Purdue School of Industrial Engineering to be named for Edwardson following $25M in philanthropic commitments

INDIANAPOLIS — The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (Oct. 4) approved naming the School of Industrial Engineering for alumnus John A. Edwardson (BS industrial engineering ’71, HDR ’06) in recognition of $25 million in total gift commitments to support students, faculty and programming.

The school, which U.S. News & World Report ranked No. 2 for undergraduate programs in 2024, will be known as the Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering.

“Purdue is ever grateful to John and Fran Edwardson and the Edwardson Family Foundation for this extraordinary commitment,” said Purdue President Mung Chiang. “As a former holder of the John A. Edwardson Deanship, I know how much they care about the impact of excellence at scale of Purdue University. Through this latest and transformational gift of their longstanding support, the discovery, dissemination and deployment of knowledge in industrial engineering, already top two in the country, will be further elevated through both student scholarships and leading professorships that attract top talents to our university.”

This commitment will support:

• Edwardson Scholars Program endowment for undergraduate scholarships
• Leimkuhler Fellows endowment, named in honor of the former head of the school, for graduate students
• Matching-funds initiative to promote eight new named faculty endowments and 20 new fellowship endowments for graduate students
• Discretionary funding for the school’s head 

“We see this gift as something that will transform the educational and research experience for both faculty and students,” said Young-Jun Son, the James J. Solberg Head and Ransburg Professor of Industrial Engineering. “The impact of this contribution is strategically wide-ranging and touches on every aspect of the industrial engineering program at Purdue, and it will make a tremendous difference. We feel extremely honored to be part of this monumental moment for our Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering.”

John Edwardson and his family established the Edwardson Family Foundation in 2007. The organization focuses on philanthropy aimed at improving education, health care and community development.

Edwardson retired as the chairman and CEO of CDW Corp. after serving in senior executive positions at Northwest Airlines, United Airlines and Ameritech. Purdue presented him with the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award in 1988 and the Outstanding Industrial Engineering Award in 1997. Edwardson served on the Purdue Board of Trustees from 1995-2005.

“As we commemorate 150 years of Purdue engineering and our consequential impact on the world, we are truly thankful for the unwavering support of the Edwardson family toward the continued success of Boilermaker engineers for the next 150 years,” said Arvind Raman, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering.

Edwardson and the Edwardson Family Foundation have supported Purdue in many ways, including endowing the deanship for the College of Engineering, significant contributions to the Women in Engineering Program and additional support of various university initiatives.

“My family and I have a strong belief in the importance of philanthropy, and giving back to Purdue is a natural part of that,” Edwardson said. “Purdue did a wonderful job preparing me for the life ahead, as it has done for countless Boilermakers over the years. We support the university, its mission and its vision, and we’re happy to do our part. We also hope this contribution serves as encouragement for other alumni to give back as they can. Purdue and its students certainly deserve it.”

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.

About the Purdue for Life Foundation

The Purdue for Life Foundation helps friends and alumni of Purdue University stay connected, get involved and give back. Created on March 11, 2020, the foundation deepens alumni ties to Purdue, drives and coordinates all alumni-related activities across the Purdue family’s postgraduation lives and works with alumni and friends to garner support for the university. Our organization combines the alumni engagement function of the Purdue Alumni Association and the University Development Office, and it includes President’s Council, the John Purdue Club and the Office of Industry Partnerships, as well as alumni lifelong learning programs and on-campus residential opportunities. Learn more at https://purdueforlife.org/.