Press Release: Catholic Charities and PFW Sign MOU

Catholic Charities and Purdue Fort Wayne expand collaborative efforts with memorandum of understanding 

(July 20, 2022) Fort Wayne, Ind. – On Wednesday, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend’s CEO, Dan Florin, and Purdue University Fort Wayne’s chancellor, Ronald L. Elsenbaumer, met to formalize the two organizations' relationship. 

At the gathering, the two leaders on behalf of their respective entities signed a memorandum of understanding that solidified an agreement of collaboration on Research and Discovery, Learning and Teaching, and Engagement Programs. 

“We are grateful to be working with a university that has a great track record of seeking out diverse community needs and fulfilling them,” said Florin. “This relationship with PFW will greatly impact Catholic Charities and our neighbors by giving us access to additional physical, technical, and analytical resources. Today opens the door to future research of our program effectiveness to ensure we are reaching our desired community impact.” 

Representatives of PFW describe this action, and similar MOUs the university has signed in recent years, as being an important step to further success. 

“The MOU between Purdue University Fort Wayne and Catholic Charities will allow us to formalize what has previously been an informal relationship,” said Shannon Bischoff, associate director of University Research and Innovation. “This in turn will allow us to intentionally and strategically leverage the resources of both of these important and long-standing community organizations to better serve the region.” 

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Purdue University Fort Wayne’s chancellor, Ronald L. Elsenbaumer [center] and Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend’s CEO, Dan Florin [right], signing an MOU to formalize the two entities’ relationship.

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About Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend:  

Catholic Charities is a private 501 (c) 3 incorporated in the state of Indiana to act as the coordinating and administrative agency for the charitable activities assigned to it by the Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend; to plan for, initiate, direct, support and coordinate Catholic social-services programs for the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical welfare of persons in need; to seek and determine the causes of social problems in order to better promote preventative social-action programs; to participate in community planning and organization, and work cooperatively with other individuals and groups in the field of social work. The service area for Catholic Charities includes the 14 counties of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, encompassing 2,236 square miles, with a population of 1,247,850. Currently, Catholic Charities has offices in Fort Wayne (Allen County), Auburn (DeKalb County), and South Bend (St. Joseph County), Indiana. In Fiscal Year 2020-2021, CCFWSB served almost 16,000 individuals at a fiscally responsible rate of 88 cents of every dollar dedicated to client services.   

About Purdue University Fort Wayne 

Purdue University Fort Wayne is the largest university in northeast Indiana and is part of the Purdue University system. Purdue Fort Wayne is uniquely positioned to serve the region as a crossroads of intellectual, social, economic, and cultural advancement. Rigorous academics are combined with a focus on student success across prestigious degree programs taught by more than 300 full-time faculty. 8,093 students of diverse ages, ethnicities, and nationalities pursue their education on the nearly 600-acre campus. A majority of the university’s 62,000+ alumni live and work in Indiana, contributing significantly to the state’s economy, vitality, and intellectual strength. The university is a member of the Horizon League athletics conference, and fields 16 NCAA Division I sports teams. For more information, visit pfw.edu.