Awards
- Chancellor and Provost Medallion (2019)
- IUPUI Chancellor's Medallion
- Indianapolis, Indiana
About Patricia E. Biddinger
Patricia Biddinger first joined IUPUI in 1976 as an assistant dean for student services, working primarily with international students and developing global programs. Following this position, Biddinger worked at IU Bloomington for a period and then in Malaysia as director of student services for the IU-Shah Alam program through which nearly 4,000 Malaysian students earned associate degrees through IUPUI coursework. After this assignment, Biddinger returned to IUPUI in 1988 as a program officer in what was then the IUPUI Office of International Programs.
In 1989, when the Office of International Student Services was integrated with International Programs and renamed the Office of International Affairs (OIA) to reflect the comprehensive mission to serve all international aspects of the IUPUI campus, Biddinger was named Founding Director. In this role, she was a champion for expanding student participation in study abroad, establishing an international admissions operation and supporting international students on the IUPUI campus. Biddinger also played a critical role in the development of the International House as IUPUI’s first residence-based living-learning community and was an early advocate for curriculum internationalization.
Patricia Biddinger, Inaugural Director of the Office of International Studies, was presented with an IUPUI 50th Anniversary Chancellor's Medallion by Chancellor Nasser H. Paydar during the Office of International Affairs 30th anniversary celebration on February 20, 2019, in recognition of her pioneering work to support international education and to advance international partnerships.