March 9, 2018

Butler Center to honor four alumnae as Distinguished Women Scholars on March 22

Four Purdue alumnae from four colleges will be recognized as 2018 Distinguished Women Scholars for their exceptional contributions to their fields and impressive leadership.

The Office of the Provost and the Butler Center for Leadership Excellence will honor the alumnae during an award ceremony at 2 p.m. March 22 in Purdue Memorial Union, Anniversary Drawing Room. Awards will be presented by Jay Akridge, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity. This celebration is free and open to the public.

The four 2018 awardees from the colleges of Agriculture, Health and Human Sciences, Liberal Arts, and Pharmacy are:

* Christine M. Ladisch, who earned her PhD in textile science in 1978 from the Department of Consumer Sciences and Retailing. She is currently the dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue.

* Kay A. Lawton, who earned her PhD in 1990 from the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture in Purdue’s College of Agriculture. She is currently the vice president of intellectual property at Metabolon Inc. 

* Deborah E. McDowell, who earned her PhD in 1979 from the Department of English. She is currently the Alice Griffin Professor of English and director of the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African American and African Studies at the University of Virginia.

* Marilyn K. Speedie, who earned her PhD in 1973 from the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy. She is dean emeritus and professor at University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy. 

“We’re proud of the accomplishments of these Purdue alumnae,” says Mangala Subramaniam, professor of sociology and chair and director of the Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence. “By recognizing academic women of distinction, we also acknowledge and celebrate our faculty’s contributions to mentoring these successful scholars thereby recognizing Purdue’s role in diversifying university faculty across the nation. At the same time, we convey to our undergraduate and graduate students the possibilities that a Purdue doctorate can enable.

"These honorees are role models to all our scholars in the making. We encourage everyone to come and meet the four honorees and celebrate their accomplishments.”

For more information about the program, contact Subramaniam at mangala@purdue.edu or Tamara Hoffman at hoffm100@purdue.edu or 765-494-9879. 


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