See also Purdue University System.
| File:Purdueseal.gif | |
| Motto | Education, Research, Service[1] |
|---|---|
| Type | public, land grant |
| Established | 1869 |
| Endowment | $1,184 million[2] |
| President | Martin C. Jischke |
Academic staff | 2,968 |
| Students | 38,926 |
| Undergraduates | 30,779 |
| Postgraduates | 8,147 |
| Location | , , |
| Campus | large town: 2,307 acres (9.336 km²) plus 14,847 acres (60.084 km²) for agricultural and industrial research[3] |
| Athletics | |
| Colors | Old Gold and Black |
| Nickname | Boilermakers |
| Mascot | Boilermaker Special |
| Website | www.purdue.edu |
Purdue University is a public land-grant university whose primary campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana on the bluffs above the Wabash River. This main campus in West Lafayette anchors the Purdue University System statewide, which is comprised of regional campuses, satellite technology-training centers, and county agricultural extension offices.
The main campus is particularly noted for its engineering, agriculture, business administration, landscape architecture and hospitality management programs, which are consistently counted among the best. The campus is well-known for important and groundbreaking contributions in strategic areas. Particularly notable among its numerous research facilities and centers are Discovery Park, the home to its several interdisciplinary programs, and the non-academic Purdue Research Park. Purdue is also home to the state of Indiana's school of veterinary medicine. The main campus has a consistent enrollment of over 30,000 undergraduate students and of nearly 8,000 graduate students.
History
Founding and early years
On July 2nd of 1862, President Lincoln signed the Morrill Act into law, offering 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. The state of Indiana received a gift of $150,000 from John Purdue, a Lafayette business leader and philanthropist (buried at Purdue), along with $50,000 from Tippecanoe County, and 150 acres (0.6 km²) of land from Lafayette residents in support of the project. In 1869, it was decided that the college would be founded near the city of Lafayette and established 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’s 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 twentieth century Purdue had begun a period of active expansion: scholarship standards were raised, courses were expanded, and equipment was improved.
Aviation
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. Since the earliest days of the University, students, faculty, and staff have played major, and often instrumental, roles in the history of aerospace.
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. 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.
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 also played a central 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. Earhart began her fateful transoceanic flight from the Purdue University Airport. 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.
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
Strengths
Purdue University's traditional strengths have been in its world-renowned agriculture and engineering programs. Many of the university's other schools have gained repute over the years.
- Purdue University's hospitality and tourism management undergraduate program has been ranked No. 1 nationally by a survey published in the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education.
- Krannert School of Management ranks 8th among public universities according to Business Week.
- Krannert School of Management's MBA was ranked 1st by regional corporate recruiters in the Wall Street Journal[1].
- Purdue's College of Science is ranked 16th in the nation overall.
- Purdue's analytical chemistry program ranks 2nd in the nation.
- Purdue's College of Engineering ranks 5th in the nation by US News & World Report.
- Purdue's industrial/manufacturing program ranks 2nd in the nation.
- Purdue's landscape architecture design program ranks 2nd in the nation.
- Purdue's Agricultural and Biological Engineering program was ranked 2nd in the nation by US News & World Report.
- The School of Industrial Engineering was ranked 4th by US News & World Report.
- Purdue's School of Aeronautics/Astronautics ranks 4th by US News & World Report.
- Purdue's School of Nuclear Engineering ranks 5th by US News & World Report.
- Purdue's Computer Engineering Program ranks 10th by US News & World Report.
- Purdue's School of Civil Engineering ranks 8th by US News & World Report.
- Purdue University's doctoral program in Pharmacy ranks 4th in the nation by US News & World Report (2006).
- Purdue's College of Technology is the largest producer of engineering technology graduates among public universities in the United States. Its technology education program ranks first in the nation[2].
- Purdue was the birthplace of the nation’s first academic program in computer science in 1962[3].
- Although not academic, Purdue's research park was ranked first by the Association of University Research Parks in 2004[4].
- Purdue and Indiana University rigged up the first supercomputer network in the nation to tie together university-owned computers with a combined peak capacity of more than one teraflop.
- Also known as the "Cradle of Astronauts", Purdue has graduated 22 astronauts. The only other non-military institution that has more alumni who have become astronauts is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). These graduates include the first, and the last astronauts to have walked on the moon.
Colleges and Schools
Purdue University is academically organized into eight colleges and 14 schools:
- College of Agriculture
- containing the Departments of: Agricultural and Biological Engineering • Agricultural Economics • Agronomy • Animal Sciences • Biochemistry • Botany and Plant Pathology • Entomology • Food Science • Forestry and Natural Resources • Horticulture and Landscape Architecture • Youth Development and Agricultural Education
- College of Consumer and Family Sciences
- containing the Departments of: Child Development and Family Studies • Consumer Sciences and Retailing • Foods and Nutrition • Hospitality and Tourism Management
- College of Education
- containing the Departments of: Curriculum and Instruction • Educational Studies
- College of Engineering
- containing the Schools of: Aeronautics and Astronautics • Biomedical Engineering • Chemical Engineering • Civil Engineering • Electrical and Computer Engineering • Industrial Engineering • Materials Engineering • Mechanical Engineering • Nuclear Engineering
- containing the Departments of: Agricultural & Biological Engineering • Engineering Education • Engineering Professional Education
- containing the Division of: Construction Engineering & Management
- College of Liberal Arts
- containing the Departments of: 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
- School of Management
- College of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health Sciences
- containing the Schools of: Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences • Nursing • Health Sciences
- College of Science
- containing the Departments of: Biological Sciences • Chemistry • Computer Science • Earth and Atmospheric Sciences • Mathematics • Physics • Statistics
- College of Technology
- containing the Departments of: Aviation Technology • 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
- School of Veterinary Medicine
- containing the Departments of: 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 and 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, once a minor player in the conference, has enjoyed a significant resurgence in recent years 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 a streak of 8 straight appearances. 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.
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," 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.
The Boilermaker Special, a locomotive, has been the official mascot of Purdue athletics since 1940. The latest generation of the mascot, the Boilermaker Special V, was dedicated during the halftime show of the 1993 football game versus Notre Dame at Purdue's Ross-Ade Stadium.
Though not the official mascot, 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. As a matter of tradition, the modern mallet-wielding Boilermaker character always appears in a #1 jersey. 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.
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 University adopted its school colors, Old Gold and Black, in the fall of 1887. The distinctive colors were inspired by those of Princeton University, at the time the leader in college football, whose colors were black and orange.
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 refrain are:
- 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
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. Although this claim cannot be substantiated, it is apparently contradicted by two university buildings: Krannert and Rawls halls. Although both buildings on the West Lafayette campus are made of limestone, both had brick included in their foundations in keeping with the "red brick" tradition. It is of interest to note that these buildings are considered "off-campus" by many of the students, due to their location in an area which is surrounded primarily by local business.
- 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.
- 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.
- According to some stories there is a nuclear reactor underground, which powers the entire campus. The reactor is cooled by the Engineering fountain. This has some semblance of truth. There is a nuclear reactor, but it is in Duncan Annex. It generates a small amount of energy, comparable to the amount of energy 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). A particle accelerator is underground in the physics building, and does extend into the general vicinity of the fountain.
- 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 rennovation, 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 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. To sidestep this rule, architects have employed a number of creative tactics, such as elevating the Mathematical Sciences Building on concrete "stilts" so that the inhabitable part of the building is not taller than University Hall, and allocating the upper floors of Beering Hall of Liberal Arts a different ZIP Code from the rest of the building.
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 include:
- J. Timothy McGinley, Chairman, of Indianapolis, Indiana
- John D. Hardin, Vice Chairman, of Danville, Indiana
- Michael J. Birck, of Hinsdale, Illinois
- Rachel Cumberbatch, of Lebanon, Indiana
- Barbara H. Edmondson, of Clayton, Indiana
- William Oesterle, of Indianapolis, Indiana
- Robert E. Peterson, of Rochester, Indiana
- Mamon M. Powers, of Gary, Indiana
- Thomas Spurgeon, of Peoria, Illinois
- Mark W. Townsend, of Hartford City, Indiana
Administration
President Martin C. Jischke, appointed by the Board of Trustees, is the chief administrative officer of the university. He 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.
Past presidents
- Richard Owen, 1872-1874
- Abraham C. Shortridge, 1874-1875
- John 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-Present
Campus Life
Purdue University operates fifteen separate residence facilities 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 Purdue's website for more information.
Also, Purdue University hosts one of the nation's largest Greek communities, with approximately 5,000 students participating in one of the 45 men's fraternities or 25 women's sororities. Hazing presents an ongoing problem among these organizations and a number of fraternities have recently been suspended. [5] [6] [7]
In addition to the residence facilities and Greek housing, there are 12 cooperative houses, 5 men's houses and 7 women's 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. Also, by buying food and supplies in bulk, the cost of daily life is much less than apartment living, for example. See also: Purdue Cooperative Housing
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. The only other non-military institution that has more alumni who have become astronauts is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). These alumni have led significant advances in research and development of aerospace technology and established an amazing record for exploration of space.
Points of interest
External links
References
- 1 motto "Communications Standards and Licensing". Purdue University: Purdue Marketing Communications. Retrieved January 16, 2006.
- 2 endowment "America's Best Colleges 2006". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved January 16, 2006.
- 3 real_estate "Data Digest West Lafayette 2004-2005 > Facilities > Land and Facilities". Purdue University. Retrieved January 16, 2006.