One plus one equals two in most cases, but the math that Thomas Keon ’71 has underway is a little trickier.

As chancellor-designate of Purdue University Northwest — which officially comes into being on July 1 — he is leading efforts to turn two existing schools into one new institution.

Consider a task such as bringing admission standards into sync. Since these standards require faculty approval, Keon had to work with the faculty senates at both universities, Purdue Calumet and Purdue North Central, so each could review and vote on the general standards of the other.

“The biggest challenges always come with individuals and personalities … making sure that people are participating and engaged with the process,” says Keon, chancellor at Purdue Calumet since 2011. His reputation for inclusiveness prompted a recent award by INSIGHT into Diversity magazine, for creating programs that support students of all economic and ethnic backgrounds.

The creation of Purdue University Northwest began two years ago, at the behest of Purdue’s president and Board of Trustees. Keon and Purdue North Central Chancellor James Dworkin devised an initial plan, then engaged staff at both schools to put the pieces into place. The work has included everything from combining the campuses’ Finance and Administration departments to equalizing tuition to establishing new email addresses and a website. Purdue Northwest will be Indiana’s fifth-largest university.

Keon cites the importance of allocating resources to provide the “strongest possible degree and opportunity for our graduates. We want to be a model for how two universities can combine and truly make the whole better than the sum of its parts.”

Deblina Chakraborty is a writer and editor based in Atlanta, Ga.