September 2018

Dear Alumni and Friends,

The advent of every new school year has a magical feel, but this year even more so as we welcomed the most students in Purdue history. 

Our total enrollment in West Lafayette is up some 1,800 students over last year, including a record-setting freshman class that is our largest ever, with more Indiana residents than we’ve seen in a decade (almost 1,000 more than five years ago) and more students from underrepresented backgrounds than ever before, while also being among our most academically prepared to date. 

We attribute much of this growth in enrollment to our growing reputation for quality and affordability in equal measure. Families know, and employers constantly confirm, that a Purdue education provides an unsurpassed preparation for a successful career and a fulfilling life.

National media are also taking note of our progress in these areas, and we’re seeing it reflected in our national rankings, including in the recent Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education ranking of Best Value Universities, which placed us in the top five nationally.  

With a growing student body comes the need for some new facilities, and plans are well underway for projects that include two new on-campus residence halls, a new STEM lab building, additional dining space and options, and more faculty and staff in key growth areas. 

We are proud to be “Indiana’s flagship public university” — as recently proclaimed by Forbes — and will continue to do all that we can to ensure that a Purdue education is within the reach of every qualified student who seeks it.  

Giant Leaps celebration kickoff
Our Giant Leaps sesquicentennial celebration officially kicks off during this weekend’s Homecoming events, as we prepare to spend a year celebrating Purdue’s 150th anniversary and the many ways Boilermakers will shape the world over the next century and a half.

Here’s a sneak peek at our official campaign video, which will debut to the wider public tomorrow morning and will be shown in Ross-Ade Stadium during the game and on the Big Ten Network over the weekend. 

Here also are videos from Drew Brees (on Earth) and Drew Feustel (in space), sharing how Purdue helped them make giant leaps in their careers. I invite you to join Boilermakers around the world in sharing your own story describing your greatest giant leap and how Purdue helped you achieve that goal. You can share your video with the hashtag #TakeGiantLeaps and tag @LifeAtPurdue on Twitter or @PurdueUniversity on Facebook.  

I hope you’ll be able to join us on campus for at least some of our Homecoming festivities. If you’re at the football game, keep an eye out for official Giant Leaps events, and be sure to stop by the "Gateway to the Future" arch to get a photo with the Giant Leaps sculpture. You can also find other ways to wear the Giant Leaps spirit at the Purdue Team Store.

If you’re not able to make it back to campus this weekend, I hope you’ll consider joining us for an event or two throughout our yearlong celebration, including upcoming events with World Food Prize winner, president of the African Development Bank and Purdue alumnus Akinwumi Adesina; political commentators Ben Domenech and Ezra Klein; head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Seema Verma; and renowned author and cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker. 

You can find the growing schedule of events here: takegiantleaps.com/calendar.

Other campus news
In other good news from campus, Purdue recently won a grant of $70 million over five years from the U.S. Agency for International Development to lead a consortium that will create research solutions for pressing challenges in developing countries. 

Called PULSE (Partners for University Led Solutions Engine), Purdue’s bid won out over more than 100 submissions for USAID's new Long-Term Assistance and Services for Research (LASER) agreement. 

PULSE will make Indiana a hub for this kind of research, helping USAID address challenges like food security, global health, early childhood education and wildlife conservation. 

In the athletics arena, Purdue volleyball is now 11-0 to start the season, all in nonconference play. Big Ten matches starts tomorrow with the Fighting Illini. If you haven’t had the chance to see these athletes in action, I can’t recommend it enough.

Several faculty have been recognized recently for their excellent work and impact, including two engineering professors honored for their early career achievements. 

Tamara Kinzer-Ursem, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, and Janelle Wharry, assistant professor of nuclear engineering, both received Early Career Development (CAREER) awards to further their research from the National Science Foundation. Kinzer-Ursem also received an NSF Innovation Corps grant.

We’re fortunate to have such a talented group of faculty, across campus in all disciplines, who are committed to making an impact in their classrooms, fields of expertise and in communities around the world through their research and scholarship. 

We look forward to seeing you at Homecoming this weekend. 

Boiler Up!

Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. 
President