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PURDUE GLOBAL
Q&A WITH
FRANK DOOLEY
FRANK DOOLEY was named chancellor of Purdue University Global in
March 2020. Under his leadership, the
online university has become a nimble, timely, highly relevant institution
helping nontraditional students learn
about and respond to today’s critical
issues. Purdue Global is reaching out
to a population of students, primarily
adult learners, who otherwise might
never have completed their college
degrees. Previously, Dooley was senior
vice provost for teaching and learning
at Purdue University, where he earned
an international reputation as a gifted
and innovative teacher as well as a
creative researcher. In August, Dooley
was a recipient of the EDGE Commendation for Innovation in Undergraduate Education.
WHAT’S THE NO. 1 THING PURDUE PEOPLE
SHOULD KNOW ABOUT PURDUE GLOBAL?
20
P U R D U E A LUM N U S
HOW DID YOUR E XPERIENCE IN WEST
LAFAYETTE PREPARE YOU FOR YOUR CURRENT ROLE? I doubt that any set of expe-
riences can fully prepare one to become
chancellor. That said, my decade of
work in the provost office, a deep
understanding of the Purdue Moves
initiative, and the work to help secure
accreditation for Purdue Global has
proven advantageous in my new role.
My familiarity with Purdue provides a
springboard to help infuse a deeper
level of “Purdueness” into Purdue
Global. We’ve moved the headquarters
from Chicago to West Lafayette. Knowing the West Lafayette faculty and staff
has provided the opportunity to find
new areas of common work between
the two campuses.
WHAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE YOU
PROUDEST OF AS CHANCELLOR?
We graduated over 10,000 students
in the past year. At our August graduation, one woman approached me on
the stage with tears in her eyes. I asked
if she was all right, and her response
was, “I never thought I would have
the opportunity to see this day.” I then
asked if she had family in the theater.
She responded, “ Yes, my daughter,
sister, and mother.” She then pointed
in their direction, and the entire room
heard a young voice say with pride,
“That’s my mama.” Then the tears really
came. But the real accomplishment is
how she has become a role model to
her daughter and others in her community. Her graduation was in part due to
the excellence and commitment of the
Purdue Global faculty and staff. All Purdue alumni and friends can take great
comfort in their dedication to the success of our students.
TALK ABOUT THE PURDUE GLOBAL MOVES
INITIATIVES THAT WERE ANNOUNCED IN
JUNE. The inaugural Purdue Global
Moves are inspired and aligned with
Purdue’s Next Moves. Three of the initiatives—student success, professional
skills, and classroom of the future—
directly tie to Purdue’s goals of transformative education. The fourth action
plan is our involvement with the Purdue
University Equity Task Force. Purdue
Global Moves are recognition of how
important a North Star is for a university to move forward. Our intent is
that the great strides made in student
success at West Lafayette over the
past decade can carry over to Purdue
Global. And Purdue Global has been at
the table since the onset of the Purdue
Equity Task Force.
WHAT IS IN STORE FOR PURDUE GLOBAL
OVER THE NEXT YEAR? More. More stu-
dents served, more students graduating, more intersection with Purdue,
more innovation, and more hope for
our future. As a public university, we
take seriously our responsibility to
meet the educational needs of our
students seeking to advance in their
careers. We also will continue to work
closely with employers to identify what
professional skills our students need so
they are prepared for the opportunities
open to them.
JA M E S A RGY RO P O U LO S
Purdue University once again is at the
forefront nationally, recognizing the
importance of expanding access to education as paramount to our country’s
economic stability and social mobility.
The land-grant mission, as set forth in
the first Morrill Act, was to teach agricul-
ture, military tactics, and the mechanic
arts as well as classical studies so members of the working classes in the industrial age could obtain a liberal, practical
education. The creation of Purdue Global
is the realization that the land-grant mission remains relevant in the information
age. An expectation of digital literacy has
become a requirement for the working
class to obtain an education that allows
them to contribute and participate in
today’s economy. Of note, other states
are following Purdue’s lead seeking to
serve working adults. In the past year,
we’ve seen global universities arise in
Arizona, Maryland (a rebranding), Arkansas, and Massachusetts.
