Welcome Back to the Spring Semester 2024!

Welcome to Spring 2024! I am thrilled to kick off a new year with all of you and am excited for the many innovative and exciting initiatives and events anticipated in the coming months.

I begin my service as Chancellor by sharing with you an overarching theme for our work together: “Excellence Evolving.” As a biologist, I often talk about the concept of evolution, which by definition refers to change over time. While evolution reflects change, it also reflects adaptation to an environment, ultimately resulting in a stronger entity.

In my more than 20 years with PNW, I am immensely proud of the ways our university has evolved to adapt to the changes in our regional economy and the higher education environment. PNW is financially sound and continues to enroll the best and brightest students who reflect the diversity of our region and our world. You will find our outstanding students and alumni working at every major employer in the area, from healthcare to finance to manufacturing. Our growing applied research activities, including tens of millions of dollars in sponsored research and three applied doctorate degree programs, will continue to have significant impact on the quality of life in Northwest Indiana, Chicagoland, and the world.

As we look to expand on these successes, I will be actively listening to your ideas for the future of PNW. I invite you to join Purdue University President Mung Chiang and me on Tuesday, January 16, from noon to 2 p.m. in Alumni Hall. We will celebrate the beginning of the new semester with food, games, prizes and other give-a-ways. I hope you can stop by and introduce yourself. I also will be meeting with students, faculty and staff at the Westville campus on Wednesday, January 17, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Gallery Cafe.

I am honored and humbled to have been given this opportunity to lead Purdue Northwest by the PNW community, President Chiang and the Purdue Board of Trustees. The people of PNW truly are powering onward to lead the transformational change that makes a positive impact on the lives of everyone in Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland. I look forward to working with all of you to build upon our forward momentum as a premier metropolitan university.

Onward PNW!

Kenneth C. Holford
Chancellor