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| • Department of Visual and Performing Arts |
October 15, 2004
Alumni meet challenge
Purdue completes fund raising for Visual & Performing Arts building
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue today (Friday, Oct. 15) celebrated the completion of a fund-raising campaign for Phase II of the new $41 million Visual and Performing Arts Building, thanks to an anonymous donor and university alumni, including Patti and Rusty Rueff.
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In recognition of an anonymous $4 million gift and at the request of the donor, the facility will be renamed to honor the late Yue-Kong Pao (pronounced u-KONG pow), a Chinese business leader who died in 1991. The event took place at noon in the dance studio of the Yue-Kong Pao Hall for Visual and Performing Arts.
A gallery in the building will be named for the Rueffs (pronounced ROOF), of Burlingame, Calif., in recognition of their $200,000 gift toward the building. Earlier this year, the Rueffs also pledged $5 million – the single largest gift in the School of Liberal Arts' history – for the Patti and Rusty Rueff Department of Visual and Performing Arts, named this year in their honor. The Department of Visual and Performing Arts is composed of four divisions – art and design, music, dance and theater. The building and gallery naming are subject to approval by Purdue's Board of Trustees.
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"The vision and commitment of these donors have allowed us to make a quantum leap forward for our students," said Purdue President Martin C. Jischke. "This $41 million new building is more than brick and mortar. It is a home for traditional arts, such as theater, painting and drawing, but it also is a place where art can be merged with the latest technologies in theater sound, textile designs and industrial design.
"It's also quite notable that young alumni are stepping forward. Rusty Rueff, graduated from Purdue just 18 years ago, is a leader in the revolutionary video gaming industry, and now wants to help others develop their skills and creativity. That's what it means to be part of the Purdue family."
Toby Parcel, dean of the School of Liberal Arts, said the Rueffs will receive Purdue's Pinnacle Award, which is awarded to individuals or organizations in recognition of their philanthropic gifts to the university – at this weekend's Homecoming celebration.
"Rusty is one of liberal arts' most amazing graduates, and he continues to be a champion for visual and performing arts," Parcel said. "The Rueffs' gift not only benefits students studying in one of the School of Liberal Arts' largest departments, but it also will serve the many students from other disciplines who enroll in visual and performing arts electives."
Previously, a classroom had been named after the Rueffs' godson, Noah B. Putman, in honor of their $50,000 gift.
The 166,700-square-foot Yue-Kong Pao Hall for Visual and Performing Arts is located at Marsteller and Wood streets. The building, which received $20.75 million in state appropriations, opened in fall 2003 for classes in art and design and dance. The second phase includes two theaters and space for costume design and storage, dressing rooms, prop storage and scenery construction, as well as studios and workshop space for theater, music classes and art education. The Nancy T. Hansen Theatre, a 300-seat proscenium, will take the place of the Experimental Theatre in Stewart Center. The second, the Carole and Gordon Mallett Theatre, will seat 138-170 people, depending upon its configuration, and will replace an existing, smaller black box theater. A green room also has been named for Herbert and Janice Wilson.
Rusty Rueff, executive vice president of human resources at the Redwood City, California-based game developer and publisher Electronic Arts, earned a bachelor's degree in radio and television in 1984 and a master's degree in counseling in 1986 from Purdue. At Electronic Arts, among other areas, he is responsible for finding and hiring the talent to create and produce the company's top-selling video games.
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"The creative process intrigues me, especially the need for an environment to inspire creation," said Rueff, who grew up around creative people – his father was in radio and television and other family members were artists and musicians. "And the best environment is one that allows the artist to be exposed to other forms of creativity. If I am a sculptor who is working on capturing the human form, I can't imagine a better opportunity than to visit the dance studio to watch human movement.
"My wife and I think this is an exciting time to experience art, whether that is theater or entertainment online, because it has never been more accessible. Today, great art is just a keystroke away. But as availability is expanding, opportunities for learning how to create are being reduced, especially in the elementary and high school level, because of limited funding. We may not feel it in our generation, but we worry about future mankind's creativity stagnating. This is our small contribution to make sure there is always a place for people to create."
Following an earlier career in radio, Rusty, originally from Jeffersonville, Ind., held human resources positions at PepsiCo and United Technologies. Rueff is a member of Purdue's campaign committee for the Visual and Performing Arts Building and the School of Liberal Arts Dean's Advisory Council. He also is an executive trustee of the American Conservatory Theatre and a member of the Academy of Television and Radio Sciences.
Patti Rueff is an event-planning consultant in California. A graduate of Wood Business School in Manhattan, she worked for 24 years for PepsiCo Inc., including 20 years as executive assistant to the CEO and chairman of the board of directors. She currently serves on the board of the Women's Health Council for San Mateo County and the Hillsborough Auxiliary to Family Services of the Peninsula. She also is active in organizing the corporate team competition for San Francisco's Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, a foundation that raises money for breast cancer research and awareness.
Yue-Kong Pao was the founder of the World-Wide Shipping Company, an international oil tanker charter business. He became one of the wealthiest men in the world and was known as a shipping magnate, praised as one of the century's top 10 in that field.
Pao was a friend and adviser to Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, and he was responsible for arranging President Ronald Reagan's visit to China in 1983. Pao, who fled his homeland when the communists came to power in 1949, advised Xiaoping to change the country to a market economy, according to the book "Three Tigers and Purdue: Stories of Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan and an American University."
Pao had two daughters graduate from Purdue. Anna Pao Sohmen is a 1966 graduate in psychology and sociology, and Bessie Pao Woo, graduated in 1971 with a degree in interior design.
The Department of Visual and Performing Arts, which is home to Theatre@Purdue and the Purdue Repertory Dance Company, was created in 1966. There are more than 900 undergraduates in the department, 60 graduate students and 40 faculty members. The most popular areas of study are visual communications design, interior design, industrial design and photography.
Today's event is part of a 10-day celebration that focuses on ways Purdue is improving education and helping the state of Indiana as part of its strategic plan and $1.3 billion fund-raising campaign.
Writer: Amy Patterson-Neubert, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
Sources: Martin C. Jischke, (765) 494-9708
Toby Parcel, (765) 494-3661, tlparcel@purdue.edu
David Sigman, (765) 494-3058, sigman@purdue.edu
Angela Pulanco, contact for Rusty and Patti Rueff, (650) 628-7553, apulanco@ea.com
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: For video, contact Jesica Webb, (765) 494-2079, jwebb@purdue.edu or Amy Patterson-Neubert, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu.
PHOTO CAPTION:
Patti and Rusty Rueff applaud while watching students and faculty perform at today's (Friday, Oct. 15) celebration for the successful completion of fund raising for Phase II of Purdue's $41 million Visual and Performing Arts Building. The Rueffs donated $5 million to the visual and performing arts department, which has since been named in their honor. During today's event, it was announced that the building will be renamed to honor the late Yue-Kong Pao (pronounced u-KONG pow), a Chinese business leader who died in 1991. The naming is at the request of an anonymous donor who gave $4 million to the campaign. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)
A publication-quality photograph is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2004/rueff-gift.jpg
PHOTO CAPTION:
Peter Shiplett, at left, a second-year master's student in sound design and technology from Cincinnati, and Davin Huston, a first-year master's student in electrical and computer engineering technology from Monticello, Ind., demonstrate the control board in the new Yue-Kong Pao Hall for Visual and Performing Arts. Purdue today (Friday, Oct. 15) celebrated the completion of a fund-raising campaign for Phase II of the new $41 million building, thanks to an anonymous donor and university alumni, including Patti and Rusty Rueff. (Purdue News Service photo/Brian Zink)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2004/vpa-sound.jpg
PHOTO CAPTION:
A Computer Numeric Control system helps Purdue assistant professor Seokbo S. (Scott) Shim, at left, and associate professor Steve Visser take their designs from the laboratory to the model stage. The computer display behind them shows a bicycle concept image. The computer takes the data and converts it so the CNC cutting machine can build a model of the concept for final production. Shim and Visser are faculty in industrial design, located in the new Visual and Performing Arts Building. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)
A publication-quality photograph is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2004/shim-visser-CNC.jpg
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