When lawmakers and educators get to the serious discussion of whether IPFW should break away from IU and Purdue and become an indpendent Fort Wayne University, they might want to study a similar breakup in Florida, where the University of South Florida Polytechnic was given permission to split from the main campus. There, as here, it was felt the local community was slighted by the main campus. The change, however, did not go over well with students:
A survey last September found students at USF Polytechnic, however, overwhelmingly disapproved of independence for the school for a reason that should sound familiar to IPFW students:
The USF name was identified as important for the following reasons:
- It’s an established university among Florida’s state universities.
- It has name recognition when marketing to potential employers.
- The college degree has a higher value with the USF name on it.
In other words, “brand recognition.”
Purdue is a strong brand. IU is a strong band. "Fort Wayne University" would have to prove itself and earn a reputation. No doubt it could, but students in the early years would suffer from the "Huh? Where's that?" effect.
