{"id":13,"date":"2026-06-04T14:40:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T14:40:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.www.purdue.edu\/bop-plus\/?page_id=13"},"modified":"2026-11-11T04:23:59","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T04:23:59","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/bop-plus\/programs\/engineering\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"
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about us<\/h1>\n
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For more than 50 years, the Don and Liz Thompson MEP Program has helped build a Purdue engineering community where students from all backgrounds feel welcomed, supported and empowered to succeed. At the heart is a simple belief: engineering is stronger when it reflects the full range of human experience.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Opening Doors for Future Engineers\u00a0<\/h2>\n \n \n\n

Originally housed in the Purdue University College of Engineering, the Don and Liz Thompson MEP Program began in 1974 as the Minority Engineering Program, connecting students with the resources, people and support they need to become outstanding engineers.<\/p>\n\n\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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More than 50 years later, we continue that legacy by creating pathways into engineering and helping Purdue students thrive. Now a program under the Boilermaker Opportunity Program Plus, MEP focuses efforts on promoting outreach, recruitment and student success initiatives \u2014 connecting students with opportunities to build community, develop leadership skills and achieve their academic and professional goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Legacy of Excellence <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since 1974, MEP has been shaping the future of engineering at Purdue. What began as a commitment to bring more underrepresented students into the College of Engineering has grown into a nationally recognized program that has helped more than 3,000 engineers earn their degrees. Our model has been adopted by colleges and universities across the country, and our graduates have gone on to careers that are changing the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, the program was named in honor of Don and Liz Thompson in recognition of their extraordinary support and generosity. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Our Founding Director<\/strong><\/h2>\n <\/div>\n \n\n
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Marion Williamson Blalock <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

(1947\u20132023)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Marion Williamson Blalock became the first director in 1974, she didn’t just build a program \u2014 she built a legacy. Over the next 34 years, she transformed MEP into a national model that has been replicated at major universities across the country, mentored thousands of students and helped more than 2,300 engineers earn their degrees from Purdue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the students she served, Marion was more than a director. She was a mentor, an advocate and, to many, a second mother. Every student who walked through her door was met with the same commitment, care and strength she devoted throughout her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marion was a Purdue alumna herself, earning her bachelor’s degree in sociology and her master’s degree in counseling and personnel services. Before leading MEP, she served as assistant dean of students at Purdue. She retired in August 2008 after more than three decades of service and passed away in 2023, leaving behind a legacy that continues to shape the program today.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Read Marion’s Story<\/a><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Marion<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Our Namesake<\/strong><\/h2>\n <\/div>\n \n\n
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Don and Liz Thompson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Don and Liz Thompson didn’t just pass through the program that now bears their name \u2014 they were shaped by it. Both Purdue electrical engineering graduates, Don in 1984 and Liz in 1985, they met at Purdue through the program and credit it with helping build the perseverance that defined their careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Purdue, Don spent 25 years with McDonald’s Corporation, ultimately serving as president and CEO from 2012 to 2015. He also served as a Purdue trustee from 2009 to 2022, leading the university’s Equity Task Force. Liz has built a career in education equity and nonprofit leadership, serving on national boards and organizations dedicated to expanding access to higher education. Together, they lead Cleveland Avenue, a venture capital firm focused on food, beverage and restaurant innovation, and The CAF\u00c9 \u2014 the Cleveland Avenue Foundation for Education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2018, the Thompsons established a $1 million endowment for the College of Engineering \u2014 $900,000 directed toward scholarships for engineering students and $100,000 to support the program directly. It was a gift rooted in gratitude and driven by purpose. In December 2022, the Purdue Board of Trustees officially named the program in their honor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Purdue University, and specifically the MEP Program, opened doors of opportunity for Liz and me. Those doors, and God’s grace, ultimately led to successful careers that yielded economic opportunities to enable us to do what we’re doing.<\/p>\n\n <\/blockquote>\n

Don Thompson<\/p>\n

Purdue University BSEE ’84<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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