Bischoff honored with named term professor designation from Purdue

An international designation one Purdue University Fort Wayne faculty member helped secure for the institution in 2025 has led to a new, prestigious title. After a thorough review of his credentials, a unanimous endorsement from four of his colleagues—distinguished and named professors in their own right—a recommendation letter from PFW Chancellor Ron Elsenbaumer, and a final stamp of approval from Purdue University Provost Patrick Wolfe, Shannon Bischoff, chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, has been awarded the named term professor designation of UNESCO Chair on Rights Education among Indigenous and Non-Dominant Language Communities.

The purpose of professorships such as this is to enrich the intellectual environment of the university by attracting and retaining exceptional faculty. Selection is based on outstanding original, creative, and productive achievements in scholarship and research that have been internationally recognized.

Bischoff, a professor of linguistics and anthropology, along with Mary Encabo Bischoff, director of the Teaching English as a New Language program, and Candace K. Galla, associate professor of Indigenous language and literacy at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, helped PFW last summer become just the 29th institution in the United States to be awarded a UNESCO Chair. There are more than 1,000 UNESCO Chairs worldwide. Purdue Fort Wayne’s is the first and only in Indiana.

“Purdue University has chosen to recognize and reward Dr. Shannon Bischoff as a named professor for his continued impact on Indigenous and non-dominant populations,” said Connie Kracher, associate vice chancellor for research. "On behalf of Purdue Fort Wayne, we congratulate Shannon and his colleagues for their outstanding research contributions to this field. It is an honor for PFW to be awarded the first UNESCO Chair in Purdue’s history.”

Bischoff is also the director of the Three Rivers Language Center in the School of Education, one of PFW’s 15 Centers of Excellence. Click here to learn more about the TRLC.

For additional information, contact Geoff Thomas at [email protected] or 260-437-7657 (mobile).