ASHLEY SLOBODA | The Journal Gazette

A decades-old institution got a symbolic fresh start today as students returned to a campus no longer known as IPFW but as Purdue University Fort Wayne.

The university – which saw enrollment growth for the first time in many years – celebrated its new identity with a convocation, during which Chancellor Ronald Elsenbaumer outlined upcoming changes.

IPFW officially split into two universities – the other being Indiana University Fort Wayne – on July 1.

Plans include a compensation merit program for eligible faculty and staff made possible by enrollment that exceeded projections, Elsenbaumer said. Total credit hours are up 1.6 percent and new student enrollment is up by nearly 17 percent among undergraduate students and by nearly 40 percent for graduate students, he said, describing it as an incredible accomplishment.

The university will start developing a comprehensive strategic plan, or its “roadmap to sucess,” this fall, he said.

“With a clarity of mission and purpose, this institution will become a force to be reckoned with,” Elsenbaumer said.