Regional Campus Coordinating Committee

The Regional Campus Coordinating Committee was established in 1966. It was composed of two administrative officers and one faculty member from both Indiana and Purdue Universities and was responsible for reviewing all regional campus program proposals and passing on its recommendations to the Trustees Joint Policy Council.

Beginning in 1890, a group of Indiana University professors started the first off-campus educational services of the university. The small group at IU made trips around the state to provide lectures for people and students who could not make the move or the commute to the University’s campus in Bloomington. The traveling lecture group did not last long, but the Indiana University Extension programs began officially in 1912 with the establishment of university centers around the state. The centers were not official schools of their own, but they did provide educational services for those using the correspondence courses offered by Indiana University. Over the years new extension centers were established throughout the state, but it was not until the 1960s that the regional campuses were officially founded.

The Board of Trustees of Indiana University began discussions in 1957 to address the growing need for the Division of University Extensions. In the same year, Purdue and IU established a joint effort to link both universities with the extension centers in Fort Wayne, Gary, and South Bend. During the 1960s financial support to promote physical expansion of the campuses was underway in the hope that eventually four-year degree programs could be offered all around Indiana. In 1962, the IU and Purdue Trustees decided to reorganize the extension centers into regional campuses. This meant that several full programs available at IU in Bloomington were now available all over the state of Indiana and would enable individuals to obtain a degree even if they were unable to attend the university in Bloomington.

In 1966, IU and Purdue announced the establishment of two joint bodies that were given the charge to consider policy and to coordinate the academic programs of the regional campuses of both universities. The Trustees Joint Policy Council consisted of IU and PU presidents and three members from the Board of Trustees from each institution. The Council made recommendations to the Boards of each institution regarding the missions of the regional campuses and also reviewed and authorized new courses. The second body, the Regional Campus Coordinating Committee (RCCC), was responsible for reviewing all regional campus program proposals, in consultation with other colleges and universities, and then passing on its recommendations to the Council. The Committee was composed of two administrative officers and one faculty member from each school. The first IU members of the Committee included Ray L. Heffner, Vice President and Dean of the Faculties; Samuel E. Braden, Vice President and Dean for Undergraduate Development; and Sylvia Bowman, Professor of English at the Fort Wayne campus.

Major projects undertaken by the RCCC included a 1968 census to study each campus, its operations, and the community it served. The conclusions made by the Committee showed that all around the state campuses were growing and needed room to expand, thereby proving the need for the regional campuses. Preliminary work had begun in 1966 as a freshman census to determine the number of people enrolling in college, where they attended high school, and how long after high school did the attend college. This 1968 census included all levels of college students around the state. Enrollment projections were made in order to establish how well the campuses could handle growing student populations and program and degree demands. Another issue addressed was the location of campuses. Believing that all residents of Indiana should have access to university programs, the RCCC wanted to find out how accessible the campuses were in relation to the more rural parts of Indiana. The census data provided a basis for upcoming budget requests by clarifying what was needed in terms of programs, faculty, and physical space.

The RCCC records end in 1981 with general administration information and give no indication on the activities and future of the Committee.