Indiana University – Purdue University Columbus


Indiana University—Purdue University Columbus is a public university in Columbus, Indiana. IUPUC offers degree programs from both Indiana University and Purdue University.

History

IUPUC was founded in 1970 as an extension of Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis. Originally, the extension had no single campus, instead offering classes in various locations throughout Columbus. An old airport building was converted to the first centralized campus building for IUPUC, but was soon renovated for academic use in 1985. In 1994, the chancellor of IUPUI renamed IUPUI Columbus to IUPUC.
IUPUC's first vice-chancellor, Paul Bippen, served in this capacity from 1977 until his retirement in 2003, when he was replaced by Nasser Paydar. In 2007, Jay Howard was named interim vice-chancellor. In 2009, Marwan Wafa was named the new vice-chancellor. IUPUC's most-senior executive title is vice-chancellor.

Academics

Students can complete several Indiana University and Purdue University bachelor's and master's degrees in their entirety on IUPUC's shared Columbus campus. Students can also complete a substantial number of classes toward degrees not offered at IUPUC and then transfer to IUPUI or another IU or PU campus. The university's divisions include:
IUPUC predominantly serves students in Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Ripley and Shelby counties, as well as other areas in the largely rural south central and southeastern portion of Indiana. IUPUC also offers off-campus classes at the community learning center in Seymour.
IUPUC is one of the first academic institutions to innovate a cross-institutional and cross-discipline tutoring program through partnerships with Ivy Tech Community College and the Purdue Statewide Technology program. The Academic Resource Center is a one-of-a-kind, one-stop tutoring operation for math, science, writing, public speaking, Spanish, and basic technology.