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IUPUI Chancellor Paydar highlights vital partnership with Indianapolis in Report to the Community

For Immediate Release Feb 17, 2017
Nasser Paydar stands at a podium as he speaks to an audience about IUPUI
IUPUI Chancellor Nasser Paydar delivers Report to the Community

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Chancellor Nasser H. Paydar delivered the annual Chancellor’s Report to the Community on Feb. 15, highlighting the vital partnership between the city of Indianapolis and the campus.

Paydar cited several statistics to show the importance of what the campus contributes to the community:

  • More than 6,600 degrees were awarded to students at IUPUI in May 2016, and 92 percent of those graduates said they were staying in Indiana following graduation.
  • Nearly 30,000 students enrolled at IUPUI in fall 2016, including the largest, most talented and most diverse freshman class to date. That class saw a 13 percent increase in beginning Latino students; a 20 percent increase in Asian beginners; and a remarkable 40 percent increase in African-American beginners.
  • Among the 30,000 IUPUI students were more than 2,000 international students from 145 countries.
  • IUPUI has an annual payroll of $622 million and spends over $253 million annually on goods and services – 66 percent of which is spent in the state of Indiana.

Paydar shared progress the campus has made in implementing the “Welcoming Campus Initiative,” which he launched a year ago. The initiative was created to foster an environment that encourages and supports the highest levels of personal and academic achievement among faculty, staff and students. It was also designed to make members of the community feel welcomed, inspired and encouraged to stay on campus.

The initiative includes a physical transformation of IUPUI that features landscaping and other measures taken to add color and life to the campus.

The chancellor has at least one additional change in mind: a plan to create gateways, similar to the Sample Gates at Indiana University Bloomington, so visitors know the moment they step onto the IUPUI campus.

“Now imagine your name on the IUPUI gateway 30 years from now,” Paydar said. “Talk to me. Let’s make that happen.”

The Welcoming Campus Initiative is firmly tied to IUPUI’s 50th anniversary in 2018-19, which will bring together the campus and community in a yearlong celebration. IUPUI is still planning the celebration and looks forward to community involvement.

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