| Indiana University–Purdue University Columbus | |
| Established: | 1970 |
| Closed: | July 1, 2024 |
| Vice Chancellor: | Reinhold Hill |
| Country: | United States |
| Students: | 1,051 (Fall 2022) |
| Academic Staff: | 174 |
| Coordinates: | 39.2532°N -85.9023°W |
| Former Names: | Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis at Columbus (1970–1994) |
| Colors: | Crimson, Black & Gold |
| Sports Nickname: | Crimson Pride |
| Mascot: | Lion |
Indiana University—Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC) was a public university in Columbus, Indiana, United States. IUPUC offered degree programs from both Indiana University and Purdue University.
On July 1, 2024, following the split of Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis into Indiana University Indianapolis and Purdue University in Indianapolis, IUPUC became Indiana University Columbus.
IUPUC was founded in 1970 as an extension of Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). 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.[1]
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. The current vice-chancellor is Reinhold Hill.[2]
On August 12, 2022, the boards of trustees of both Purdue and IU announced that IUPUI would split into two separate universities. The split was finalized on July 1, 2024.[3] [4] According to Andrew Klein, the then-interim chancellor of IUPUI, IUPUC would be renamed to Indiana University Columbus and would continue to be a regional education center administered through IU Indianapolis after the split was finalized.[5] Two degree programs at the school, biology and mechanical engineering, were offered by Purdue; IU Columbus continues to grant biology degrees through Indiana University, but mechanical engineering is no longer be offered by the school following the split.[6]
Purdue University continues to maintain its Polytechnic Institute campus in Columbus as it is administeted through Purdue's main campus in West Lafayette and was never a part of IUPUC.
Students could complete several Indiana University (IU) and Purdue University bachelor's and master's degrees in their entirety on IUPUC's shared Columbus campus. Students could also complete a substantial number of classes toward degrees not offered at IUPUC and then were able to transfer to IUPUI or another IU or Purdue campus. The university's divisions included:
IUPUC predominantly servesd 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 offered off-campus classes at the community learning center in Seymour.
IUPUC was 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 (Purdue Polytechnic). The Academic Resource Center (ARC) was a one-of-a-kind, one-stop tutoring operation for math, science, writing, public speaking, Spanish, and basic technology.
The IUPUC athletic teams were called the Crimson Pride. The university was a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing as a member of the River States Conference (RSC) since the 2023–24 school year.[7] The IUPUC Crimson Pride athletic program became the IU Columbus Crimson Pride and inherited IUPUC's River States Conference and NAIA membership.
IUPUC competed in four intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, cross country, and soccer; while women's sports include cross country, soccer, softball, and volleyball.