Under the tutelage of several of our professors, Crown Point High School faculty are teaching a trio of three-credit hour Purdue Calumet courses to CPHS juniors and seniors identified by their guidance counselors as college capable.

By satisfactorily completing the courses—Mathematics 159 (pre-calculus), Communication 114 (speech) and Chemistry 115 (general chemistry)—the students can earn both high school and Purdue Calumet credit. In fact, the credit will be transferable to most Indiana colleges and universities.

Thanks to a $50,000 Indiana Department of Education grant, the students pay a substantially reduced fee of $15 a credit hour ($45 per class) for the opportunity to earn college credit.

We believe this dual credit program is a good idea for several reasons.

• Certainly the low cost entry into higher education makes sense.
• So does the opportunity to get a jump start on higher education and develop a foundation for more challenging courses when high school students get to campus.
• Because the offerings are actual Purdue Calumet courses, complete with the same syllabi, expectations and requirements used by our faculty to teach our students, the high school learners gain a revealing look into the world of higher education.
• By interacting with our faculty, Crown Point High School teachers derive a better understanding of what we expect from Purdue Calumet students and the preparation necessary for high school students to succeed in higher education.
• Finally, such a program can fuel a seamless, transparent road to educational success in which students become more motivated to focus on their future.

Sincerely,

Howard Cohen
Chancellor

Many sports locker rooms across the country display a message that reads, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” On our campus, we are witnessing firsthand the commitment of a growing number of tough-minded individuals determined to “get going.”

Although the current economic recession has prompted an overall tightening of belts and greater spending prudence, Purdue Calumet enrollment this fall is up. Other colleges and universities are reporting the same trend.

Why? Why are more individuals and families opting to spend or borrow precious, limited financial resources to pay for education?

Let me suggest one word: INVESTMENT. During challenging economic times, people are more aware of the difference between spending for consumption and spending for investment. We are willing to invest our dollars, even as doing so stretches our budgets, when we can expect a return in the future. An automobile is an expense, but if we need one to provide reliable transportation that enables us to attain a higher paying job, it also is an investment.

While a university degree does not guarantee a job and rosy future, it does increase, if not maximize, a student’s future employment opportunities. That makes the cost of education a tremendous investment—in one’s self, in one’s future, in the welfare of one’s family, and in the quality of life one aspires to achieve.

So amidst the current, tough economic going, I am encouraged that a growing number of tough-minded, determined individuals have decided to get going at Purdue Calumet as new students, returning students, transfer students and even continuing students carrying increased course loads. Presumably, their commitment also includes staying the course until they graduate to benefit from the payoff of their investment.

Sincerely,

Howard Cohen
Chancellor

While there are many different standards and rating services to help answer the question, what makes a quality university? I propose that a quality university offers the following components:

• Highly qualified faculty – They demonstrate knowledge, expertise and credentials within specific disciplines. They also are skilled, innovative and passionate about helping their students learn. They keep current in their areas of expertise and take real satisfaction seeing their students graduate to successful careers.
• Rigorous curriculum – Taught effectively, it challenges students to develop both breadth and depth of knowledge. Students must learn the key ideas and concepts necessary to understand the world in which they live and to prepare for their careers. They also must learn strategies to stay current with new knowledge in an ever changing world.
• Well-prepared students – They tend to stay the course and become successful graduates who contribute substantially to our society. These students also positively affect the culture of learning at a university by setting the bar of excellence. At Purdue Calumet, full tuition Chancellor’s Scholars Awards, offered to high school valedictorians and salutatorians, and Best & Brightest Scholarships, offered to other top high school and community college graduates, are two ways we are attracting serious, well-prepared students to our university.
• The right Fit – The level of comfort, motivation and satisfaction students feel about their campus or learning environment contributes substantially to their learning experience. As a full service regional university, Purdue Calumet offers a quality education to students from our region who may not have the option to leave home and to students from afar who are attracted to the seriousness of our purpose.

Sincerely,

Howard Cohen
Chancellor

These are challenging economic times, and Purdue Calumet is responding (along with the rest of our region) by watching our budgets while preserving our quality. Our students and our community deserve nothing less.

Earlier this fiscal year, the state of Indiana reduced our operating funds by $282,127. We also lost $1.18 million in state-appropriated repair and rehabilitation funding. Fortunately, because of conservative budgeting practices, we have been able to cover these losses from previous savings. Although we will not be able to complete all of our planned maintenance and campus improvements this year, we are protecting our core academic functions.

We also have started planning our 2009-10 budget . Although we do not yet know the amount of funding we will receive from the State and from tuition, we are proceeding with contingency planning for anticipated operating budget reductions. We are cutting our current budgets to create a strategic reallocation fund. By doing so, we hope to accomplish the following:

• Absorb reductions in our state allocated dollars;
• Adequately cover fixed increases for employee benefits and utility expenses;
• Continue to invest in strategic objectives.

At this time we do not anticipate employee layoffs; however, neither will we authorize salary increases for faculty and staff.

Purdue Calumet’s conservative approach to budgetary planning attempts to be prudent in anticipating future financial uncertainties without reducing or compromising the essential programs and services we provide our students and region.

Sincerely,

Howard Cohen
Chancellor

We recently reported that our 8,944 spring semester students have enrolled in a Purdue Calumet record-setting 94,282 credit hours of course work. That number exceeds last spring’s record total by more than 4,100 hours (4.6 percent) when 18 more students were enrolled.

This growth is consistent with the idea that in difficult economic times people turn to education to improve their life opportunities.

That idea is playing out at Purdue Calumet:

1. Our undergraduate students have continued a trend of carrying larger course loads-an average of 11.1 hours this spring, compared to 10.6 a year ago and 10.4 in 2007. Larger course loads mean our students are on pace to graduate sooner.
2. Enrolling in more courses during a time of economic recession substantiates our students’ perceived value of education as an important investment. While unemployment has increased in recent weeks, unemployment also tends to be lower for people who hold college degrees. More education, more marketable, more job options.
3. Some 80 percent of our fall students who were eligible to return this spring remain enrolled; that’s believed to be the highest fall-to-spring retention rate in our history. An uncertain future can be a compelling motivator to hang tough on an education track.
4. Finally, there is a satisfaction component to consider. A college education doesn’t merely open doors to jobs; in fact, it provides access to fulfilling, rewarding careers.

I am certainly not suggesting that a university degree is recession-proof. There are no promises in life; only better odds. What does seem apparent, however, is that a growing number of Purdue Calumet students understand that the odds are with the college educated – and sooner is better than later.

Sincerely,

Howard Cohen,
Chancellor