Purdue celebrates another record year

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Record totals in annual giving, research awards, and patents and startups were announced Thursday (July 14) by Purdue University for the fiscal year that ended June 30.

The successes come as Purdue continues to emphasize affordability and a commitment to investing in priority areas of transformative education, world-changing research and STEM leadership. The university announced in May that on the heels of record applications from prospective students, it is expecting an incoming class that will be the largest since 2008 and will include more Indiana residents and underrepresented minority freshmen beginners than the class that entered in 2015. In addition, Purdue announced this spring the intent to continue to hold tuition to 2012-13 levels through at least 2017-18.

GIVING

More donors than ever contributed $332 million to Ever True: The Campaign for Purdue University, bringing the campaign total to $1.16 billion toward its $2.019 billion goal. The 2015-16 total marks the first time in Purdue’s history that donors have contributed more than $300 million a year for two years in a row. Amy Noah, vice president for development, said she is especially grateful for the outstanding and record-setting Purdue Day of Giving, which was the largest single-day fundraising campaign in higher education with $18.3 million raised in one day. More information is available online.

RESEARCH

Research funding continued to reach record levels, with $403 million in awards, the highest in Purdue’s history when American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds are excluded. Suresh Garimella, executive vice president for research and partnerships and the Goodson Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, said he is confident that the diversity of disciplines represented in the 2015-16 awards point to a sustainable trend in attracting top sponsored research. More information is available online. 

COMMERCIALIZATION

Startup and commercialization activity set records for the third consecutive year, with 27 startups originating from Purdue-licensed intellectual property and a 20 percent increase in global and U.S. patents issued. Dan Hasler, president and chief entrepreneurial officer of the Purdue Research Foundation, said the steady and deliberate increases represent the outstanding work of Purdue faculty, staff and students to move innovations to the public. More information is available online.