August 22, 2016

Dear Boilermakers,

On behalf of the entire campus community, welcome — or, welcome back! — to Purdue.

Here you are with some 40,000 fellow Boilermakers, including nearly 7,300 new freshmen. We’re glad to have you all here.

Many of you will be majoring in areas that have little room for electives, and I encourage you to use them wisely. It would be a big mistake to leave Purdue without having studied at least some philosophy, American history, government and literature — essential elements of a well-rounded graduate and a fully effective citizen.

I hope you’ll take the time to acquaint yourself with the many tutoring, Supplemental Instruction and academic support services available on campus. Purdue has never equipped itself so well as now to support student success, including promising new technologies like the new Forecast application.

Forecast uses data from previous successful students to show you useful information about your academic progress and help you make better-informed decisions about your behaviors and campus activities. The app also will point you to concrete steps, like tutor matching, which may help you improve your academic performance. And because academic integrity is one of our core values at Purdue, we’ve launched two new outlets to report cheating: a hotline number (765-494-8778) and a dedicated email (integrity@purdue.edu).

A quick glance around campus and you’d be forgiven for thinking orange had been added to our official campus color scheme. The abundance of construction on campus, though sometimes a nuisance, signifies our commitment to investing in the physical facilities that will help us meet our goals for fostering world-changing research and cultivating student learning and success.

Products of campus construction include several newly opened or renovated facilities this fall, such as the Honors College offices and residence at the corner of Third and Russell streets, a dining hall on the lower level of Meredith Hall — one of many efforts to expand our food service options around campus, with several others in the works — and the Center for Advocacy, Response and Education (CARE), which provides support and advocacy for survivors of sexual violence, dating violence and stalking, now located on the first floor of Duhme Hall.

Two of our cultural centers also have new homes this fall. The Native American Educational and Cultural Center is now located at the corner of Fifth and University streets, while the new Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center is next door at the corner of Fifth and Waldron streets.

I hope you’ll take the time to attend some of the many talks by the wide array of interesting speakers who will join us on campus this year: Libertarian presidential candidate Governor Gary Johnson, scheduled for Sept. 13; legendary documentarian Ken Burns on Sept. 22; the third annual Dawn or Doom technology conference on Oct. 3 and 4; and author Ron Chernow, whose book “Alexander Hamilton” inspired the Broadway hit, on Nov. 15; among many, many others — and that’s just this fall.

As we begin the semester, remember that each new academic year offers a fresh opportunity to set goals, conquer fears and take another step toward a fulfilling and successful life. I wish you great success as you encounter all there is to experience at Purdue University.

Boiler Up!

Mitch Daniels

President