help solve the world’s challenges in a process she calls “discovery with delivery.”

“As a research university, Purdue’s goal is to be at the forefront of discovering new knowledge,” she said. “As a land-grant university, Purdue’s goal is to take the knowledge created by the faculty on campus to the larger world outside the university, where it can make a difference for society.”

Read the full story