Purdue University

Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University System. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and money from Lafayette businessman John Purdue to establish a college of science, technology, and agriculture in his name. The first classes were held on September 16, 1874, with three buildings, six instructors, and 39 students. Today, Purdue enrolls the second largest student body of any university in Indiana as well as the second largest international student population of any public university in the United States.

Purdue offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in over 210 major areas of study. Purdue has produced multiple Nobel Prize winners, Fortune 500 executives, Super Bowl MVPs, Grammy Award nominees, and Pulitzer Prize winners, and the university's alumni pool collectively holds over 15,000 United States patents. Purdue University is world renowned for its competitive engineering curriculum. The university has also been highly influential in America's history of aviation, and Purdue's aviation technology and aeronautical engineering programs remain among the highest rated and most competitive in the world. Purdue established the first college credit offered in flight training, the first four-year bachelor's degree in aviation, and the first university airport (Purdue University Airport). In the mid-20th century, Purdue's aviation program expanded to encompass advanced spaceflight technology giving rise to Purdue's nickname, Cradle of Astronauts. Twenty-two Purdue graduates have gone on to become astronauts, including Gus Grissom (one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts), Neil Armstrong (the first person to walk on the moon), and Eugene Cernan (the last person to walk on the moon). The 23rd President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison, served on the Board of Trustees of Purdue University from July 1895 to March 1901. Harrison Hall, a campus dormitory, is named in his honor.

History Founding and early years

John Purdue.In 1865, the Indiana General Assembly took advantage of the Morrill Act, and began plans to establish an institution with a strong focus on engineering. John Purdue, a Lafayette business leader and philanthropist (buried at Purdue), sought to help establish a "land grant" college in Indiana. The state of Indiana received a gift of $150,000 from John Purdue, along with $50,000 from Tippecanoe County, and 150 acres (0.6 km²) of land from Lafayette residents in support of the project. On May 6, 1869, it was decided that the college would be founded near the city of Lafayette and legislators established the institution as Purdue University, in the name of the institution’s principal benefactor.


Classes first began at Purdue on September 16, 1874 with three buildings, six instructors, and 39 students. Purdue issued its first degree, a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, in 1875.


Aviation and aeronauticsPurdue University is well known for its diverse majors in aerospace. The Purdue University Airport was the first university-owned airport in the United States. Purdue was the first university in the world to award a four-year bachelor's degree in aviation. The school is also one of the only institutions in the country that offers AAAE certification for the management of airports. Purdue's Aviation Technology Department is also actively involved and partners regularly with National Business Aviation Association and the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading on a multitude of research projects.

In 2010, Purdue University received a $1.35 million grant from the United States Air Force to develop alternative fuels and test aircraft engines at a new facility. Purdue also purchased sixteen Cirrus SR-20 training aircraft, one Embraer Phenom 100 very light jet, and a Bombardier CRJ 700 simulator for their exclusive flight training program which only accepts 60 people per year.

J. Clifford Turpin, from the class of 1908, was the first Purdue graduate to become an aviator, and received flight instruction from Orville Wright. In 1919 George W. Haskins became the first alumnus to land an aircraft on campus.

In 1930 Purdue became the first university in the country to offer college credit for flight training, and later became the first university to open its own airport, the Purdue University Airport. Famed aviator Amelia Earhart came to Purdue in 1935 and served as a "Counselor on Careers for Women," a staff position she held until her disappearance in 1937. Purdue played a meaningful role in Earhart's ill-fated "Flying Laboratory" project, providing funds for the Lockheed Model 10 Electra aircraft she intended to fly around the world. Purdue's libraries maintain an extensive Earhart collection, which is still studied today by those seeking to solve the mystery of her disappearance. Purdue later named a residence hall in her honor, which is lined with Earhart pictures and articles.


At one point, Purdue University owned and operated a charter airline operation under FAR part 121 simply called "Purdue Airlines". The company had a fleet of DC-9s, and was highly successful. In fact, Hugh Hefner's famous Playboy DC-9 aircraft was leased from Purdue, and its permanent storage was at Purdue University. The aircraft, N950PB, which was informally known as 'Hare-Force One', was later leased to Ozark, then flew for Aeropostal. It was finally sold to Aeronaves de Mexico, which officially retired the aircraft 2004.


Over the past ten years, Purdue’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics has awarded more aerospace engineering degrees than any other institution in the country, issuing 6% of all undergraduate degrees and 7% of all Ph.D. degrees. These alumni have led significant advances in research and development of aerospace technology, headed major corporations and government agencies, and have established an amazing record for exploration of space.

Purdue University is also home to Air Force ROTC Detachment 220, recipient of the prestigious "Right of Line Award", which places the unit as #1 in the nation.

Campus

View of the entrance to the Engineering MallPurdue's campus is situated in the small city of West Lafayette, near the western bank of the Wabash River. State Street, which is concurrent with State Road 26, divides the northern and southern portions of campus. Academic buildings are mostly concentrated on the eastern and southern parts of campus, with residence halls to the west, and athletic facilities to the north. The Greater Lafayette Public Transportation Corporation (CityBus) operates eight campus loop bus routes on which students, faculty, and staff can ride free of charge.

Purdue Mall


Engineering FountainThe Purdue Mall is the central quad of Purdue University. It is also known as the Engineering Mall, due to its proximity to several engineering buildings. The most prominent feature of the Purdue Mall is the 38-foot (12 m)-tall concrete Engineering Fountain, and also features the Frederick L. Hovde Hall of Administration, which houses the office of the university president, France A. Córdova. The Purdue Bell Tower is located between the Purdue and Memorial Malls. The Bell Tower is considered an icon of the university and can be found on many Purdue logos and those of the cities of Lafayette and West Lafayette.

Southwest of the Purdue Mall is the Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music, one of the largest proscenium theaters in the world. Purdue's Student Concert Committee often invites famous entertainers to perform there for an audience of students, faculty, and the general public. Also near the Purdue Mall is Felix Haas Hall, which was constructed in 1909 as Memorial Gymnasium in memory of the 17 Purdue University football players, coaches, alumni, and fans who perished in the Purdue Wreck railroad accident on October 31, 1903. The structure was renovated in 1985 to house the Computer Science department. In 2006, it was renamed in honor of retired Provost Felix Haas and began to also house the Statistics department.


Memorial Mall

Purdue Memorial UnionThe Purdue Memorial Mall, located south of the Purdue Mall, is the original section of campus. A popular meeting place for students, the grassy, open Memorial Mall is surrounded by the Stewart Student Center, Stanley Coulter Hall, the Class of 1950 Lecture Hall, Recitation Building, Beverly Stone Hall, and University Hall. The Memorial Mall also features the Hello Walk. East of the Memorial Mall is the Purdue Memorial Union, Purdue's student union building, and the adjacent Union Club Hotel.

University Hall is the only building remaining from the original six-building campus. Construction began in 1871, when the building was known as "The Main Building". The building was dedicated in 1877 and the project cost $35,000 to complete. University Hall originally housed the office of the president, a chapel, and classrooms, but was remodeled in 1961 to house only the department of history and classrooms used by the School of Liberal Arts. At the request of John Purdue, he was buried in the Memorial Mall, directly across from the main entrance of University Hall.


South campusThe area south of State Street is home to Purdue's agricultural and veterinary buildings. This area also includes the Horticulture Gardens, Discovery Park, and the Purdue Airport.

West campusThe western portion of campus consists of student housing, dining, and recreation facilities. Students can play club and intramural sports at the Recreational Sports Center, the Boilermaker Aquatic Center, and the intramural playing fields in this area. Purdue's Recreational Sports Center, built in 1957, is the first building in the nation created solely to serve university student recreational needs. From January 2011 until August 2012, the building will undergo a LEED-certified expansion and renovation project to become the Student Wellness and Fitness Center.

Stadium area


Mackey ArenaMuch of the northern part of campus sits on land purchased for the university by industrialist David E. Ross and author & humorist George Ade. David Ross is one of two people buried on Purdue's campus (the other being John Purdue). Many of Purdue's athletic facilities are located there, including Ross–Ade Stadium (American football), Mackey Arena (basketball), and Lambert Fieldhouse (indoor track & field). This area also includes the Slayter Center of Performing Arts and Cary Quadrangle, one of the largest all-male housing units in the country. David Ross' grave site is in a garden atop the hill just to west of the Slayter band shell.

AcademicsUniversity rankings (overall) ARWU World 69

ARWU National 43

QS World 87

Times Higher Education 106

USNWR National University 56


Purdue offers more than 200 options for major areas of study at the West Lafayette campus alone, and a variety of options for minors. Purdue is organized into eight colleges and schools contained within larger colleges; the two exceptions are the Krannert School of Management and the School of Veterinary Medicine. These two academic units retained their "school" status during a university-wide renaming policy in 2004 and 2005 in deference to national professional school naming conventions. On July 1, 2010 the College of Health and Human Sciences was formed. The new college was created by combining existing academic units. These units include the School of Nursing, the School of Health Sciences, the College of Consumer and Family Sciences, and non-humanities majors from the College of Liberal Arts; namely psychology and hearing and speech pathology.

Colleges of Purdue University College of Agriculture

1869 College of Education

1908 College of Engineering

1876 College of Health and Human Sciences

1905 College of Liberal Arts

1953 College of Pharmacy

1884 College of Science

1907 College of Technology

1964


Engineering Schools of Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics Agricultural and Biological Engineering Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering School of Chemical Engineering School of Civil Engineering School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

School of Engineering Education School of Industrial Engineering School of Materials Engineering School of Mechanical Engineering School of Nuclear Engineering Division of Construction Engineering and Management Division of Environmental and Ecological Engineering

Other Schools of Purdue University Krannert School of Management* School of Health Sciences School of Nursing School of Veterinary Medicine*

An * indicates a school existing independently of a larger college.


FacultyThe original faculty of six in 1874 has grown to 2,563 tenured and tenure-track faculty in the Purdue Statewide System by Fall 2007 totals. The number of faculty and staff members system-wide is 18,872. The current faculty includes scholars such as Shreeram Shankar Abhyankar – known for his contributions to singularity theory, Arden L. Bement Jr. – Director of the National Science Foundation, R. Graham Cooks, Joseph Francisco, Douglas Comer, Louis de Branges de Bourcia who proved the Bieberbach conjecture, Ei-ichi Negishi, Victor Raskin, Michael Rossmann who mapped human common cold virus, Leah Jamieson, and H. Jay Melosh.

Purdue's tenured faculty comprises sixty Academic Deans, Associate Deans, and Assistant Deans; 63 Academic Department Heads; 753 Professors; 547 Associate Professors and 447 Assistant Professors. Purdue employs 892 non-tenure-track faculty, Lecturers, and Postdoctorals at its West Lafayette campus. Purdue employs another 691 tenured and 1,021 Non-Tenure Track Faculty, Lecturers, and Postdoctorals at its Regional Campuses and Statewide Technology.


Two faculty members have been awarded Nobel Prizes while at Purdue, in addition to a third laureate, Herbert C. Brown, who was a former Purdue faculty member. In all seven Nobel Prizes have been associated with Purdue including alumni, researchers, current and previous faculty.

Research


Materials Science and Electrical Engineering BuildingThe University expended $472.7 million in support of research system-wide in 2006–07, using funds received from the state and federal governments, industry, foundations, and individual donors. The faculty and more than 400 research laboratories put Purdue University among the leading research institutions. Purdue University is considered by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education to have "very high research activity". Purdue also was rated the nation's fourth best place to work in academia, according to rankings released in November 2007 by The Scientist magazine. Purdue's researchers provide insight, knowledge, assistance, and solutions in many crucial areas. These include, but are not limited to Agriculture; Business and Economy; Education; Engineering; Environment; Healthcare; Individuals, Society, Culture; Manufacturing; Science; Technology; Veterinary Medicine.


Purdue University generated a record $333.4 million in sponsored research funding during the 2007–08 fiscal year with participation from National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the U.S. departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy, and Health and Human Services.

Purdue University established the Discovery Park to bring innovation through multidisciplinary action. In all of the eleven centers of Discovery Park, ranging from entrepreneurship to energy and advanced manufacturing, research projects reflect a large economic impact and address global challenges. Purdue University's nanotechnology research program, built around the new Birck Nanotechnology Center in Discovery Park, ranks among the best in the nation.


The Purdue Research Park which opened in 1961 was developed by Purdue Research Foundation which is a private, nonprofit foundation created to assist Purdue. The park is focused on companies operating in the arenas of life sciences, homeland security, engineering, advanced manufacturing and information technology. It provides an interactive environment for experienced Purdue researchers and private business and high-tech industry. It currently employs more than 3,000 people in 155 companies, including 90 technology-based firms. The Purdue Research Park was ranked first by the Association of University Research Parks in 2004.


AdministrationThe University President, appointed by the Board of Trustees, is the chief administrative officer of the university. The office of the president oversees admission and registration, student conduct and counseling, the administration and scheduling of classes and space, the administration of student athletics and organized extracurricular activities, the libraries, the appointment of the faculty and conditions of their employment, the appointment of all non-faculty employees and the conditions of employment, the general organization of the university, and the planning and administration of the university budget.

The Board of Trustees directly appoints other major officers of the university including a provost, who serves as the chief academic officer for the university, a number of vice presidents with oversight over specific university operations, and the satellite campus chancellors.


SustainabilityPurdue's Sustainability Council, composed of University administrators and professors, meets monthly to discuss environmental issues and sustainability initiatives at Purdue. The University is currently constructing its first LEED Certified building in an addition to the Mechanical Engineering building, which is to be completed in Spring 2011. The school is also in the process of developing an arboretum on campus. In addition, a system has been set up to display live data detailing current energy production at the campus utility plant. The school holds an annual "Green Week" each fall, an effort to engage the Purdue community with issues relating to environmental sustainability.

Student lifeStudent body


Graduation CeremonyThe Purdue student body is composed primarily of students from Indiana. In 2006–07, 23,086 out of a total of 39,288 students enrolled were Indiana residents. As of 2007, the racial diversity of the undergraduate student body was 86.9% white, 5.51% Asian, 3.53% African American, and 2.75% Hispanic. Of these students, 41.2% are female. Domestic minorities constitute a total of 15.4% in the Graduate student body population of which 38.5% are female. The largest minority (six percent of the full-time student body) is international, representing 123 countries. In graduate student population, non-residents occupy an overwhelming majority, about 78%. Almost all undergraduates and about 70% of the graduate student population attend full-time. The school's selectivity for admissions is "more selective" by USNWR: approximately 70% of applicants are admitted.

Housing


Cary Quad and Spitzer Court at Purdue UniversityPurdue University operates fifteen separate residence halls for its undergraduate and graduate students, including: Cary Quadrangle, Earhart Hall, First Street Towers, Harrison Hall, Hawkins Hall, Hillenbrand Hall, Hilltop Apartments, McCutcheon Hall, Meredith Hall, Owen Hall, Purdue Village, Shreve Hall, Tarkington Hall, Wiley Hall, and Windsor Halls. Of the residence halls, Cary and Tarkington are male-only while Windsor is female-only; the remainder are coed. The newest residence hall, First Street Towers, opened in July 2009 and is exclusively for upperclassmen.

There are 12 cooperative houses at Purdue (5 men's houses and 7 women's houses). The men's houses include Circle Pines, Fairway, Marwood, Chauncey, and Gemini. The women's houses include Ann Tweedale, Glenwood, Twin Pines, Maclure, Stewart, Devonshire, and Shoemaker. All cooperative houses are governed under the Purdue Cooperative Council which is led by Purdue University students who live in these houses. The cooperative system allows for a much lower cost of living than other types of housing, as the members take an active role in sharing chores and cooking all meals themselves, as opposed to hiring out cleaning and cooking staff.

Purdue University hosts the nation's third largest Greek community, with approximately 5,000 students participating in one of the 46 men's fraternities or 29 women's sororities. Several of Purdue's most distinguished graduates are members of fraternities and sororities. Purdue's Greek system is very strong and works together in various aspects, including the Inter-Fraternity Council, Panhellenic, and many very successful philanthropies. For example, in 2010, Zeta Tau Alpha's philanthropy, Big Man On Campus (BMOC) raised over $125,000 with the help of the rest of the Greek community, all benefitting Breast Cancer awareness and research. Every Chapter has their own national philanthropy dedicated to a certain cause that many chapters also participate in. Besides philanthropy, Purdue Greeks are involved all over campus including College Mentors for Kids, Purdue University Dance Marathon, Boiler Gold Rush, Purdue Student Government and many other various activities. Purdue's Greek system is also proactively fighting the danger and risk of mass alcohol distribution, alcohol poisoning, and underage drinking. Caliber, a new organization at Purdue, is at the forefront of ensuring all Greek members are safe and abiding by the regulations put forth by the University and Student Activities Office.

MediaThe Purdue Exponent, an independent student newspaper, has the largest circulation of any Indiana college newspaper, with a daily circulation of 17,500 copies during the spring and fall semesters.

The "Movie Tribute Show with Erik Mygrant" was created in a small television studio (now known as the Erik Mygrant Studio) on campus in 1999.

WBAA is a radio station owned by Purdue University. The station operates on the AM frequency of 920 kHz and FM frequency of 101.3 MHz. Its studios are in the Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music on the Purdue campus, and the transmitters are located in Lafayette, Indiana. WBAA is the longest continuously-operating radio station in Indiana, having been licensed on April 4, 1922. WBAA airs NPR and local news/talk programming during the day. Overnight, the AM station airs jazz while the FM station airs classical music.

There are also a few student radio stations on campus. Currently, three operate from residence halls, broadcasting via internet only; WCCR from Cary Quadrangle (not to be confused with the current WCCR FM or WCCR-LP stations in other states), WILY from Wiley Hall, and WHHR from Harrison Hall. A fourth student station, the Purdue Student Radio club operates from the Purdue Memorial Union and broadcasts on low power AM in addition to internet streaming.

W9YB is the callsign of the Amateur Radio Club at Purdue University. W9YB also holds the self declared title of having one of the largest and most active collegiate amateur radio stations in the country. W9YB actively participates in emergency management for the Tippecanoe County area and maintains ready status with its members in skills to assist.

Former Purdue Football head coach, Joe TillerPurdue is home to 18 Division I/I-A NCAA teams including football, basketball, cross country, tennis, wrestling, golf, volleyball and others. Purdue is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference, and played a central role in its creation. Traditional rivals include Big Ten colleagues the Indiana Hoosiers, the Illinois Fighting Illini, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from the Big East Conference (football program independent, however).

Purdue is tied with Alabama in producing the most Super Bowl winning quarterbacks. Len Dawson (SB IV, MVP), Bob Griese (SB VII and VIII), and Drew Brees (SB XLIV, MVP).

The Boilermaker men's and women's basketball teams have won more Big Ten Championships than any other conference school, with 27 conference banners, including a league-leading 22 for the men’s team. Purdue men's basketball has an all-time winning record against all Big Ten schools.

Insignia and traditionsBoilermakers

Purdue Pete – one of the most recognized symbols of Purdue UniversityMain article: Purdue Boilermakers

The moniker for the University's athletics teams has become a popular reference for all things Purdue. A reporter first used the name in 1891 to describe the year's winning football team and quickly gained approval from students.

Mascots, logos, and colorsIn the more than 130 years since the founding of the university, several mascots have emerged in support of the Boilermaker athletic teams, including: The Boilermaker Special, Purdue Pete, and more recently, Rowdy.

The Boilermaker Special has been the official mascot of Purdue University since 1940. Designed to look like a train locomotive, the Special was originally designed to demonstrate Purdue's engineering programs and is maintained by the members of the Purdue Reamer Club.

As the unofficial mascot of Purdue Athletics, Purdue Pete is one of the most recognized symbols of Purdue University.

An 18-foot (5.5 m) statue of "The Boilermaker" was erected in 2005 across from Ross Ade Stadium.

Purdue University adopted its school colors, Old Gold and Black, in the fall of 1887. Members of Purdue's first football team in 1887 felt that the squad should be distinguished by certain colors, and since Princeton was at the time the most successful gridiron unit, its colors were considered. Though actually orange and black, the Princeton colors were known by many as yellow and black. Purdue gridders opted for old gold over yellow, kept the black, and began flying the colors that endure today.

SealThe official seal of Purdue was officially inaugurated during the University's centennial in 1969. The seal, approved by the Board of Trustees, was designed by Prof. Al Gowan, formerly at Purdue. It replaced one that had been in use for 73 years, but was never officially accepted by the board.

In medieval heraldry, a griffin symbolized strength, and Abby P. Lytle used it in her 1895 design for a Purdue seal. When Professor Gowan redesigned the seal, he retained the griffin symbol to continue identification with the older, unofficial seal. As on the older seal, the words "Purdue University" are set in the typeface Uncial. The three-part shield indicates three stated aims of the University: education, research, and service, replacing the words Science, Technology, and Agriculture on the earlier version.

Hail Purdue!

The official fight song of Purdue University, "Hail Purdue!", was composed in 1912 by alumni Edward Wotawa (music) and James Morrison (lyrics) as the "Purdue War Song". "Hail Purdue" was copyrighted in 1913 and dedicated to the Varsity Glee Club.

Grand PrixMain article: Purdue Grand Prix

This 50-mile, 160-lap go-kart race is "The Greatest Spectacle in College Racing" and wraps up Gala Week each year. All 33 participating karts are made from scratch by student teams. The event has been raising money for student scholarships since it began in 1958. It was created as a counter-part to Indiana University's more established and well known Little 500.

Old Oaken Bucket Found on a farm in southern Indiana, the oaken bucket is one of the oldest football trophies in the nation. The winner of the annual Purdue vs. Indiana University American football game gets to add a bronze "P" or "I" chain link and keep the trophy until the next face-off. Ironically, the first competition in 1925 led to a 0–0 tie, resulting in the first link on the chain being an "IP." Purdue currently leads the trophy series at 55-26-3.

Neil Armstrong Purdue alumni has achieved strong recognition in a wide range of areas, but particularly in science and industry.

Purdue is probably best known for its astronauts. All together, Purdue has produced 22 astronauts, including Gus Grissom, the first person to return to space, Neil Armstrong, the first to walk on the moon, and Eugene Cernan, the last astronaut to do so. Over one third of all of NASA's manned space missions have had at least one Purdue graduate as a crew member. These individuals have led significant advances in research and development of aerospace technology and established an amazing record for exploration of space.

In science, Purdue has also produced a trio of Nobel prize winning physicists in Edward Mills Purcell, Ben Roy Mottelson and Julian Schwinger; as well as a trio of Nobel prize winning chemists in Akira Suzuki, Herbert C. Brown and Ei-ichi Negishi. Other noted Purdue alumni in science include pioneer of robotics and remote control technology Thomas B. Sheridan and Chinese physicist Deng Jiaxian.

In business and economics, Purdue alumni include Stephen Bechtel, the billionaire owner of Bechtel Corporation, Nobel prize winning economist Vernon L. Smith, Federal Reserve Bank president Jeffrey Lacker, popcorn inventor popcorn specialist Orville Redenbacher. In 2010, Bloomberg also revealed that Purdue was one of the universities in America with the most undergraduate alumni serving as chief executive officers of Standard & Poor's 500 firms. They are Gregory Wasson, president/CEO of Walgreen Co, Richard Smith, chairman/CEO of Equifax Inc., Jeffrey Gardner, president/CEO of Windstream Corp., Mark Miller, chairman/president/CEO of Stericycle Inc, Charles Davidson, chairman/CEO of Noble Energy Inc, Roger Linquist, chairman/president/CEO of Metropcs Communications Inc, Samuel Allen, chairman /president/CEO of Deere & Co., John Martin, chairman/CEO of Gilead Sciences Inc.

In government and culture, Purdue alumni include Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, Pulitzer Prize winners Booth Tarkington and John T. McCutcheon, theater and television director Tom Moore, CEO of Rand Corporation James Thomson, founder and CEO of C-SPAN Brian Lamb, former Governor of Indiana Harry G. Leslie, former Governor of Mississippi Kirk Fordice, former Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture Earl L. Butz, former United States Senator Birch Bayh, Chinese nationalist General Sun Liren and University of Chicago president Hugo F. Sonnenschein.

In sports, Purdue has produced NCAA record-breaking basketball coaching legend John Wooden, basketball Hall of Famer Rick Mount, and NBA All-Stars Glenn Robinson, Brad Miller, Terry Dischinger and Joe Barry Carroll. Purdue has produced many quarterbacks for the NFL and Purdue quarterbacks have thrown for more yards and touchdowns in the NFL than that of any school. Purdue has the distinction of having three NFL Super Bowl MVP-winning quarterbacks in Drew Brees, Bob Griese and Len Dawson. Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman graduated from Purdue with a Bachelor's degree in vehicle structure engineering.

The Dauch Alumni Center acts as a showcase for the university's alumni and alumnae. The 67,000-square-foot (6,200 m2) center houses the offices of the Purdue Alumni Association and University Development. It is a destination and gathering area for the Purdue Alumni Association’s 68,000 members and more than 325,000 living alumni/alumnae.