2023 IMPACT REPORT

The next giant leap starts here.

I’m Matt Folk, president and CEO of the Purdue for Life Foundation and a 1991 Electrical Engineering graduate. I’m pleased to welcome you to our 2023 impact report. I’m a lifelong fan of our university, a life member of the Purdue Alumni Association, and a longtime member of both President’s Council and the John Purdue Club.

The Purdue for Life Foundation is the cornerstone for engagement, development, and stewardship at Purdue. We advance Indiana’s flagship, land-grant university and provide opportunities for you to take your next giant leap as a Boilermaker.

Alumni travel, lifelong learning, clubs and networks, the Office of Industry Partnerships, alumni living opportunities—and much more—are brought to you by the Purdue for Life Foundation.

2023 has been a monumental year, especially with the inauguration of our university’s 13th president, Mung Chiang. This report gives you an inside look at where we’re heading and what we have accomplished together.

Thank you to everyone—alumni, faculty, staff, retirees, students, parents and families, friends, fans, and our corporate and foundation partners—for helping Purdue set a new record with philanthropic support this year. Because of you, we are strengthening Purdue’s reputation in teaching and research while remaining affordable and accessible to brilliant young minds.

Boiler Up!

Matt Folk

President and CEO, Purdue for Life Foundation
Vice President for University Advancement and Alumni Engagement, Purdue University

A total of $610.3 million was raised this past fiscal year, which is a 12.6% increase from last year

83,836 donors supported Purdue in the last year

I’m Matt Folk, president and CEO of the Purdue for Life Foundation and a 1991 Electrical Engineering graduate. I’m pleased to welcome you to our 2023 impact report. I’m a lifelong fan of our university, a life member of the Purdue Alumni Association, and a longtime member of both President’s Council and the John Purdue Club.

Alumni travel, lifelong learning, clubs and networks, the Office of Industry Partnerships, alumni living opportunities—and much more—are brought to you by the Purdue for Life Foundation.

Matt Folk

President and CEO, Purdue for Life Foundation
Vice President for University Advancement and Alumni Engagement, Purdue University

The Purdue for Life Foundation—created in 2020 by uniting the Purdue Alumni Association and the University Development Office—helps people who love Purdue stay connected, get involved, and give back.

We’re your lifelong link to the university, and we’re offering you a wealth of new and expanded opportunities to engage with Purdue.

Scroll on to discover how a year of small steps and giant leaps is making a lasting impact for all Boilermakers and ensuring Purdue grows ever stronger.

Thank you for reading—and for being a part of our family.

EXCELLENCE AT SCALE

Purdue University discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none.

“Purdue is the most unique and remarkable land-grant institution in the country, and its strategic initiatives each serve a distinct and critical role in propelling our entire Purdue system forward and solidifying our legacy of excellence at scale. These initiatives are part of our mission to ensure continuity of today’s momentum into the next giant leaps, together.”

Mung Chiang
President, Purdue University

PURDUE UNIVERSITY IN INDIANAPOLIS

With our world-renowned ability to fuel growth and accelerate innovation, this new and fully integrated extension of our flagship campus will bring the academic rigor and accessible excellence Purdue is known for to central Indiana.

MITCHELL E. DANIELS, JR.
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Innovation doesn’t end at discovery. To make an impact, new ideas and products must be taken to market. Building upon the university’s reputation for technological and scientific excellence, the Daniels School will prepare students to turn discoveries into societal change.

PURDUE COMPUTES

Establishing our place as a global leader in emerging technology, Purdue has launched a new initiative consisting of three dimensions that will connect faculty and students from across the institution.

Academic Resources // A wave of top-notch hirings will bring 50 new faculty to computer science, computer engineering, and related departments in the next five years. Founded in 1962, the Department of Computer Science was created to be an innovative base of knowledge in the emerging field of computing as the first degree-awarding computer science program in the United States. The department is strategically positioned to continue its rapid upward trajectory, with the target of achieving a top 10 national ranking before the end of the decade.

Institute for Physical Artificial Intelligence // Purdue is establishing a world-leading program in artificial intelligence. Leveraging the university’s signature strengths in materials science, engineering, microelectronics, computer science, and life sciences, the Institute for Physical AI is committed to solving the world’s toughest challenges and will be the cornerstone of Purdue’s unprecedented push into bytes-meet-atoms research.

Semiconductor Education and Research // Building on the national recognition of its semiconductor degrees program, Purdue will further enhance the economic and workforce development pipeline and become a global epicenter of semiconductor research, learning, and industry partnership with a planned $100 million upgrade to semiconductor facilities over the next few years.

PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS TO TODAY’S TOUGHEST CHALLENGES

Purdue Innovates // As a land-grant university, Purdue has a mission to improve the world through technological innovation. Purdue Innovates is a conduit for Purdue faculty, staff, students, alumni, industry partners, and investors to bring their ideas and innovations to the marketplace.

Purdue University Airport // An 8,000-square-foot terminal will be constructed at the Purdue University Airport as the university explores the return of commercial air service to Greater Lafayette. The building is scheduled to be completed in May 2025.

Broadband Access // Purdue’s Office of Engagement is leading multiple initiatives to address the digital divide across Indiana. By investing in solutions that will provide communities with access to reliable and affordable high-speed internet as well as the necessary skills to thrive in today’s digital economy, the university will help position the state to realize billions of dollars in net economic benefits.

Hard Tech Corridor // A 65-mile long Hard Tech Corridor will stretch from Purdue University in Indianapolis to the Discovery Park District in West Lafayette. The university will invest in making the corridor the most consequential engine of economic growth and brain gain in the Midwest.

Purdue@DC // Purdue is expanding its footprint in our nation’s capital through the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy, the Purdue Applied Research Institute, the Boilers Go to D.C. program, and continued development of key government partnerships.

Physical Infrastructure // Earlier this year, President Chiang directed the creation of the Action Council on Student Housing and Wellbeing to address enrollment growth and reaffirm the importance of residential learning. By 2026, two new housing facilities will be constructed on the west side of campus, providing nearly 1,900 beds for students.

STAY CONNECTED

We offer exciting ways for alumni, friends, and fans to show their love for the old gold and black.

Boilermaker Ball // The 15th annual Boilermaker Ball was an enchanting evening of underwater wonders, raising more than $65,000 for the Purdue Scholarship Fund.

Big Ten Championship Tailgate // More than 1,000 Purdue alumni, friends, and fans joined the Purdue for Life Foundation’s tailgate at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis before the football team took on Michigan.

Grandparents University // Featuring 13 majors and six field trips, Grandparents University sold out in a matter of hours and welcomed more than 300 alumni, friends, and future Boilermakers to campus for a memorable weekend—and we’ll have two weekends in 2024!

Citrus Bowl Tailgate // More than 1,000 Boilermakers joined the Purdue for Life Foundation’s tailgate, taking over Orlando with Purdue pride before the football team faced Louisiana State.

YOU’VE GOT MAIL

The Purdue for Life vision includes streamlining communications so we can shine a bright light on exciting ways to engage with Purdue and encourage support through private giving.

Our flagship digital magazine—Purdue Alumnus—and monthly digital newsletter—Boiler UPdate—are just a couple of the ways we help share the news of Purdue’s giant leaps to all Boilermakers. Through our email preference center, you can tailor communications to your interests, opting in and out of specific categories.

This past year saw a few under-the-hood improvements, including enhancements for donors to access tax receipts and endowment reporting and track matching-gift payments. You’ll now be able to get a more complete picture of your giving to Purdue simply by logging into our portal.

We’ve also boosted reporting and have started to roll out a single system for managing data and communications across the entire Purdue system to eliminate silos and deliver content and opportunities that are relevant to you and your interests.

YOU’RE ALWAYS WELCOME

Located in Room 102 of Stewart Center—right in the heart of campus—the Boilermaker Station Welcome Center functions as the main Purdue hub for welcoming alumni, students, faculty, staff, guests, friends, and fans, while also serving as the launching point for all admissions tours.

One of Boilermaker Station’s newest features is our photo booth, which can be used by students, faculty, staff, and alumni who are interested in free professional headshots.

GET INVOLVED

We help alumni, friends, and fans deepen their ties to Purdue and to each other—personally, professionally, and intellectually.

Alumni Clubs // Our regional clubs connect alumni, friends, and fans throughout the United States. These clubs create programming and experiences that enhance engagement in a variety of ways.
+ Social
+ Professional
+ Intellectual
+ Service
+ Scholarships and Student Recruitment

Through 73 clubs, we reached more than 238,000 alumni.

In the last year, our clubs hosted more than 1,000 events and welcomed new groups in Colorado Springs and Arkansas. Through the support of our alumni club members, we were able to award 102 scholarships totaling $151,500.

Affinity Networks // Our 11 affinity networks—some with multiple chapters—connect like-minded Boilermakers around a central purpose, mission, background, or activity beyond class affiliation, school, or regional proximity. Shared interests within the Purdue family are at the heart of these networks.

We added three new affinity networks in 2022–23, and, with the help of our volunteer leaders, organized more than 92 events that reached thousands of Purdue alumni.

International Engagement and Alumni Travel // Purdue graduates make their mark—and show their Purdue pride—all over the world. At the Purdue for Life Foundation, we are dedicated to helping alumni explore, discover, and get involved no matter where they want to go or where they choose to live.

Our alumni enjoy making connections with other Boilermaker travelers on their adventures, and our program has raised nearly $150,000 that directly supports alumni engagement programming.

Lifelong Learning // We believe that learning doesn’t come to an end once you have your diploma in hand. It’s a lifelong process, and the Purdue for Life Foundation is the home for personal and professional learning delivered beyond Purdue’s campus. Our lifelong learning programs allow alumni, friends, and fans the opportunity to grow, achieve, and engage with the larger Purdue family in person or online.

Through our partnerships with Purdue Online, Purdue Global, Purdue Federal Credit Union, the John Martinson Honors College, and community organizations, more than 1,600 alumni have participated in free and low-cost webinars, workshops, and online classes in the past six months.

Volunteerism // Volunteerism is an essential component of our mission, and we encourage all alumni, friends, and fans of Purdue to volunteer in ways that are meaningful to them.

Volunteering events give our alumni opportunities to stay connected with Purdue, other Boilermakers, and their own communities. Our second annual Purdue Day of Service was held October 28 on the West Lafayette campus in support of the 1869 Tree Planting Master Plan. The event reinforced Purdue’s standing as an Arbor Day Foundation Tree Campus Higher Education institution, an honor the university has held since 2009.

In one day, nearly 100 volunteers:
Planted and mulched 325 trees + saved Purdue Physical Facilities staff two weeks of effort

More than 12,900 Boilermakers have joined Purdue Ties—the university’s premier networking and mentoring platform—to post updates, share resources, request professional development help, and browse job postings. Within the platform, users can connect via mentorship, and 4,529 of our members have expressed a willingness to mentor students and other alumni.

Student and Recent Graduate Programs // We prepare students for life after college by connecting them to alumni for mentoring and professional development and by organizing events that mirror the alumni engagement experience. Our signature student program is PASE, the Purdue Alumni Student Experience, which offers exclusive discounts, gear, and programming for a one-time fee.

With 5,700+ members total, it continues to be the largest student organization at Purdue University.

Industry Partnerships // Our Office of Industry Partnerships oversees all academic-to-business partnerships for Purdue University, Purdue Online, and Purdue Global. With the help of alumni and friends, we have built mutually beneficial relationships campuswide that encompass talent, research, continuing education, and more. Beyond campus, recent external partnerships include Amazon, Eli Lilly and Company, Rolls-Royce, Accenture, Bayer Crop Science, Elanco, Wabash, and Dow Chemical.

This year, Lilly committed $42.5 million to Purdue over 10 years to fund an innovative pharmaceutical manufacturing scholarship program for incoming undergraduate students, especially underrepresented populations. The Lilly Scholars Program will help build a critical pharmaceutical ecosystem in Indiana and beyond as it grows a diverse talent pipeline in this critical field.

Purdue and Accenture have agreed to a five-year commitment supporting the university’s mission to prepare a next-generation smart-manufacturing workforce. The Accenture Smart Factory will serve as a central hub for joint innovation among Purdue, Accenture, and industry, while providing a space for collaboration on smart-manufacturing projects. The Accenture Smart Manufacturing Scholars Program will award scholarships to qualified students, including a Women in Manufacturing scholarship.

3M and Northrop Grumman have signed master research agreements with Purdue, unlocking the opportunity to work with one of the largest defense contractors and multinational conglomerates.

Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, and You // Since April 2022, the Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIB) Division at Purdue for Life, along with Purdue’s Equity Task Force, has been hard at work developing a broad range of alumni engagement and fundraising strategies to create and strengthen connections with potential volunteers, mentors, industry partners, and donors.

DIB Homecoming Brunch and Day Party // Multiple generations of alumni gathered to celebrate and cheer on the Boilermakers at the first DIB Homecoming Brunch and Day Party, which was made possible though a collaboration with the Purdue Black Alumni Organization and the Purdue National Pan-Hellenic Council.

Leroy Keyes Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame // In February, DIB partnered with Purdue Athletics to host the naming dedication of the Leroy Keyes Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame. The event honored the family of Leroy Keyes (HHS’69) and featured former teammates, players, mentees, and community supporters.

Memories of the Mall: Multicultural and International Student Graduation Celebration // Nearly 200 multicultural and international Purdue students and friends attended the fourth annual Memories of the Mall celebration, which featured a Roaring Twenties theme.

DIB Advancement Summit // Designed to build community, share best practices, and engage in meaningful conversations around alumni engagement, giving, and industry partnerships, the DIB Advancement Summit featured an action-packed agenda focused around the theme “Amplifying Inclusive Advancement.”

More than 1,700 engagement events in 2022–23

Through 73 clubs, we reached more than 238,000 alumni.

In one day, nearly 100 volunteers:
Planted and mulched 325 trees + saved Purdue Physical Facilities staff two weeks of effort

With 5,700+ members total, it continues to be the largest student organization at Purdue University.

Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, and You // Since April 2022, the Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIB) division at Purdue for Life, along with Purdue’s Equity Task Force, has been hard at work developing a broad range of alumni engagement and fundraising strategies to create and strengthen connections with potential volunteers, mentors, industry partners, and donors.

GIVE BACK

We help alumni, friends, and fans extend Purdue’s impact so that we can build a better world together.

Student Support // This year, Purdue raised nearly $183 million for student support—a new record and a 22% increase over last year. The university has seen a giant leap in private support for scholarships, fellowships, and student programming since 2012–13, when Purdue raised $32 million for student support.

Purdue has frozen tuition for 12 consecutive years, saving students and their families more than $1 billion.

Purdue Alumni Association memberships help Boilermakers stay connected, gain access to exclusive discount programs, and support the university they love.

Total Memberships // 48,354

Annual Memberships // 6,770
Life Memberships // 35,825
PASE Memberships // 5,759

TOGETHER, PURDUE UNIVERSITY DONORS GRANTED OPPORTUNITIES AND TRANSFORMED LIVES DURING THIS RECORD-SETTING ANNUAL EVENT.

Record-breaking numbers

Amount Raised: $110.8 million—a 62.5% increase over last year
Number of Gifts: 27,855
22 gifts of $1 million or more
Alumni Class with Most Money Raised: 1972
Alumni Class with Most Gifts: 2022
Young alumni (2012–2023) accounted for 8.3% of online gifts
Number of First-Time Donors: 2,565

TOGETHER, PURDUE UNIVERSITY DONORS GRANTED OPPORTUNITIES AND TRANSFORMED LIVES DURING THIS RECORD-SETTING ANNUAL EVENT.

Record-breaking numbers

Amount Raised: $110.8 million—a 62.5% increase over last year
Number of Gifts: 27,855
22 gifts of $1 million or more
Alumni Class with Most Money Raised: 1972
Alumni Class with Most Gifts: 2022
Young alumni (2012–2023) accounted for 8.3% of online gifts
Number of First-Time Donors: 2,565

Since 2014, Purdue Day of Giving has raised $420.5 million.

This year, we came together to celebrate the 10th anniversary and reflected on the incredible impact of 10 years of giving back, 10 years of paying it forward, 10 years of opportunities granted, and 10 years of making giant leaps for Purdue!

To commemorate this special day, student organizations and university celebrities came together for a campuswide 20.23-mile relay run.

The architects behind Purdue Day of Giving have formed State of Wow, a strategic consulting firm, and are available for hire by other universities and clients to help them achieve content-driven fundraising success—creating an additional revenue stream to support Purdue for Life programming.

Indiana-Purdue Challenge

We took our rivalry with IU off the court in a friendly competition to support scholarships for student-athletes.

During the month of February, Hoosiers and Boilermakers were invited to give back to their favorite university. Each institution received one point for every gift it received.

The old gold and black beat the cream and crimson 1,703 to 772, but the real winners were the student-athletes.

President’s Council represents the heart of private giving at Purdue. Annual membership begins with a gift of $1,000. In the past year, the council made a significant impact across campus through gifts supporting students, faculty, facilities, and athletics.

Annual Weekend // Members gathered for annual festivities including Back to Class sessions and Annual Dinner.
50th Anniversary // The council celebrated 50 years on Purdue’s campus with exclusive events, travel opportunities, and a commemorative yearbook. Limited copies of the yearbook are available and can be requested by contacting pc@purdueforlife.org.
Traveling with President’s Council // Boilermakers hit the road (and seas) again this year during President’s Council trips to southern France, Egypt, and South Carolina. The council also hosted exclusive regional events for members around the country.

John Purdue Club (JPC)—the fundraising and alumni engagement organization of Purdue Athletics—enjoyed a successful year raising essential funds to cover the tuition, room and board, book, and academic support costs of the university’s more than 500 student-athletes. Gifts to JPC also help improve Purdue’s athletic facilities, and annual membership begins with a gift of $200.

In the past year, JPC:

Created the Lundy League in honor of Lamar Lundy (HHS’57), the first African American student to receive a football scholarship at Purdue. This capital gift society aims to recognize donors who support Purdue Athletics above and beyond their annual membership with a capital project gift of $250,000 or more.
Renovated and renamed Kampen-Cosler Course at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex, including updating all bunkers. Former student-athlete Sam Allen (M’75) donated $20 million for the upcoming clubhouse facility, which has been named after golf course architect Pete Dye.
Helped obtain an assistant coach for Purdue wrestling, ensuring our young men have every opportunity to succeed on the mat and in the classroom.
Raised $45 million for phase two of the Ross-Ade Stadium south end zone renovation.

Established through a partnership with Purdue Athletics and Purdue Student Life, the Purdue Parents & Families Club is a way for parents and families to access a variety of unique Purdue experiences that will help build deeper connections. This organization also increases available resources to enhance the campus experience for more than 41,000 students each year. Members receive a John Purdue Club membership, invitations to special events, discounts at select local restaurants and businesses, access to tickets and parking on game days, and more.

LEADERSHIP GIFTS

Sue Ann and Evan Werling; Willie Reed, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine; Deborah Knapp, Distinguished Professor of Comparative Oncology; and Matt Folk, president and CEO of the Purdue for Life Foundation

Werling Comparative Oncology Center » Evan and Sue Ann Werling established the Evan and Sue Ann Werling Comparative Oncology Research Center with their $10 million gift to advance cancer research benefiting pets and animals. The university will use the Werlings’ gift to establish the new center, fund the Evan and Sue Ann Werling Professorship of Comparative Oncology, and create an endowment to provide unrestricted support for promising cancer research and clinical trials.

The Edgar Degas sculpture “La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans (Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen)”

Degas sculptures » Chicago businessman Avrum Gray (ME’56) donated a collection of 74 bronze works by Edgar Degas, valued at more than $21 million. An exhibit and dedication are being planned for early 2024, which will provide Boilermakers a unique opportunity to enjoy the largest collection of Degas sculptures on campus.

Students gathered at a table with laptops and notepads

Bruce White Undergraduate Institute » The Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation committed $50 million to the new Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, naming the flagship Bruce White Undergraduate Institute in honor of the late Bruce White (M’75), a former member of the Purdue Board of Trustees and a longtime university benefactor. The unrestricted gift will help restructure and scale innovative degrees and provide transformational education experiences for undergraduate students to prepare them to lead successful companies at the intersection of business and technology.

Planned Giving // This year, the Office of Planned Giving added the newly introduced Legacy IRA Act as a way for alumni, friends, and fans to give to the university they love. Those age 70 and a half and older may elect to establish a charitable gift annuity (CGA) or a charitable remainder trust (CRT) by utilizing a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) from an individual retirement account (IRA).

Give up to $50,000 directly from your IRA once during your lifetime
Receive annual payments from a CGA or CRT
Fulfill your required minimum distribution
Exclude the distribution from your taxable income

Foundation Relations // The Office of Foundation Relations helps foundations align their specific interests, identifies potential opportunities within Purdue, and facilitates robust partnerships.

Through a renewed partnership with Lilly Endowment Inc., Purdue’s Military Family Research Institute received a $5 million grant to help build strong support networks for military and veteran families.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave a $480,000 planning grant to Purdue Global to accelerate enrollment growth among Black, Latino, Indigenous, and low-income students, which will result in more degrees earned and increased employability.

Through a partnership with the Henry Luce Foundation, Purdue Galleries received $150,000 to support the curation, digitization, and publication of its permanent collection.