Celebrating America 250

Honoring 250 years of discovery and innovation

ribbon

This year, we come together to celebrate America250 — and our own legacy of persistently pursuing the next giant leap.

As a land-grant university, our mission has always been to serve all. We take pride in the many American heroes who began as Boilermakers.

And we look ahead to a year of special moments of celebration, from Purdue’s Day of Giving this spring to featured Presidential Lecture Series events and the treasured tradition of the annual Indy 500 — featuring our own All-American Marching Band.

Stadium Nights — a Purdue University celebration

Celebrate America in Ross-Ade Stadium

Join us under the lights of Ross-Ade on April 29, 6-9:30 p.m. for Stadium Nights. This free event includes a dazzling fireworks show, a screening of the movie “First Man” on the jumbotron and messages from special guests, including President Mung Chiang. During the event, two lucky Purdue students will be given the chance to earn $10,000 scholarships. Register today!

Mark Your Calendar: Upcoming Events

Be a part of our celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. You are invited to attend these festive events.

Purdue proudly celebrates the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the most crucial experiment in the history of human civilization. This university remains the first vista of intellectual competitions and a long-lasting bastion of individual freedoms. Boilermakers continue to live out the meanings of America the beautiful, America the exceptional, America the hopeful.

Mung Chiang

President, Purdue University

Top 10
Public University in the U.S.
Three Years Running
QS World University Rankings, 2026
#1
Public University for Free Speech FIRE, 2026
Top 10
MOST INNOVATIVE PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN THE U.S. EIGHT YEARS RUNNING U.S. News & World Report, 2026

presidential lecture series

Photo Gallery: Presidential Lecture Series With Timothy Ferris

Bestselling science writer and documentarian Timothy Ferris joined Purdue President Mung Chiang for a Presidential Lecture Series conversation Feb. 26 in Stewart Center’s Fowler Hall. The discussion explored how scientific thinking has helped shape liberty, free expression and democratic societies. Part of Purdue’s yearlong America250 celebration, the lecture highlighted the enduring connection between scientific inquiry and the foundations of a free and prosperous society.