CROWN POINT | Indiana University Northwest Chancellor Bruce Bergland dreams of having all aspects of health care education taught under one roof.

He dreams of creating a college of Health and Human Services in which students could have the kind of regular contact with other disciplines they will see in their careers. Bergland told a meeting of Indiana Northwest alumni at St. Anthony Medical Center on Thursday that the dream may come true, pending a decision by IUN's board of trustees.

"We are looking at sometime next year," Bergland told a small but enthusiastic crowd.

Bergland told the alumni the university would begin a transition away from two-year degree programs to full bachelor's degree programs. All two-year programs eventually would be moved to smaller colleges such as Ivy Tech, he said.

The new college would give the university's already extensive array of programs more visibility, make research easier and possibly bring new program's to the school, Bergland said.

The extra visibility also would help attack northern Indiana's most pressing health issues, including obesity, diabetes and smoking, Bergland said.