Purdue University

Giving to Purdue

University Development Office
Passion for Purdue

Jean-Ann Morton

Each gift, no matter the size, is a vote of confidence in the University and a testament of loyalty to the Boilermaker family. Purdue employee donors are passionate about their support. But before they click to give through payroll deduction, there is a story. 

Jean-Ann Morton

Jean-Ann Morton, college secretary for the Department of Communication and the Department of English and Modern Languages at Purdue University North Central, is always there to lend a hand. From helping people find their way around on campus and serving as coach for the cheer and dance squads to contributing to scholarships, Morton is ready to give whatever she has.

"I give because every day, I see the needs of our students and staff," she says.

Giving has always been important to Morton, who started working at PNC in 1987. From 1994 to 2009, Morton volunteered as coach of the cheer and dance squads. She taught young women about the importance of behavior and integrity, and that they represented the University -- during performances and even when they were away from school.

"I could never give much financially, but I could give my time," she says.

Morton's years of dedication and service to the cheer and dance squads led to her induction into the Purdue University North Central Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.

In her job working with students, Morton always recognized needs at the PNC campus, but she also realized there were needs right within the PNC family of employees.

"I loved working with the students and volunteering my time. It is always good to give to others, but in doing so, we often forget to give to our own," she says. "By our own, I mean our level of service, and for me that's clerical and service staff. I raised my daughter, Jaime, primarily as a single parent and as she started looking at colleges, I realized we were going to need help paying for the cost. We struggled during that time, and I knew there were other families in a similar situation."

So after her daughter graduated with a degree in communication, Morton started giving in another way -- this time to employee scholarships. "I started giving to the Clerical and Service Staff Dependent Scholarship because it is available to people like me who might need just a little more help for a child or themselves to pay for their college education," Morton says.

The Clerical and Service Staff Dependent Scholarship is funded through donations from clerical, service and administrative staff and faculty through fundraising events coordinated and supported by the PNC Clerical and Service Staff Advisory Committee (CSSAC). The scholarship was established to provide financial assistance to deserving PNC staff and their dependents.

"Giving is easier than we think," Morton says. "You don't need a lot of money in the bank to make a difference. You just need the desire."

* Faculty and staff who would like to share their own thoughts and stories about supporting Purdue should contact stewardship@purdue.edu or 49-43872.