Our Mission & VIsion

IPIA’s Vision

IPIA's vision is to promote and support innovative and collaborative approaches to solve global grand challenges, maintain a healthy and sustainable planet, and build global awareness and understanding.

IPIA’s Mission

Our mission is to leverage knowledge, resources and people to achieve positive global impacts.

IPIA’s Goal

Our goal is to connect, collaborate and engage to make the world a better place.

Read below about how we are executing on our vision, mission and goal:

IPIA - Globalization of teaching, research and extension​​

Linda Vallade and Kara Hartman

Purdue University is a Land Grant institution, and in IPIA we embrace the Land Grant approach by promoting international research, education and outreach. Activities in the College of Agriculture are carried out through collaboration with educational institutions, research agencies and outreach organizations throughout the world. These partnerships are designed to help improve agriculture, natural resources, and food systems in Indiana and participating countries, and for the enrichment of the Purdue University community.

IPIA focuses on four initiatives to enrich communities at Purdue and well beyond:

  1. Prepare STUDENTS for international facets of their careers and lives through experiences on and off campus.
  2. Prepare and support FACULTY and STAFF members to engage internationally, and recognize faculty and staff members for their involvement in international activities.
  3. Prioritize efforts for GLOBAL IMPACT by proactively focusing on areas of strength and by working strategically with partners on and off campus.
  4. Help INDIANA CITIZENS and ORGANIZATIONS take advantage of global trends and opportunities.

Linking Faculty with International Opportunities

IPIA prepares and supports faculty whose international efforts transform projects and programs from innovative concept to usable application. Our efforts include:

  • International research collaborations for mutual benefit.
  • Professional project management support.
  • International travel logistics.
  • Assistance with proposal development.
  • Increasing capacity and strengthening Extension to share knowledge and tools.

expanding student horizons

IPIA prepares students for the global workplace by providing opportunities to gain valuable life skills and broaden their perspective on the world.  We expand student horizons by:

  • Facilitating study abroad for more than a third of College of Agriculture graduates during their college careers.
  • Connecting students with research and outreach opportunities around the world.
  • Fostering connections in faculty-led programs to numerous locations, including Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, France, Haiti, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Norway, Peru, Romania, South Africa, Taiwan, Tanzania, Vietnam and Zambia.

Capacity Building for Far-Reaching Impacts

Many of the activities and projects IPIA conducts are focused on building capacity, both here and in partner institutions in developing countries. Examples include:

  • Through a previous Farmer-to-Farmer project in Colombia, Purdue Extension educators and others shared their technical knowledge with smallholder farmers in the Piedemonte region - a life changing experience for all involved.
  • A Farmer-to-Farmer project in Trinidad and Tobago, started in 2019, is now working virtually due to Covid-19 concerns. The project is creating multiple opportunities for Purdue Extension educators and others to share technical knowledge and skills remotely with smallholder farmers and others in more than a dozen subject matter areas.
  • Between 2006 and 2018, IPIA completed sixteen projects in Afghanistan including partnerships with six Afghan universities. This partnership led to more than 110 Afghans receiving Master's and PhDs, 15 pursuing MS degrees and two pursuing PhDs.
  • In Africa, more than 10 projects have been recently completed or are underway in Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and other countries.
  • In 2019, IPIA received a four-year grant from the USAID Mission in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) to support capacity building for research on nutrition and food security.