Office of the Chancellor

Gear Up for an Exciting New Academic Year at PFW 

August 26, 2024

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Our academic year gets underway today, and I’m thrilled to be among the first to welcome everyone to Purdue Fort Wayne!

For those of you who are new to the university this fall as a first-year, transfer, graduate, or international student—or if you’ve come aboard as a new member of the faculty or staff—we couldn’t be more pleased to have you join the university community. To our returning students, faculty, and staff, welcome back. We pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive campus, and we’ll do everything possible to help each of you be successful from square one.

We are especially pleased to welcome 40 talented and accomplished faculty members who are joining us this fall. This includes 13 tenure-track faculty, four clinical faculty, two lecturers, and 21 new or returning visiting faculty. Our newest colleagues possess outstanding credentials, having earned experience and degrees from respected institutions around the country.

There is much to celebrate this fall, not the least of which is the fact that our campus has rapidly become a residential campus. Last week, we were delighted to welcome 1,550 students who moved into campus housing while bidding tearful and joyful goodbyes to proud family members.

We also take enormous pride in the broad range of events and activities the university offers throughout the year—events that pique our curiosity, entertain and energize us, and contribute to our strong sense of community. I’d like to call your attention to a few that you’ll surely want to add to your calendar.

First and foremost, numerous Campus Kickoff activities are being offered for students over the next two weeks. This includes lunch and activities on the Science Mall today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. We hope all students will be able to stop by for food, games, and giveaways. A complete rundown of student events is included in our fall programming guide. And keep an eye out next week for an announcement about the impressive lineup for this season’s Omnibus Speaker Series. You can always visit our comprehensive Events Calendar to learn more about what’s happening on campus throughout the year.

The university’s growing momentum will be evident as we begin two major construction projects in the next few weeks. Groundbreaking will begin on both the spectacular Music Industry Building and the massive new student apartment complex, both of which fulfill major strategic priorities for the university. Please pardon our dust and any temporary inconveniences these important construction projects may stir up. We will work hard to keep any disruptions to a minimum.

We also continue to aggressively pursue new academic programs in the health sciences that will create even more opportunities for our students and our community. You will be hearing much more about this during the coming weeks. We have also launched a redesigned and vastly improved goPFW portal where students, faculty, and staff can find important resources for conducting university business.  

As you’ve likely already realized, we place a high value on communications within our university community, and we share important campus news and information via several communications platforms. Inside PFW, our official faculty and staff newsletter, is delivered via email every Tuesday and Thursday morning. Don Life, our official student newsletter, is delivered to all students, including Indiana University Fort Wayne students, via email every Wednesday morning. Students should also be on the lookout for What It Takes, which is sent via email on Sundays and at other times throughout the year. It includes important information and advice on what it takes to thrive and succeed at Purdue Fort Wayne.

You’ll also hear from me from time to time on matters of interest or importance through messages like the one you’re reading now.

As a matter of fact, I’ll be in touch with you again tomorrow morning with an important message regarding how we work to keep our campus safe and secure—and what you can do to help ensure your own safety and well-being. A first, critically important step for anyone who hasn’t done so already is to sign up for emergency text alerts on your mobile devices. It’s simple and easy. Just log in to goPFW to register for these messages that are delivered directly to your registered mobile devices in the event of a campus emergency. You must opt in to receive these text alerts. You’ll also find a wealth of relevant information on our Campus Safety and Security website.

News and information also are available in real time via the university’s official social media platforms: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter). We encourage you to follow and friend us now so you can be part of our growing digital community. Dozens of additional university social media feeds may be found here.

Finally, I want to offer each of you my heartfelt thank-you for being here and being part of this extraordinary university community. I wish each of you every success as we embark on an exciting new academic year. We’re here to provide encouragement, guidance, and support every step of the way.

I look forward to seeing you around campus very soon!

Sincerely,

Ron Elsenbaumer
Chancellor