Purdue University Northwest (PNW) is a public university with two campuses in Northwest Indiana; its main campus is in Hammond with a branch campus in Westville. It is part of the Purdue University system and offers more than 70 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to approximately 6,200 students with more than 64,000 alumni.

History
Purdue Northwest was established in 2016 when two Purdue system universities — Purdue University Calumet and Purdue University North Central — merged. During World War II, each campus offered technical courses as part of the national defense training program with the federal government. The campuses remained open when the war ended in 1945, offering for-credit college courses. Both campuses became degree-offering institutions in 1946.

Racist remarks controversy
At Purdue Northwest’s December 2022 commencement, then-chancellor Thomas Keon used made-up words to mock Asian languages, which drew backlash for the racist display and Keon subsequently issued a public apology. The school’s Faculty Senate Executive Committee promptly came to a unanimous decision and delivered a letter to Keon demanding his resignation, noting that his statements insulted the Asian American community and caused national outrage.

Congresswoman Grace Meng from New York released a statement condemning the “racist, insensitive, and offensive imitation” made by the chancellor. The Purdue Northwest chapter of the American Association of University Professors also released a statement that criticized Keon’s all-white senior leadership team and said the “time has come for Chancellor Keon to resign.”

Subsequently, University of Minnesota professor Rich Lee and other Asian American professors started a petition calling for Keon’s resignation and received over 1,100 signatures from faculty, staff, and students across the country. The petition was sent to Purdue University's Board of Trustees, Purdue University president Mitch Daniels, incoming president Mung Chiang, and Keon himself. The Japanese American Citizens League also released a statement calling for the removal of Keon for the remarks.

In April 2023, the school initially announced that Keon would serve out the rest of his term until June 2024, despite calls for his resignation. Keon was ultimately replaced when, in December 2023, the Purdue Board of Trustees accepted university president Mung Chiang's recommendation to appoint Dr. Kenneth (Chris) Holford as the next chancellor, effective January 8th, 2024.