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IPFW Chancellor Meets With Prospective Students, Parents For 'Commitment Day'

IPFW

243 students committed to IPFW, with slightly more than 10 percent of them new admits, during IPFW's Chancellor Commitment Day Sunday afternoon. 

The event served as an opportunity for prospective students and parents to tour the campus, meet and speak with faculty and get face time with chancellor Ron Elsenbaumer.

Shake-ups at the university over the last several years culminating in the school’s rebranding as Purdue University Fort Wayne on July 1 led to questions among Sunday’s guests.

Elsenbaumer -- six months into his role as the university’s chancellor -- says that’s partly why the event took place.

“I will have that opportunity to explain to every parent and every prospective student what the value is of the education that we provide, and the experiences we provide on this campus prepares individuals not just for jobs, but for lifelong successful careers,” he said.

Students have expressed concerns over a presumed shift in academic focus at the university, suggesting that more emphasis is being placed on STEM programs at the expense of liberal arts. So what happens if a prospective student wanted to pursue a liberal arts degree in northeast Indiana, but is wary of the school’s direction?

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“I would say the best thing to do is to talk with the students that are already here,” he said. “They will tell you that there are so many options on our campus for a liberal arts degree.”

He went on to praise students for the diversity of their degree choices, noting that some students will double-major in biology and history, for example. 

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Zach joined 89.1 WBOI as a reporter and local host for All Things Considered, and hosted Morning Edition for the past few years. In 2022, he was promoted to Content Director.