During their meeting today (Oct. 6), Purdue University trustees were updated on five of the university’s Next Moves initiatives: Plant Sciences 2.0, National Security and Technology Initiative, Purdue Applied Research Institute (PARI), Transformative Education 2.0 and Equity Task Force. Purdue’s Next Moves were launched
in April 2021 to advance the university’s competitive advantage in its continuing quest to lead the world’s top research and teaching institutions.
Dorothy Stratton’s legacy and leadership to Purdue University and the nation will be recognized with the renaming of the Veterans Success Center
on the West Lafayette campus to the Dorothy Stratton Veteran and Military Success Center. In addition to honoring Stratton, the first full-time dean of women at Purdue, the center’s name now includes the word “Military” to reflect a more inclusive space, as veterans represent the smallest percentage in Purdue’s overall military-connected student population. A rededication ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 10.
The Purdue University Board of Trustees ratified faculty and staff appointments, awarded posthumous degrees, and approved department name changes and resolutions of appreciation. The department name changes involve amending the name of the Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy to the Department of Industrial and Molecular Pharmaceutics.
Purdue University trustees approved several real estate deals today. These deals include the purchase of 0.44 acres of land at 435 Mitch Daniels Blvd. and 0.61 acres of land at 402 Waldron St., as well as the lease of 55 apartments from Fuse, 720 Northwestern Ave.
Purdue University trustees approved a contract extension for Mike Bobinski, vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics, through June 30, 2028. Bobinski was named the ninth full-time athletics director in Purdue history Aug. 9, 2016, and under his leadership the Boilermakers have become a broad-based force athletically while sustaining their academic excellence — spurring renewed interest among alumni, donors, fans and media.
Purdue University’s Board of Trustees approved the metrics on which President Mung Chiang’s performance will be measured for the 2024 fiscal year, the first performance metrics of his presidency. The goals and metrics will be annually reviewed and revised by the board, as they were for Chiang’s predecessor, Mitch Daniels, and will define and measure progress in five priority areas, according to trustee Malcolm DeKryger, chair of the board’s Compensation Committee, which recommended the metrics for board approval.
In his report to the Board of Trustees, President Mung Chiang led a discussion updating Purdue’s Next Moves, acknowledged faculty who received sponsored research awards from June through September and thanked friends of the university for their recent generous contributions.
Karen Plaut, executive vice president for research, provided the Purdue Board of Trustees with an overview of the Purdue research enterprise, priority research areas and new initiatives. She detailed various ways that the Office of Research supports research faculty and staff and works to create an ecosystem supporting interdisciplinary research to address society’s biggest needs. Plaut also shared the university’s record research funding awards for the 2023 fiscal year, how a diversified base of federal funding agencies supports sustained funding, and the scale and impact of various research partnerships with industry and others. New initiatives in life and health sciences and in physical artificial intelligence were also
highlighted.
In his presentation to the Board of Trustees, Richard Kuhn, the Trent and Judith Anderson Distinguished Professor of Science in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Krenicki Family Director of the Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology, and Infectious Disease, provided an overview of how advancing technologies have enabled an evolution of his research into viruses. These technologies have been supported by Purdue and have made the university a world-renowned center for studying the structural biology of viral pathogens. From initial studies of virus structure to his recent studies of how antibodies control viral infections, he shared his vision for the future development of vaccines and therapeutics. Kuhn was named as
Purdue’s Morrill Award winner for 2023, the highest honor that the university confers on a member of its faculty.
Earlier this year, Purdue University and Duke Energy released an interim report detailing their joint feasibility study into the possibility of using small modular nuclear reactor technology to power Purdue’s West Lafayette campus. Michael B. Cline, Purdue Administrative Operations senior vice president, presented today (Oct. 6) highlights from the interim report to the Board of Trustees. As detailed in the report, advanced nuclear technology is a potential zero-carbon option to power the West Lafayette campus in the future, and further study is needed in the areas of economics and workforce, costs, technology and policy. The presentation is available online, as is the
full interim report and a report summary.
Purdue Today is the official Purdue University communication for faculty and staff
COPYRIGHT 2023 PURDUE UNIVERSITY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.