A Message from the President - January 2012

The football team celebrates after winning the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.

Happy New Year!

Congratulations to our Boilermaker football team on their Little Caesars Pizza Bowl win over Western Michigan! Thanks to all who helped cheer them on to victory.

The beginning of the new year is a time for each of us to reflect on our achievements and plan for the coming year. Entering 2012, I am proud of where we are as a university.

Cherrie Lemon is a Music Maker.

One reason is our outstanding students. This month's "5 Students Who …" Web feature celebrates some of the most powerful student stories we have featured over the past year. They are tales of discovery, innovation and leadership, and of making a difference. I hope you will enjoy reading their inspiring stories.

Purdue faculty also have reason to celebrate. Five were recently selected as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Congratulations to professors Steven Adelman, Muhammad Ashraful Alam, Srinivasan Chandrasekar, Suresh Garimella, and Michael Ladisch. This honor, conferred by AAAS, the world's largest general scientific society, recognizes notable work to advance science or its applications.

This month, Purdue will mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a series of events, including a keynote address in Loeb Playhouse on January 18 by Bernice Johnson Reagon, professor emerita of history at American University and curator emerita at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. That week also includes the Day of Service for students, faculty, staff and retirees. Boilermakers will volunteer throughout the community and then gather for fellowship and discussion.

As we look ahead to 2012, I offer best wishes to the entire Purdue community for a great new year.

Hail Purdue!

France A. Córdova
President