Past Presidents of Purdue University
Steven C. Beering, 1983-2000
Purdue University’s ninth president, its second to hold a medical degree, came to Purdue after 10 years as the dean of the Indiana School of Medicine and director of the IU Medical Center. Beering’s tenure at Purdue has been marked by sustained growth in academics, facilities and private support. Enrollment and scholarship have set records. More than 20 new buildings have been constructed on the West Lafayette campus, and 13 others were expanded or renovated. He fostered efforts to make Purdue an international university. Private gifts have grown more than fourfold to $90 million a year. Purdue’s endowment has become one of the largest in the nation, exceeding $1.3 billion. Beering’s name appears on the diplomas of more than half of the university’s living alumni. When he steps down as president this summer, Dr. Beering and his wife, Jane, plan to continue working as ambassadors and fund-
raisers for the university.
Arthur G. Hansen, 1971-1982
Arthur G. Hansen was the first Purdue president who was also an alumnus, having earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1946 and a master’s degree in mathematics in 1948. At the time of his appointment as the university’s eighth president, he had served as president of the Georgia Institute of Technology for two years. Under Hansen’s administration, enrollment increased to more than 32,000, and new buildings were constructed for agriculture, psychology, life sciences and athletics. Hansen also supported the establishment of Purdue’s first Black Cultural Center. He left Purdue in 1982 to become chancellor of the Texas A&M system. Now retired, he lives in Zionsville, Ind.
Frederick L. Hovde, 1946-1971
Frederick L. Hovde came to Purdue at age 37 and presided over the university’s greatest period of growth, leading to its emergence as a top research university. During his 25-year leadership, Purdue saw its greatest enrollment growth – from 5,628 to 25,582 students. Its annual budget increased from $12.7 million to $136 million. Hovde retired in 1971 as the university’s longest-serving president. While he was president, Purdue established the schools of industrial engineering, materials engineering, technology and veterinary medicine. In 1975, the Purdue Executive Building was renamed the Frederick L. Hovde Hall of Administration in his honor.
Edward C. Elliott, 1922-1945
Edward C. Elliott led the university through the Depression and World War II. He was responsible for a major building program that saw construction of Ross-Ade Stadium, the Memorial Union and the development of the Purdue University Airport. During his tenure, the Graduate School, the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Purdue Research Foundation were established. He recruited top names to the university, including Amelia Earhart, as a women’s counselor, and he supported the Purdue Musical Organizations. The Elliott Hall of Music was named in his honor.
Winthrop E. Stone, 1900-1921
After having served as the university’s first vice president, Winthrop E. Stone became acting president upon the death of James Smart. The Purdue Board of Trustees named him the university’s fifth president shortly thereafter. Stone originally came to Purdue as a professor of chemistry. He appointed Purdue’s first dean of women, Carolyn E. Shoemaker, in 1913. The schools of agriculture and engineering grew rapidly during his tenure, which ended tragically when he was killed in a mountain-climbing accident in Canada in 1921.
James H. Smart, 1883-1900
Purdue’s fourth president, James H. Smart, was a self-educated New Englander. Smart is known in Purdue history as "the engineers’ president." The schools of civil, mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as pharmacy and pharmacal sciences were established during his tenure. It was during his administration that Old Gold and Black were established as the school colors.
Emerson E. White, 1876-1883
In his inaugural address, President Emerson E. White declared that within its field Purdue must lead, not follow. Under his leadership, Purdue was set firmly on its course of emphasis on agricultural and "mechanic arts" as mandated by the Morrill Act. White also is remembered for his failed attempt to ban fraternities on campus, which led to his resignation in 1883.
Abraham C. Shortridge, 1874-1875
Abraham C. Shortridge was in charge when Purdue matriculated its first students on Sept. 16, 1874. Thirty-nine applicants were admitted, some conditionally. Women were enrolled for the first time the following fall. His administration lasted just 18 months due to his failing health.
Richard Owen, 1872-1874
Richard Owen, a professor at Indiana University, became the first president of Purdue in 1872. At the time, there were no buildings, no faculty and no students on the West Lafayette campus, and Owen never actually occupied an office there. He was well regarded in the fields of geology, chemistry and medicine and had a solid reputation as a teacher, philosopher and Civil War soldier. Through his belief in hard work and invention, Owen guided the Morrill Act idea of an "Indiana Agricultural College" into reality. He resigned the day before the first class met.
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