We must stay diligent as educators in the 21st century. If we are to prepare graduates for the future workplace, we must be as nimble and innovative as the industries we serve.

We received the University’s census data for this academic year in early September, and I would like to share several items deserving special mention.

I would like to welcome all faculty, staff, and students back for another academic year. It has been a very busy summer with many faculty working on the college’s transformation, students and faculty studying abroad, faculty identifying grand challenges in a research workshop, and our staff working hard on meeting our enrollment targets and getting everything ready for the start of fall classes.

President Mitch Daniels' annual Open Letter to the People of Purdue focuses on the theme of “calculated risk,” including the Purdue Polytechnic Institute’s learning transformation efforts.

The future of a quality STEM education will be marked by programs that embrace a STEM-based discipline that has integrated the humanities and social sciences. The Purdue Polytechnic Institute is leading that effort and making progress toward fulfilling the promise.

One of the major activities being led by faculty and staff in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute is the creation of the Purdue Polytechnic High School in Indianapolis. Its mission? To provide a rich, integrated, learning environment by providing a hands-on, STEM-focused education which teaches students the skills and knowledge needed to be successful throughout their careers and paves the way toward admission to a post-secondary institution.

Even though it is a very busy time of the year, there are still a number of significant events to report on as the college continues with its transformation.

It has been a really remarkable few weeks for the college since my last Tech Insider update. The Purdue Polytechnic Institute and its faculty, staff and students continue to make news and enjoy accomplishments that are transformational.

After reading College Unbound by Jeffrey Selingo recently, I began to ponder the value of a college education and the need for higher education to change. Selingo suggests that there are five disruptive forces that will change higher education forever. I’ve outlined them here with my analysis of how they relate to Purdue University:

2015 was a remarkable year of progress in the transformation of the college as we work to better align ourselves with the digital age; 2016 promises to be even better!