Jacob Pactor ’04 was recently appointed as the new principal at Purdue Polytechnic High School (PPHS) Schweitzer Center at Englewood.
PPHS was created by Purdue University to build new K-12 pathways that lead to Purdue, especially for Hoosier students who are underserved by traditional high schools and underrepresented in higher education.
Established in 2017, the growing, multischool PPHS system immerses students and their families in an innovative learning community. PPHS offers tuition-free, authentic, STEM-focused experiences that prepare high school students for a successful future. These experiences include internships, industry projects, dual-credit courses and technical certifications.
PPHS also offers its students a unique path to college; graduates who achieve Purdue’s admission requirements are ensured admission to many of the university’s programs.
“I’m a big believer that we have an obligation to invest in young people, to empower them, to equip them, to put more tools in their toolkits and to send them forth with more confidence on Friday than what they came in with on Monday,” Pactor said in a feature published by Purdue University. “I hope at the end of the day when the students leave PPHS and go onto college, the military or their next chapter, they have a sense of who they are, and that sense of identity is able to drive them to do good in the communities they call home.”
Before joining PPHS, Pactor taught in a variety of systems across Marion County. He was also the director of Career Services at Wabash College in 2017.
As a student at Wabash, Pactor majored in political science and minored in history and teacher education. He was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon, The Bachelor student newspaper, Yearbook staff, MXI and the Student Senate.
