The School of Education will separate into two schools at IU-Bloomington and IU-Purdue University Indianapolis as of July 2018. But the dean of the School of Education, Terry Mason, said undergraduates won’t notice much of a difference.
“The split is a tribute to the progress and growth of IUPUI that they can have their own School of Education,” Mason said.
The split has been two years in the making. It started when Provost Lauren Robel suggested that the School of Education re-evaluate its structure because IUPUI has its own doctorate programs, budget and accreditation standards, Mason said.
People have been concerned about the separation, said Robin Hughes, the executive associate dean of IUPUI’s School of Education.
“Folks shouldn’t be worried,” Hughes said. “People tend to worry about IUPUl more than Bloomington. I’d just like to say, 'Don’t cry for us Argentina, we are just fine.'”
IUPUI is focused more on teaching in urban schools due to its Indianapolis location. IUPUI has a number of partnerships with different school districts, specifically Indianapolis Public Schools. Many faculty possess the expertise and skills to work in these urban schools.
IU-Bloomington has a different focus. Its Global Gateways program allows students to student-teach all over the world. Global Gateways has three cultural immersion programs: the Overseas Program, the Navajo Nation Program and the Urban Program. The courses take place over eight-week periods and involve long hours and immersion in different cultures.
For incoming students choosing between IUPUI and IU-Bloomington, the difference in focus between the two schools should be the main determining factor, Mason said.
“Students should ask themselves which campus makes them feel most comfortable,” Hughes said.
IUPUI has been preparing for the separation for a few years, and the largest changes will be in faculty and support staff, Hughes said.
The IUPUI School of Education is also aiming to increase innovation as it becomes its own school.
“It’s no longer the 1950s,” Hughes said. “We can’t just kick back. We have to be more innovative.”
It was becoming a strain on the faculty of both schools to continue to work with each other productively, Mason said.
“Faculty won’t have to spend time maintaining relationships with the core campus,” Mason said. “This will free up faculty time to better the school.”
Mason oversees both the IUPUI and IU-Bloomington campuses and said it is difficult to be in two places at once. The separation is coming at a good time, though it would have been a good time a few years ago, Hughes said.
“Although, I don’t like the word separation,” Hughes said. “It has a negative connotation. It feels more like a child going off to school, proud and exciting.”
An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of IU School of Education dean Terry Mason. The IDS regrets this error.
