Purdue gives new name to Kaplan deal: Purdue Global

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After working under a temporary name of NewU since April, Purdue’s acquisition of online giant Kaplan University will be called Purdue University Global.

Purdue trustees announced the decision Thursday morning, rounding out what Trustee Chairman Michael Berghoff said was a product of months of marketing research.

Purdue is a little more than a month away from what the university hopes is final approval of its acquisition of the for-profit Kaplan University.

The name won't be official until the Higher Learning Commission approves the deal.

In the deal, first announced in April 2017, Purdue would pay $1 to Kaplan Higher Education, the parent company of Kaplan University, which has 32,000 students, 2,462 faculty members and 14 campuses. Maine's South Portland campus closed in December.

The terms call for Kaplan to provide expertise to run NewU in exchange for a percentage of the revenue.

Purdue's waiting for final regulatory approval from the Higher Learning Commission, which accredits colleges and universities in 19 states, including Indiana. The Higher Learning Commission is expected to meet Feb. 22-23 to discuss the Purdue-Kaplan deal,

The U.S. Department of Education, in its approval of the Purdue-Kaplan deal, demanded that NewU’s name included "Purdue."

Purdue President Mitch Daniels said the Higher Learning Commission also asked Purdue to come up with a firm name before it considered the acquisition.

"If it weren't for that, we probably would have waited," Daniels said. "We don't want to look presumptuous."

The name has "the kind of dignity we’d want,” Daniels said.

He said in a news release that Purdue's campuses are usually named after the physical locations, but Purdue Global will be accessible anywhere.

Purdue Global "adds some clarity,” Purdue Trustee Vanessa Castagna said.

"It's not a made-up name. It's a name that's clear," she said. "It says very clearly what we're all about."

Purdue President Mitch Daniels has touted the deal as a new frontier in the university’s land grant mission to reach the type of students – those who are older, those who are veterans, those trying to juggle full-time work with part-time school, among others – who might never have a chance to come to the West Lafayette campus.

He also has pitched it as an innovative way to jumpstart Purdue’s lagging presence online, which he says could be instrumental in spreading Purdue’s current offerings to broader audiences.

Purdue faculty, among others, have been concerned that Purdue’s brand could be hurt if the new Purdue-Kaplan entity can’t match the academic rigor of Purdue’s West Lafayette campus or regional campus in Fort Wayne or Purdue Northwest. More than 300 faculty signed a petition sent to the Higher Learning Commission laying out a list of concerns about the project.

"The name is respectful of Purdue's exceptional reputation but also distinct from Purdue's other campuses," said Betty Vandenbosch, Kaplan president and chancellor of Purdue University Global if it's approved, in a news release.