July 2018

Dear Alumni and Friends,

There are a lot of updates to share this month, including the recent addition of thousands of new members to the Purdue alumni family.  

In early June, Purdue Global held its first commencement ceremony. More than 9,000 graduates were recognized for their academic accomplishments, ranging from associate and bachelor’s degrees to doctoral degrees and professional certificates. 

Four of our main campus trustees — JoAnn Brouillette, Malcolm DeKryger, Michael Klipsch and Don Thompson — attended the ceremony and were deeply moved by the enthusiasm and pride of the graduates. They chronicled their reactions in a letter that recently appeared in the Indy Star and elsewhere; let me let JoAnn, Malcolm, Michael and Don tell you about that experience:

"Anyone who remains unconvinced of our decision to acquire Kaplan University and convert it into the Purdue system (which also includes the flagship campus at West Lafayette, two regional campuses, and colleges at IUPUI), need only attend one of these commencement ceremonies to have their eyes and minds opened. Meet the students we serve. Hear their stories and witness their enthusiasm for the education they received. 

"Of those graduating, 67 percent of the undergraduate recipients were women, many of them mothers who had cheering, proud children in the audience. By our estimate, roughly half were of a racial background that is often underrepresented at traditional universities. Nearly 44 percent were either in the military or had a loved one protecting this country. We are told that a similar share were first-generation college students and more than a quarter were over the age of 40. 

"We know from historical data that those who received their bachelor’s degree from Kaplan University on average saw their annual incomes jump from about $28,000 at enrollment to $41,000 two years after graduation and to $52,000 by year five. 

"This data predates any benefits that may come as the best of Purdue’s academic excellence and oversight is partnered with the capabilities of an established online university with decades of experience serving adult learners. With time and under Purdue’s leadership, we will reach even more students, especially in Indiana, and serve them with even more expertise. 

"This is not the first time Purdue has been a pioneer in revolutionizing access to higher education. One hundred fifty-six years ago this month, the United States Congress passed legislation that would change the academic world. For centuries prior, opportunities to attend a university were largely limited to the wealthy, well-connected elite. 

"Just a year shy of Purdue’s 150th anniversary, Purdue has again accepted the challenge of expanding access to higher education. The launch of Purdue Global made a statement that the next focus of the land-grant mission should be these forgotten Americans, and Purdue would lead the way.

"At the commencement ceremony, we saw the first fruits of that leadership. Graduates beamed with a sense of accomplishment and their families beamed back with respect. Their excitement and optimism were contagious. Not only were they proud of their new degrees, they were proud to be affiliated with the Purdue University system.

"But in truth, considering the determination of these adult learners to advance their education and further their careers despite balancing jobs and families and numerous other obstacles, it’s the rest of us in the Purdue system who should be proud to be affiliated with them. And we should be proud that Purdue University, once again, is leading the land-grant mission into the modern era."

As we continue to spread the word about Indiana’s newest public university, you may notice a new advertisement or two, like this one, which will go on-air July 9. 

On the West Lafayette campus, graduates in one of our May ceremonies were treated to a special surprise, as two Boilermaker astronauts aboard the International Space Station joined in the ceremony remotely. Scott D. Tingle and Andrew J. “Drew” Feustel joined the Friday evening ceremony via video link, and Scott helped us confer an honorary doctorate on Drew some 220 miles above the Earth at the International Space Station.

Los Alamos National Laboratory
By now you’ve heard that Purdue was not selected to manage the Los Alamos National Laboratory. While we are disappointed to have not been chosen, it was a tremendous privilege to be among the strong group of finalists. 

The management of the facility is a solemn responsibility for U.S. national security and the protection of our citizens, and we wish the very best to those involved in that essential mission.

Enrollment Update
Campus is filled with the excitement of new students and families visiting in preparation of the start of the fall semester. In just a few short weeks, we’ll welcome our largest and academically strongest freshman class in Purdue history with 8,300 students, including the largest number of Indiana resident students in a decade and 800 more than just five years ago.

In preparation, we’re hiring more academic advisors, faculty and teaching assistants, ramping up tutoring and student support resources, and preparing to build two new residence halls to support the long-term growth in the size of our student body.

Faculty Awards
Our faculty and staff give us no shortage of reasons to be proud, and they are routinely honored for their excellent work in the classroom, community and research lab. Here are a few who have been recognized recently:

Willie Reed, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, was named an honorary diploma recipient by the American Veterinary Epidemiological Society for his record of distinguished veterinary service. 

Michael Mashtare, assistant professor of environmental and ecological engineering and agronomy, received a Food and Agriculture Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award from the USDA and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). 

In April, Donna Zoss, a continuing lecturer and assistant director for the Didactic Program in Dietetics at Purdue, was named the 2018 Outstanding Dietetics Educator by the Indiana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She has been a registered dietitian for 29 years and an educator in the Department of Nutrition Science for 17 years.

Purdue Fort Wayne
In regional campus news, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) officially became Purdue Fort Wayne (PFW) this past weekend (July 1), and all of its NCAA sports teams will be known as the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons. 

Sports Scene
Congratulations to our baseball team on its extraordinary season, finishing with the second-most wins in a single season in Purdue history (38) and the team’s third appearance ever in the NCAA Tournament. 

Alexander Field is close to my home at Purdue, and I’ve enjoyed the chance to take in a good number of games this spring. Perhaps the most memorable was May 16, when at a “mini-commencement” I was able to present diplomas to the graduating seniors, who missed their official ceremonies for weekend games at Ohio State.

Congratulations are also in order for our men’s and women’s track and field teams, who wrapped up their season at the NCAA Championships on June 9. The women’s team made its top showing in school history at the tournament, finishing in eighth place with 34 points, both program bests. 

For the whole of the 2017-18 athletics season, the Boilermakers finished fourth in the Big Ten overall for the combined performance of all our men’s and women’s sports, and took home the Governor’s Cup, our head-to-head competition with Indiana University, for the fourth time in five years.

Boiler Up!

Mitch Daniels