|
|
|
|
| Motto |
Education, Research, Service[1] |
| Established |
1869 |
| Type |
public, land-grant,
coed |
| Academic term |
Semester |
| Endowment |
US $1.460 billion [2] |
| President |
France A. Córdova |
| Faculty |
3,000 |
| Students |
39,228 |
| Undergraduates |
30,779 |
| Postgraduates |
8,147 |
| Location |
West Lafayette, IN, USA |
| Campus |
large town: 2,474 acres (9.336 km²)
plus 15,108 acres (60.084 km²) for agricultural and industrial research[3] |
| Athletics |
18 Division I / IA NCAA teams
|
| Colors |
Old gold and Black |
| Nickname |
Boilermakers |
| Mascot |
Boilermaker Special |
| Affiliations |
Purdue University System |
| Website |
www.purdue.edu |
Purdue University is a land-grant, public university in West Lafayette, Indiana,
United States. Purdue was founded in 1869 when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, which offered public lands to any state that would establish a college for
teaching agriculture and mechanics, accepted a donation
of land and money from Lafayette businessman John
Purdue. Today, Purdue is the largest university in Indiana in terms of student
enrollment and is the flagship campus of the Purdue University
System.
Academically, Purdue is noted for its Engineering, Agriculture, Pharmacy, and Management
Schools[1][2], and particularly for its
Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering program, which is one of the most elite in the United States.[3] The university also boasts a prestigious Aviation School, ranked 1st in the nation, and noted for being the first of its kind in the country.[4] Twenty-two American astronauts are
graduates of Purdue University, including the first person to walk on the moon, Neil
Armstrong, and the last, Eugene Cernan, giving rise to Purdue's nickname, Cradle
of Astronauts.[4] Purdue
enrolls the largest international student population of any public university in the United States.[5]
History
Founding and early years
On July 2, 1862, President
Lincoln signed the Morrill Act into law, which offered public
lands to any state that would establish and maintain a college for the purpose of teaching agriculture and mechanics. In 1865,
the Indiana General Assembly took advantage of this offer, and began plans to
establish such an institution. After being denied a professorship at Indiana
University, John Purdue, a Lafayette business leader and philanthropist (buried at Purdue), sought to help establish a secondary college in the state of 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. The first female students were admitted to the university in the fall of the same year. By
1883 enrollment had increased beyond 350, and by the turn of the 20th century Purdue had begun a period of active expansion:
scholarship standards were raised, courses were expanded, and equipment was improved.
The 20th century
Aviation
One of the most interesting and unique things Purdue has to offer, as well as being well known for, is its diverse majors in
aerospace. Although the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics was not formally established
until 1945, Purdue and the greater Lafayette community have a long history in the field of aviation. It was the first university
in America to award an aviation engineering degree under the direction of the Wright brothers.[4] Since the earliest days of the University, students, faculty,
and staff have played major, and often instrumental, roles in the history of aerospace. Purdue takes pride in the fact that it
was the first school in the country to offer majors in aviation, something that countless schools offer today. Purdue is also
recognized today as the #1 flight school in the nation. In 1910, Dr. Cicero Veal, professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue, organized the Purdue Aero Club. In the summer of 1911 the club
hosted Aviation Day, the Lafayette community's first aircraft demonstration. The event, sponsored by Purdue alumni, attracted an
estimated 17,000 onlookers and enthusiasts, and was the first of many such exhibitions at Purdue.
J. Clifford Turpin, from the class of 1908, was the first Purdue graduate to become an
aviator, and received flight instruction from Orville Wright himself.[4] In 1919 George
W. Haskins became the first alumnus to land an aircraft on campus. He arrived from Dayton,
Ohio with a proposal to establish a School of Aviation Engineering at Purdue. Although it would be several years before a
separate school would be established, Purdue did begin offering technical electives in aeronautical engineering within the School of Mechanical Engineering in 1921.
Amelia Earhart with her Lockheed L-10 Electra.
In 1930 Purdue became the first university in the country to offer college credit for flight training, and later became the
first to open its own 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 L-10 Electra aircraft she intended to fly around
the world. Purdue libraries maintain an extensive Earhart collection, which is still studied by those seeking to solve the
mystery of her disappearance.
As a result of the expansion in technical education prompted by World War II, the
aeronautical engineering electives in mechanical engineering were expanded to create a full four-year degree program in 1941
within the newly-rechristened School of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering. Later, other training programs for the war were
introduced that eventually lead to the formation of an independent School of Aeronautics in 1945. The school initially offered
undergraduate degrees in both aeronautical engineering and the new field of air transportation, and issued its first graduate
degrees in 1947. The programs were popular among returning veterans in the years following World War II, bringing total
undergraduate enrollment to 736 students. The school adopted its present name in 1973.
Today, Purdue University's Aviation Flight Technology Program is one of the best nationwide. [6] Annually, only 60 students are admitted into this exclusive and selective
program. Together with Southern Illinois University, University of North Dakota, Western Michigan
University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, these
five universities are world leaders in providing flight training.
Purdue is also one out of fourteen secondary-level education institutions in the United States that participates in the
Federal Aviation Administration's CTI (Collegiate Training Initiative)
program. Graduates of Purdue's CTI program are recommended to join the Federal
Aviation Administration's air traffic controller workforce.
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.
Academics
Historically, Purdue University's strengths have been its Agriculture, Engineering and Science programs. Purdue has additional
strengths throughout other colleges and schools. Purdue is organized into 8 colleges and 14 schools.
Departments
The Landscape Architecture Design undergraduate program ranks 2nd in the nation by DesignIntelligence.[7]
College of Consumer and Family Sciences
Departments
- Child Development and Family Studies
- Consumer Sciences and Retailing
- Foods and Nutrition
- Hospitality and Tourism Management
The Hospitality and Tourism Management program ranks 1st in the nation by the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism
Education.
The Consumer Sciences and Retailing department offers Apparel Design and Technology, Retail Management, and Selling and Sales
management fields of study.
College of Education
Departments
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Educational Studies
College of Engineering
Schools
- Aeronautics and Astronautics
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Industrial Engineering
- Materials Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Nuclear Engineering
Departments
- Agricultural & Biological Engineering
- Engineering Education
- Engineering Professional Education
Division
- Construction Engineering & Management
- Ranks 5th in the nation by employers, according to US News & World
Report.[8]
- Ranks 6th overall by US News & World Report.
- The Agricultural and Biological Engineering program was ranked 1nd in the nation by US News & World Report.
- The School of Aeronautics/Astronautics ranks 4th by US News & World Report.
- The School of Industrial Engineering was ranked 2nd by US News & World Report.
- The School of Nuclear Engineering ranks 5th by US News & World Report.
- The School of Civil Engineering ranks 8th by US News & World Report.
- The School of Mechanical Engineering ranks 8th by US News & World Report.
- The Computer Engineering Program ranks 10th by US News & World Report.
- The Electrical Engineering Program ranks 10th by US News & World Report.
- Also known as the "Cradle of Astronauts", Purdue has graduated 22 astronauts, including the first and last astronauts to have
walked on the moon. The only other non-military institution that has more alumni who have become astronauts is MIT.[9]
College of Liberal Arts
Departments
- Communication
- English
- Foreign Languages and Literatures
- Health and Kinesiology
- History
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Psychological Sciences
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
- Visual and Performing Arts
The Krannert School of Management offers undergraduate degrees in Accounting, Economics, Industrial Management, and
Management. Krannert's graduate degree offerings include full-time MBA, Master of Science in Human Resource Management, Master of
Science in Industrial Administration, and doctoral degrees in Economics, Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management,
and Ph.D. in Management with possible concentrations in Accounting, Finance, Marketing, MIS, Operations Management, Quantitative
Methods, and Strategic Management. Krannerts's undergraduate and professional degree programs are consistently being ranked among
the best 25 business programs nationwide by various measures and is also consistently ranked as one of the top 10 business
programs among public universities:
- Undergraduate Program
- 18th nationally (US News & World Report)
- 2nd in Production/Operations Management
- 3rd in Quantitative Analysis/Methods
- 7th in Supply Chain Management/Logistics
- 14th in Management Information Systems
- 18th in Finance
- Master's Program
- 21st nationally (US News & World Report and Business Week)
- Most Improved School, Business Week
- 1st Regionally, Wall Street Journal
- 2nd Production/Operations Management, US News & World Report
- 3rd Energy/Industrial Products Industry, Wall Street Journal
- 7th Supply Chains/Logistics, US News & World Report
- 7th Best Public School, US News & World Report
- 8th Information Technology, Wall Street Journal
- 21st Finance, US News & World Report
- Executive Master's Program
- 16th nationally (US News & World Report)
- 16th best degree program, Financial Times
- 18th best degree program worldwide, Business Week
- Doctoral Programs
- 25th worldwide (January 2007 Financial Times ranking, based on the number of graduates accepting a faculty position at one
of the top 50 MBA schools.[1])
- 27th worldwide (The UTD top 100 North American Rankings of Business Schools based on Research Contribution
2002-2006[2])
- Subdiscipine rankings:
- Economics
- 36th nationally (US News & World Report, 2005 ranking)
- 36th nationally (1995 National Research Council report)
- Finance
- 23rd nationally (ASU ranking, based on finance article count from 1990 to 2006[3])
College of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health Sciences
Schools
- Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Nursing
- Health Sciences
- The doctoral program in Pharmacy ranks 4th in the nation by US News & World Report.[10]
College of Science
Departments
- Biological Sciences
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Statistics
The Department of Chemistry ranks 22nd in the nation.
The Analytical Chemistry graduate program ranks 2nd in the nation.[11]
The Statistics graduate program ranks 11th in the nation.[12]
The birthplace of the nation’s first academic program in Computer Science in 1962.[13]
The Department of Computer Science ranks 18th in the nation.
The Systems graduate program ranks 16th in the nation.
Purdue and Indiana University created the first supercomputer
network in the nation to tie together university-owned computers with a combined peak capacity of more than one teraflop.[14]
The Department of Mathematics ranks 26th in the nation.
The Analysis graduate program ranks 17th in the nation.
Particularly highly-ranked specialities not covered in rankings surveys are Structural Biology and Information Security.
The Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS), which is overseen by the College of
Science, involves faculty from six colleges and over 20 departments at Purdue.
Departments
- Aviation Technology (See also Purdue University Airport)
- Building and Construction Management
- Computer Graphics Technology
- Computer and Information Technology
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology
- Industrial Technology
- Mechanical Engineering Technology
- Organizational Leadership and Supervision
Tied for first in the total number of engineering technology degrees awarded.[15]
Purdue awards more engineering technology degrees to women than any other university or college in the country.[16]
The Technology Education program, offered jointly with the College of Education, ranks first in the nation.[17]
School of Veterinary Medicine
Departments
- Comparative Pathobiology (renamed in 2007, formerly known as Veterinary Pathobiology)
- Basic Medical Sciences
- Veterinary Clinical Sciences.
Athletics
- See also: Purdue
Boilermakers
Purdue 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). The Boilermakers battle the Hoosiers on the football field each
year to win the Old Oaken Bucket. Purdue leads the series, first played in 1925,
66-35-6.
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 21 for the men’s team. The current coach of the Boilermaker men's basketball
team is Matt Painter. Men’s former head coach Gene
Keady coached his final season with the Boilermakers in the 2004 – 2005 season after 25 years with the Boilermakers. Coach
Keady became Purdue's all-time-winningest coach on December 6, 1997. In his years at Purdue, Keady led the Boilermakers to more than 500 victories. Coach Keady had the honor of
being named in The Sporting News as the best college coach never to make the final
four.
The Boilermaker football team, after suffering a string of disappointing seasons in the late 1980s and early 1990s, has
enjoyed a significant resurgence under the leadership of head coach Joe Tiller. Before Tiller
joined the Boilers as the 33rd head coach in 1996, the team had not seen a bowl game since 1984. The team has made a bowl
appearance every year of Tiller’s leadership except in 2005. After his first season at Purdue, Tiller was named National Coach of
the Year by both Football News and Kickoff magazines, the GTE Region 3 Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association and the Big Ten Dave McClain Coach of the
Year.
Future UCLA basketball coach John Wooden played his college basketball at Purdue and was the captain of Purdue's 1932 17-1
team that was named Helms Athletic Foundation National Champions.
Traditions and legends
Boilermakers
-
Since the 1890s, the term "Boilermaker" has been synonymous with Purdue. Over the years, the name has been applied to Purdue
organizations (athletic and otherwise), institutions, and individuals alike, and has come to be the unofficial nickname for all
things Purdue, although Boilermaker is the official moniker of the athletics teams and certain other university
organizations.
The name that has become such a big part of the identity of the university has its origins in the words of a nineteenth century sportswriter. In 1891, the Purdue football
team was first referred to as the "Boiler Makers" by a reporter from Crawfordsville,
Indiana, who wrote about the team’s 44-0 victory over local rival Wabash College.
Soon afterward, Lafayette newspapers were using the name, and in 1892 the student newspaper announced its approval of the
'boilermaker'. Before the widespread adoption of "Boilermaker," Purdue was also sometimes referred to as the home of the
"haymakers," the "rail-splitters," the "sluggers," ( because of the school's strong boxing heritage) or the "cornfield
sailors."
Mascots, logos, and colors
In 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. Purdue is unique in that it has a separate mascot for the university and athletics.
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.
The latest generation of the mascot, the Boilermaker Special V, was assembled by Wabash National, a local semi-trailer
manufacturing company, and was dedicated during the halftime show of the 1993 football game versus Notre Dame at Purdue's Ross-Ade Stadium. A smaller
version of the Special, the X-Tra special is built on a golf cart chassis and attends indoor events such as basketball and
volleyball games.
As the official mascot of Purdue Athletics, Purdue Pete is one of the most recognized symbols of Purdue University. Pete was
originally developed in 1940 as an advertising logo for the University Bookstore. Eventually, the popularity of the image grew
among the Purdue community, and the advertisement evolved into a full character, complete with costume and mallet. By 1956 Purdue
Pete was at the center of activity at Boilermaker athletic events, as entertainer and energizer. Purdue's newest symbol, Rowdy,
was introduced in 1997 during the first home football game of the season. The inflatable mascot, made of parachute material,
stands nearly 10 feet (3 meters) tall, and represents a young boy who hopes to become a Purdue Boilermaker.
The official seal of Purdue University.
In 1969 the Purdue University Board of Trustees approved the official seal of Purdue as part of the university’s
centennial celebration. The seal, designed by Purdue professor Al Gowan, replaced one that
had been used informally for more than 70 years. The seal features a stylized griffin, which in medieval heraldry symbolizes strength. The words 'Purdue University' are set in Uncial typeface above the griffin, and below the three-part shield represents the three stated aims of the
university: education, research, and service. The seal is generally reserved for more formal usage than the logos of the
Boilermaker Special, or Purdue Pete, although the Seal of the Trustees, a different seal composed of a stylized P surrounded by a
circle, appears on diplomas. Purdue Marketing
Communications publishes a Standards Manual for internal logo and color use.
Purdue University adopted its school colors, Old Gold and Black, in the fall of 1887. The
distinctive colors were inspired by the brass and iron found on the steam engine Lafayette that passed through the
state.
School songs
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. The lyrics of the first verse & refrain are:
Verse 1
- To your call once more we rally
- Alma Mater hear our praise
- Where the Wabash spreads its valley
- Filled with joy our voices raise
- From the sky in swelling echoes
- Comes the cheers that tell the tale
- Of your vict'ries and your heroes
- Hail Purdue! We sing all hail!
Refrain
- Hail, hail to old Purdue!
- All hail to our old gold and black!
- Hail, hail to old Purdue!
- Our friendship may she never lack,
- Ever grateful ever true,
- Thus we raise our song anew,
- Of the days we've spent with you,
- All hail our own Purdue.
In 1993 the Purdue Board of Trustees approved the "Purdue Hymn" as the official alma mater
of the university. The lyrics and music were written by Alfred Kirchhoff in 1941. The University
Choir first performed the hymn in 1943, during convocation in the Edward C.
Elliott Hall of Music. The lyrics are as follows:
- Close by the Wabash in famed Hoosier land
- Stands old Purdue, serene and grand.
- Cherished in memory by all
- Her sons and daughters true,
- Fair alma mater,
- All hail Purdue! Fairest in all the land,
- Our own Purdue!
- Fairest in all the land, our own Purdue!
Legends
A view over Purdue's Memorial Mall in West Lafayette during the University's annual Spring Fest open-house.
Like many institutions with long and rich histories, Purdue University is steeped in legend. Many of these legends are so
outlandish, it is difficult to believe they are still in circulation. Below is a selection of the most popular legends.
- A legend connected with benefactor John Purdue asserts that he owned the local
brickyard, and that his donation carried the stipulation that all permanent university buildings must be built of red brick or
his entire gift reverts to Purdue's heirs. This claim cannot be substantiated, and it is apparently contradicted by two
university buildings: Krannert and Rawls halls, made of limestone. But this does not deter the
story tellers, who claim that there is one solitary brick lying somewhere inside the buildings in keeping with the "red brick"
tradition.
- One of the more bizarre, yet most commonly heard, legends on campus concerns the integrity of the Purdue Bell Tower. The legend claims that when construction of the tower was completed in 1995 it was
discovered that the tower was structurally flawed, and as a result the bells could not ring without risking collapse. Project
leaders supposedly had a speaker system installed to imitate the sound of ringing bells. However, inside the modern Bell Tower
are a computerized carillon, and an electronic clock. In fact, the new tower includes bells
from the original Bell Tower, which was demolished in 1956. Also of note in regards to the bell tower is that the clock face on
all four sides bears the roman numeral for the number four as IIII, which, although common on
clockfaces, is not as well known as IV.
- At one point 23rd US President Benjamin Harrison had been on a board of advisors. Somewhere there exists a picture of him
leaning against University Hall.
- There are also a number of legends that periodically circulate on campus that involve benefactor John Purdue’s grave, which
is located on campus per his final requests. The legends range from silly to macabre and many involve students from rival
Indiana University participating in grave robbing and other acts of
desecration.
- In the 1980s, and perhaps at other times as well, a legend circulated that John Purdue won the naming rights in a bet with
Amos Heavilon, and as a result the university was named after Purdue and its main building after Heavilon. This story is a myth
and is contradicted by the fact that Amos Heavilon's gift was made in 1892, long after the university's establishment in
1869.
- According to some stories there is a nuclear reactor underground, which powers the entire campus. The reactor is supposedly
cooled by the Engineering Fountain. In fact, there is a nuclear reactor, but it is in Duncan Annex to the Electrical Engineering
Building. While designed to generate up to 10 kW, it only ever is allowed to generate 1
kW. This is comparable to the amount of energy it would take to run a hair dryer or toaster. Were it to be left on at maximum
capacity, within 24 hours the water that it is surrounded by would raise its temperature by about 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.5 °C).
There is, however, a particle accelerator several stories below ground in the Physics Building, and does extend under the walkway
between the Physics and Materials Science and Electrical Engineering Buildings.
- Another legend was of John Purdue's finger. A series of smokestacks on top of a building were arranged in such a way that it
looked like an upraised finger was being shown in the general direction of Indiana University. In recent years due to renovation, this has been removed.
- Another legend purports to offer an explanation of the Boilermaker moniker. The legend tells of two Purdue football coaches
that would not accept the scrawny volunteers that came out for the team. According to the legend, the coaches gathered a number
of boilermakers from the nearby Monon Railroad
Shops, enrolled them in one class each, and added them to the team. This story is chronologically impossible, however, as the
Monon Shops were not yet established in Lafayette at the time the "Boilermaker" nickname originated. For a factual account of the
nickname origins, see Purdue Boilermakers.
- The Hall of Music was allegedly named after President Elliott because he was an unlikable
person known for his dislike of music.
- John Purdue stipulated that no building built on campus may rise higher than University Hall, the first building on campus.
According to this story, architects have to sidestep this rule by employing creative tactics, such as elevating the Mathematical
Sciences Building on concrete "stilts", in such a manner that it is not a building, but a bridge. Another supposed method was to
allocate the upper floors of Beering Hall of Liberal Arts a different ZIP Code from the rest of
the building.
- Another version of the preceding legend says that John Purdue required that no building was allowed to be taller than the top
of the (former) Purdue Smokestack. This version of the legend went on to claim that the official, on paper name of the
Mathematical Sciences Building was, by virtue of its manner of construction, the Mathematical Sciences Arch (or, more
often, simply the Math Arch), thereby making it 'not officially a building.'
- In a somewhat joking urban legend shared with similar ones at many other universities,
especially many older ones, the limestone lion fountain at the southeast corner of Stanley Coulter Hall (the northeast corner of
John Purdue Memorial Mall) is said to roar when a virgin drinks from the fountain.
Leadership
Board of trustees
When Purdue University was established in 1869, the Indiana General Assembly
created a Board of Trustees having, by law, full governance and control of the university. The laws
of the state of Indiana require that the trustees: provide a
seal, have power to appoint and remove all professors and teachers, regulate faculty and staff compensations, do anything
necessary and expedient to put and keep the university in operation, and make all bylaws, rules, and regulations necessary to
conduct and manage the university. The authority and responsibility of the Board of Trustees can be changed only by legislative
acts of the Indiana General Assembly. The Board of Trustees consists of ten members (including one student of the university), as
appointed by the governor of Indiana. Each member serves for a term of
three years, except the student member who serves for two years. Current board members as of January 2007 include:
Administration
President France A. Córdova, appointed by the Board of Trustees on May 7, 2007, is the chief administrative officer of the university. She is
responsible for organizing and establishing the administrative staff of the university not otherwise established by the trustees,
and delegating to each administrative office with appropriate duties and responsibilities. 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.
Martin C. Jischke stepped down as University President on June 30, 2007. Jischke's 2006 salary of $480,950 and $400,000 bonus resulted in a
$880,950 compensation package, surpassed among United States public university presidents only by David Roselle of the
University of Delaware.[18]
Presidents
- Richard Owen, 1872-1874
- Abraham C. Shortridge, 1874-1875
- John S. Hougham, acting president, 1876
- Emerson E. White, 1876-1883
- James Henry Smart, 1883-1900
- Winthrop E. Stone, 1900-1921
- Henry W. Marshall, acting president, 1921-1922
- Edward C. Elliott, 1922-1945
- Andrey A. Potter, acting president, 1945-1946
- Frederick L. Hovde, 1946-1971
- Arthur G. Hansen, 1971-1982
- John W. Hicks, acting president, 1982-1983
- Steven C. Beering, 1983-2000
- Martin C. Jischke, 2000-2007
- France A. Córdova, 2007-present
Student life
Residence halls
Purdue University operates fifteen separate residence halls for its undergraduate and
graduate students, including: Cary Quadrangle, Earhart Hall, Harrison Hall, Hawkins Hall, Hillenbrand Hall, Hilltop Apartments,
McCutcheon Hall, Meredith Hall, Owen Hall, Purdue Village, Shreve Hall, Tarkington Hall, Wiley Hall, Windsor Halls, and Young
Hall.
- See also: Purdue Housing
Choices
Cooperative housing
There are 12 cooperative houses at Purdue (5 men's houses and 7 women's houses). The
cooperative system claims that it 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.
- See also: Purdue Cooperative
Housing
Greek community
Purdue University hosts the nation's third largest Greek community, with
approximately 5,000 students participating in one of the 47 men's fraternities or 27 women's sororities. Purdue fraternities and
sororities are regularly recognized by their national offices and the community as a whole has received numerous awards from both
the National Interfraternity Conference and National Pan-Hellenic Council.
Notable alumni and staff
-
Purdue University has long been associated with accomplished and distinguished students and faculty. Purdue alumni have headed
corporations, held federal offices, founded television networks, and flown through space. Purdue’s distinguished faculty have won
Nobel prizes, solved long-standing riddles in science, headed government agencies, and
received countless awards.
Purdue alumni have an especially strong relationship with NASA and the space program. All
together, Purdue has produced 22 astronauts, including the first and last men to walk on the moon. Over one third of all of
NASA's manned space missions have had at least one Purdue graduate as a crew member. These alumni have led significant advances
in research and development of aerospace technology and established an amazing record for exploration of space.
Campus
Engineering Mall
The Engineering Mall at Purdue University
-
Main article: Engineering Mall
The Engineering Mall is the main, central quad area of Purdue University.
The three most prominent features of the Engineering Mall are the Purdue Bell
Tower, the Engineering Fountain, and the Frederick L. Hovde Hall of
Administration.
Bell Tower
-
The Purdue Bell Tower was constructed in 1995, at Purdue University, through a gift from the class of 1948. It is considered
an icon of the university and can be found on many Purdue logos and those of the cities of
West Lafayette, Indiana and Lafayette,
Indiana.
The current Bell Tower's inspiration comes from the bell tower that was part of the old Heavilon Hall, demolished in 1956. The
new tower stands 160 feet tall, and like the original, has a clock on each of four faces. The bells from the original tower hang
at the top of the current tower, and a computerized carillon now marks every half hour and also
plays Purdue's fight songs and the alma mater. There is
also a time capsule located at the base of the tower that is to be opened in 2095.
Engineering Fountain
The Engineering Fountain at Purdue
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The Engineering Fountain is centrally located in the Engineering Mall at Purdue University. Designed by Robert Youngman, the
fountain was a gift from the class of 1939. The fountain was dedicated in 1989.
The fountain stands 38 feet tall and is made of 228 tons of concrete. It jets 588 gallons of water per minute into the air.
Colored lights illuminate the water during the evening.
Originally built with an open jet shooting straight up into the air, students soon made the tradition of running through the fountain on warm days. Due to potential injuries, the University placed a
mirrored cylinder around the jet.
Memorial Mall
The Purdue Memorial Mall is located south of the Engineering Mall and is generally considered
the older part of campus. A popular meeting place for students, the Memorial Mall contains the Stewart Student Center, University
Hall (the oldest building on campus), and John Purdue's gravesite.
University Hall
University Hall from the Memorial Mall
University Hall is the only building remaining from the original six-building campus. Construction began in 1871, where the
building was known as "The Main Building". In 1874, the construction site was moved from the original location (where Smith Hall
currently stands), to just north of that. 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.
At the request of John Purdue, he was buried in the Memorial Mall, directly across from
the main entrance of University Hall.
Cary Quadrangle
Cary Quadrangle South Building looking North
First known as Cary Hall, Cary Quadrangle opened in 1928 as a men's dormitory, a function it has maintained ever since. The
facility was funded with donations by Franklin Masten Cary, a local philanthropist, and named in honor of his son, Franklin
Levering Cary, who died in 1912 at the age of 19.
As the University grew, so did the need for housing. Cary Quadrangle now has five buildings (south, east, west, northeast, and
northwest), surrounding an open courtyard. In addition, the south building contains the Cary Knight Spot Grill, which re-opened
at the beginning of the 2006-2007 academic year after extensive renovations.
Considered the "flagship" of Purdue University residences, Cary Quadrangle is still one of the largest all-male housing units
in the country. In 2000, Cary Quadrangle began a $43.5 Million renovation plan.
Cary Quad was the location of the annual Nude Olympics before the tradition died down.
Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music
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The Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music is located on the Purdue University campus in West Lafayette, Indiana. With a seating capacity of
6,025, it is one of the largest proscenium theaters in the
world. The facility is named after Edward C. Elliott (1874-1960), who served as President of
Purdue University from 1922-1945.
Slayter Center of Performing Arts
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The Slayter Center of Performing Arts is an outdoor concert bandshell located on the main campus of Purdue University,
completed in 1964 and dedicated May 1, 1965. The facility was a gift
from Games Slayter and his wife Marie.
The natural amphitheater created by "Slayter Hill" can hold an estimated 20,000 people.
Architect Joseph Baker used Stonehenge in England as a basis
for the concept of Slayter Center. The 200-ton concrete roof is suspended from a tall steel tripod by stainless steel cables. The
stage can seat a 100+ player orchestra. Below the stage are a rehearsal room, dressing rooms and storage facilities. "Slayter
Hill" is also more popularly used in the winter time as a large sledding hill for students when it snows.
Mackey Arena
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Mackey Arena is a 14,123-seat multi-purpose arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. The arena opened in 1967. It is home to the Purdue Boilermakers basketball team. It is named after Purdue
alumnus and long time athletic director Guy "Red" Mackey.
Ross-Ade Stadium
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Ross-Ade Stadium is a stadium primarily used for American
football, and is the home field of the Purdue Boilermakers. The stadium is named for David E.
Ross and George Ade, the principal benefactors.
Ross-Ade Stadium opened on November 22, 1924 with a
seating capacity of 13,500 and standing room for an additional 5,000 people. A series
of additions and renovations pushed the seating capacity to 70,000. In 2001 Purdue began a massive $70 million dollar renovation,
which led to a reduced seating capacity of 62,500.
Horticulture Gardens
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The Purdue University Horticulture Gardens (0.5 acres) are botanical gardens located
on the Purdue University campus, adjacent to the Horticulture Building at 625 Agriculture Mall Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana. They are open to the public year-round, seven days a week.
Established in 1982, the gardens now display a wide diversity of plants, including nearly 200 species of perennial flowers and
foliage plants, and over 300 cultivars of annual flowers and garden vegetables. Collections include peonies, daylilies, hosta, spring-flowering bulbs,
and ornamental grasses.
Engineering Projects In Community Service
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Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) was founded in 1995 at Purdue University by Professors Edward Coyle and Leah Jameson as a solution to two problems. First, many
engineering graduates lacked real world skills need for project management, such as budgeting and scheduling. Second, many
non-profit organizations did not have funding for needed professional engineering services to design displays and exhibits or
keep relevant databases. The solution was to use the skills of undergraduate students through the curriculum to provide services
to local non-profit organizations.
Black Cultural Center
Formed in 1964 as a place for the rare black student on the Purdue campus to meet, bond and study in a group setting, the
Black Cultural Center has grown to many times its original size and mission. Today, the BCC is a place for African American
students to learn their heritage, and also a place that provides cross-cultural exchanges and cultural diversity for the entire
campus and the surrounding community.
The BCC houses a library and a computer lab. It sponsors several performing arts ensembles, including the Black Voices of
Inspiration, Haraka Writers, Jahari Dance Troupe, and New Directional Players. These groups are led by professional
artists-in-residence.
WBAA
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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.
W9YB
W9YB is the callsign of the Amateur Radio Club at
Purdue University. W9YB was granted the callsign 9YB initially, but was reassigned W9YB when
it was mandated that all stations east of the Mississippi River were to be prefixed
with a W. 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. W9YB maintains four repeaters in the area, on 6 meter, 2 meter, 1.25 meter, and 70 centimeter
bands.[19]
Gallery
Miscellany
- Purdue University's Homeland Security Institute has initiated
partnerships with other universities, local and state agencies, and businesses. Dennis Engi,
professor and head of industrial engineering, directed the Homeland Security Institute in its formative stages. The current
director Alok R. Chaturvedi is responsible for the Institute developing responses to
threats in Indiana, nationally and internationally.[1]
- The Purdue Exponent, the independent student newspaper, has the largest circulation
of any Indiana college newspaper, with a daily circulation of 18,000 copies during the spring and fall semesters.
- John Purdue - founding benefactor of Purdue
University; founder Lafayette Agricultural Works and the Purdue Block, Lafayette, Indiana; Tippecanoe County, Indiana,
founder. [4],
[5]
- John Purdue's gravesite is located on the western end of the Memorial Mall. Though
numerous urban legends tell stories of grave robbing, it is almost certain that he is still buried in that spot.
- Purdue Research Park
- Located off campus, it is the largest certified technology park in Indiana home to over 140 companies.[2]
- The Purdue Research Park was ranked first by the Association of University Research Parks in 2004.[3]
- Ranked the Nation's top business acceleration program by University Business in 2003. [4]
- Discovery Park
- Purdue's endeavor to form a multi-disciplinary park for research includes centers for nanotechnology, e-enterprise,
entrepreneurship, bioscience, oncology studies, cyberinfastructure, and energy.
- Purdue Collective of Installation Artists - founded in 2006 and has received national media
coverage.
External links
Notes and references
- Communications Standards and Licensing. Purdue University: Purdue Marketing Communications.
Retrieved on 2006-01-16.
- America's Best Colleges 2008. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved on 2007-09-21.
- Data Digest West Lafayette
2006-2007 > Facilities > Land and Facilities. Purdue University. Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
