PFW names directors of three new schools

FORT WAYNE, Ind.—Purdue University Fort Wayne has named directors of the three new schools within existing colleges that were established for the 2018–19 academic year following approval last December by the Purdue University Board of Trustees.

The College of Education and Public Policy was renamed the College of Professional Studies and includes the newly created School of Education. The School of Education consists of the former Department of Educational Studies and the Department of Professional Studies.

Isabel Nuñez, formerly the chair of educational studies and a professor of educational studies, has been named the director of the School of Education. She has been with the university for two years and says she is honored to be asked to lead the new school.

“I am so excited that undergraduate and graduate programs are again in one School of Education,” says Nuñez. “We can do so much more to serve schools and communities now that we are working together, not to mention better preparing the next generation of education professionals.”

The College of Visual and Performing Arts now has a School of Music, which received an initial boost from a $1 million grant from the English-Bonter-Mitchell Foundation and a $1 million allocation from the State of Indiana as part of the 2017–2019 biennium budget.

Gregory Jones, formerly the chair of the Department of Music and a professor of music, has been named the director of the School of Music. He is now in his fourth year at Purdue Fort Wayne.

“It is a great honor to be named the director for the first School of Music for Purdue University here in Fort Wayne,” says Jones. “The future will be exciting and rich in new degree programs, outreach, and community engagement.”

The School of Music, which includes the new Purdue Fort Wayne Sweetwater Music Center, offers new degrees in music technology, commercial music, and music industry studies, in addition to existing programs in music performance, music education, and music therapy, as well as an international performers certificate. The school will also host national music festivals on campus.

In the College of Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science, the Department of Manufacturing and Construction Engineering Technology and the Department of Computer, Electrical, and Information Technology merged to form the School of Polytechnic.

Gary Steffen, formerly the chair of those two departments and associate professor of computer, electrical, and information technology, has been named the director of the School of Polytechnic. He has been with the university for nearly three decades, serving in leadership and academic roles, including teaching as an assistant and associate professor.

“It is an honor to lead the new School of Polytechnic under the banner of Purdue University Fort Wayne,” says Steffen. “I have the amazing opportunity to work with experienced faculty in preparing students with an application-based, hands-on approach that leads to degrees and career readiness in the fields of engineering and technology.”

Purdue Fort Wayne Chancellor Ron Elsenbaumer says he is pleased to have such talented faculty leading the three new schools. “These individuals have a clear passion for building and advancing academic programs that are in the best interest of our students. The coming years will be very exciting as these new schools flourish and our students graduate and build successful careers in these high-demand disciplines.”

For additional information, contact Nicole Hahn at 260-481-4106 (work), 260-760-7409 (cell), or [email protected].

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