News & Stories

Engaged Purdue faculty, staff, student, and partner news + profiles + opportunities for development and recognition from the Office of Engagement.

The 2024 Purdue United Way campaign is now underway, with the goal of raising $700,000 for local agencies in need and adding 150 new donors to its roster.

Purdue United Way is thrilled to announce the return of its popular Silent Auction, set to run during the heart of the 2024 campaign – October 7 to November 1, 2024. This annual event has become a fun highlight of our campus fundraising, and this year’s auction is set to be the best one yet!

Engaged Purdue faculty, staff, student, and partner news + profiles + opportunities for development and recognition from the Office of Engagement.

Purdue University has long been recognized for its commitment to community engagement—defined as the collaboration with communities for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity, a key component of its mission as a land-grant institution. The Engaged College Program (ECP), a new initiative developed by the Office of Engagement, is a significant step forward in integrating and enhancing the impact of engagement efforts across its units. The ECP is designed to help colleges identify their engagement practices while providing the support needed for improvement.

Purdue University invites Boilermaker fans to join in celebrating community educators at the Golden Hammer Educator Appreciation football game on Saturday, Aug. 31, during Purdue’s season opener against Indiana State University. Supported by Purdue Athletics and other university departments, the event honors the dedication of local educators, with special on-field recognition for nominees of Teacher of the Year and the Golden Apple Award. Educators can also enjoy discounted tickets and pre-game activities at Boilermaker Crossing. Don’t miss this chance to celebrate those shaping our future!

Natasha Harris was recently awarded the Jefferson Award for her impact on Equity and Inclusion. Harris has been with Purdue University for the past twelve years. Currently, she is the Associate Director of Diversity in the College of Science. Her work focuses on fostering personal and professional growth among students and highlighting the importance of doing so among a diverse population.

The campus wide kickoff will take place at Purdue Mall on Tuesday, September 24 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Along with members of the Purdue United Way team, we will be joined by Purdue Pete, the Purdue Golduster Dance Team, and the Boilermaker Xtra Special as well as a few other surprises. For those looking to donate, there will be Jimmy John’s sandwiches and shaved ice – all donations will go directly to the Purdue United Way campaign.

Engaged Purdue faculty, staff, student, and partner news + profiles + opportunities for development and recognition from the Office of Engagement.

Madia Bickett was awarded the Jefferson Award for her work with the Stockwell Farmers Market, which she created five years ago after moving to Stockwell, Indiana.

Following a successful 2023 Purdue United Way campaign, Purdue University has selected Dimitrios Peroulis and Sang Eun Woo to lead the 2024 effort as chair and vice chair.

After the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was signed into law in 2021, Indiana gained two key opportunities to address the digital divide: the Broadband Equity, Adoption, and Deployment (BEAD) and the Digital Equity (DE) programs. Addressing the digital divide is crucial for improving community quality of life and economic development. Recognizing this, Purdue University, as Indiana’s land-grant institution, took swift action to contribute in two significant ways.

Alessandro Maria Selvitella serves as an Assistant Professor of Data Science and Applied Statistics at Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW). Selvitella became a Service-Learning Fellow in the spring of 2021, directing his efforts toward incorporating service-learning perspectives into his course, STAT 490 – Data Science Methods in Epidemiology – COVID-19. He underscores the importance of ensuring that what we learn translates into tangible benefits for the communities we inhabit.

Engaged Purdue faculty, staff, student, and partner news + profiles + opportunities for development and recognition from the Office of Engagement.

From formerly working as a community banker, to becoming a Clinical Associate Professor at Purdue with a focus on community well-being, to collaborating with organizations such as Mount Hope Church, The Faith Community Development Corporation, and Habitat for Humanity in service-learning projects, Dr. Jason Ware champions “translating research to create tools and resources that impact the human condition.”

Manabu Taketani recently received the 2024 Jefferson Award for his commitment to serving the Greater Lafayette community and making it a better place for everyone. For the last six years, Taketani has been working at Purdue University as the Program Administrator of the Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center (also known as AAARCC – pronounced as ark).

Executive director, Sujatha Ramani, and the team at Imagination Station are playing a vital role in enhancing STEM literacy among children through hands-on learning experiences. Their collaboration with the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) program at Purdue University, led by graduate students like Emmanuel Babalola, is making a significant impact on the community.

Engaged Purdue faculty, staff, student, and partner news + profiles + opportunities for development and recognition from the Office of Engagement.

On April 30, 2024, the Purdue Office of Engagement held its annual Engagement Awards Luncheon, honoring individuals and groups whose work has significantly elevated Purdue University’s societal impact through engaged scholarship. The awards celebrate outstanding partnerships, innovative solutions to community challenges, and contributions that enhance Purdue’s national and international reputation.

Laura Bittner and Barbara Young, both professors in Purdue University’s Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Design, Art, and Performance, have been instrumental in integrating service-learning and community engagement into their teaching practices.

Dieudonne Baributsa leads an international extension and engagement program delivering innovative postharvest solutions that aim to serve 500 million smallholder farmers. Baributsa uses the Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) Bag to reach these smallholder farmers. The PICS Bags initially saw their use in West Africa as storage for cowpeas. The use of this product has now expanded to several crops and regions of Africa. It has recently made its way into Central and South America as well as Asia.

Indraneel Kumar, associate director and principal regional planner of the Purdue Center for Regional Development (PCRD), will take on the role of director of PCRD starting May 1.

Michelle McBrite, facility & event manager at the Dick and Sandy Dauch Alumni Center, received the Franciscan Health Community Impact Award at the United Way of Greater Lafayette volunteer luncheon for her work with The Salvation Army. This esteemed award recognizes individuals whose volunteer efforts have made a significant difference within the surrounding community.

Karen is a professor in the School of Nursing, has been instrumental in conducting research and de-stigmatizing conversations around nontraditional families, which include adoptive, foster, and kinship parents, and the challenges they face after the child is home. Through her engagement, she has helped others gain a better understanding of the mental health issues experienced by these parents. With knowledge acquired from Foli’s research, nurses, as well as adoption professionals, can apply best practices to serve those who need it.

Engaged Purdue faculty, staff, student, and partner news + profiles + opportunities for development and recognition from the Office of Engagement.

We, at the Office of Engagement (OoE), are very grateful for working closely with the Purdue community and our external partners. The OoE has gone through a transition over the past year, and we are excited about what is ahead.

Janelle Tipton is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at Purdue University. Because she went from being a practicing nurse in Ohio to a professor in Indiana, she was able to bring hands-on experience into her teaching methods with a focus on topics of public health. Tipton’s previous history of partnering with nonprofits and community organizations followed her to Purdue’s West Lafayette campus, where she made connections with ease.

Ashley Conner has been selected as the new community coordinator for the Office of Engagement. In this role, Conner will be working to support and grow Purdue’s child care programs.

Engaged Purdue faculty, staff, student, and partner news + profiles + opportunities for development and recognition from the Office of Engagement.

On February 29, 2024, hundreds of faculty, staff, students, and community partners from across the state gathered at the Discovery Learning Research Center to celebrate giant leaps in community engagement and local impact.

Students from across Purdue’s campuses showcased community engagement projects as part of service-learning courses or engagement with organizations at the 2024 Purdue Engagement and Service-Learning Summit.

You may recall, the Purdue Broadband Team or PBT launched in October of last year with the intent of increasing awareness on tools to improve broadband data. Most of you have likely conducted speed tests, checked your address and broadband service listed in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) broadband map, or may have signed up for the Indiana Connectivity Program or ICP.

Rena Sterrett and Jake Newton work to provide resources to military and veteran families through the Military Family Research Institute and its Reaching Rural Veterans program. 

Engaged Purdue faculty, staff, student, and partner news + profiles + opportunities for development and recognition from the Office of Engagement.

Harris Collins, an undergraduate Teaching Assistant (TA) in the Purdue Honors College, hopes to help his audience understand the value of expanding their research umbrellas to their own backyards by considering how they utilize resources in his Engagement and Service-Learning Summit lighting talk, “Centering the Urban Periphery: Service Learning and Community Engagement in Your Own Backyard.”

Engaged faculty like Erin Hoying strive to build connections and inspire caring actions through teaching, collaboration, and service-learning.

The United Way of Greater Lafayette celebrated partnerships, community impact, and positive change at its 2024 annual meeting and awards ceremony, held on January 24 at the River City Community Center in Lafayette.

Meet Pink Phoenix, the leader of the Vetahumanz League of superheroes, a group of veterinarians and veterinary students dedicated to diversifying the veterinary profession. Founded by Sandra San Miguel, D.V.M., Ph.D., the league, supported by the NIGMS Science Education Partnership Award, engages with elementary students nationwide.

Engaged community partner leaders like Jason McManus strive to provide experiential opportunities for students to take academic inquiry beyond the classroom and impact the community.

Students like Emmanuel Babalola embark on tireless exploration into the persistent gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application and strive to witness the real-world implications of what they have learned.

Engaged Purdue faculty, staff, student, and partner news + profiles + opportunities for development and recognition from the Office of Engagement.

Dr. Nicole Adams’ background in Nursing and Health Policy originally drew her to joining an initiative formerly known as the Tippecanoe County Opioid Task Force. Adams said that while the opioid crisis is the public health crisis of the century, it is also a policy crisis, “because a lot of the policies that have played a part in creating the problem also create barriers to addressing the problem.”

Purdue University has received a five-year, $25 million grant from Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. through its statewide initiative, College and Community Collaboration. The grant will support highly collaborative efforts with community partners to improve early childhood education, child care and transportation access in a seven-county region.

Cara Kinnally is an associate professor in the School of Languages and Cultures at Purdue University. As a professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies, she prioritizes teaching through a lens of social justice. To Kinnally, this looks like: (1) Giving students the space and time to reflect, (2) having them consider their positionality within the topic, & (3) encouraging students to sit on any discomfort they might feel while urging them to think.

In 2022, Indiana managers posted more than 119,000 jobs seeking applicants with a college degree, but were only able to fill 39,000 of those positions. Responding to employer challenges in connecting graduates and open positions, the Purdue University Office of Engagement convened campus partners and Indiana companies at Build Your Boilermaker Pipeline, a daylong talent engagement strategy session. The event supports Indiana employers seeking to access the Purdue talent pipeline and recruit amidst global competition.

Engaged Purdue faculty, staff, student, and partner news + profiles + opportunities for development and recognition from the Office of Engagement.

The Office of Service-Learning has selected 11 Purdue instructors for the spring 2024 Service-Learning fellows cohorts.

Andrea DeMaria is an associate professor who takes the ‘public’ in Public Health seriously. As an educator in the Department of Public Health her goal is to get scientific findings into the hands of the people who need it and those who can use it to positively affect policy concerning women’s health. DeMaria was set to become a Service-Learning (SL) Fellow, but unfortunately the shutdown prompted by the pandemic prevented her from completing her service-learning course as desired.

The Purdue community demonstrated tremendous support for the 2023 Purdue United Way campaign, raising $704,188 for local nonprofits to surpass this year’s goal of $700,000.

Suining Ding, Ph.D. is a professor of Interior Design at Purdue University Fort Wayne and a lifetime scholar dedicated to curating service-learning experiences for herself, her students, and the greater community.

The Office of Engagement is excited to announce the creation of a nonprofit engagement director position. Lisa Duncan who has been with the Office of Engagement since 2014 moved into this new role on October 23. This position was created to better serve nonprofit agencies and community partners within the greater Lafayette area surrounding region and to advance the university’s land-grant mission.

The United Way of Greater Lafayette recently celebrated a significant milestone: 100 years of service to our local community. This century of dedication has seen remarkable growth and immense community impact. Through collaborations with Purdue University and various community partnerships, the United Way of Greater Lafayette has raised over $180 million to support the people of our region, working with 27 local Tippecanoe County agencies to create a more vibrant and equitable community for all.

Engaged Purdue faculty, staff, student, and partner news + profiles + opportunities for development and recognition from the Office of Engagement.

The COVID-19 pandemic shed a very bright light on homes and individuals that could not work from home, complete e-Learning, engage in telehealth, or do things online due to a lack of adequate internet—also known as the digital divide. On the other hand, did you know that there were 2.8 million more online microbusinesses between 2019 and 2020? As the economy and society continue to digitize, being on the wrong side of the divide impacts competitiveness and affects quality of life.

Purdue University is taking a leading role to help ensure all Indiana families and businesses have access to affordable broadband internet service.

United Way of Greater Lafayette celebrates its 100th anniversary. Learn about the extensive history of Purdue’s campaign on campus in partnership with the organization.

The Purdue United Way campaign has begun. Read why members of the Purdue community are inspired to contribute to the campaign.

Engaged Purdue faculty, staff, student, and partner news + profiles + opportunities for development and recognition from the Office of Engagement.

The 2023 Purdue United Way campaign will kick off Wednesday (Sept. 20), with the goal of raising $700,000 for local agencies in need.

Join us at Hovde Fountain Wednesday, September 20^th from 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m for the Purdue United Way kickoff as we celebrate the campaign and another year of community impact.

Purdue University’s Societal Impact Fellows Program received a top-10 nod at the 2023 Social Innovator of the Year Awards.

Nicholas G. Burgmeier and Purdue colleagues have worked with Cummins to help the hellbenders keep their home in Indiana’s Blue River.

On June 30, 2023, Steve Abel retired from his role as Associate Provost for Engagement after nearly a decade of service to Purdue engagement and 40 years of service to Purdue in the areas of student education, faculty leadership development, and mentorship.

Roberto Gallardo will take on the role of vice president for engagement as the engagement office is elevated to the Office of the President.

Registration is open through June 16, 2023 for the Advancing Graduate Research Impact in Society certification program for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

Engaged Purdue faculty, staff, student, and partner news + profiles + opportunities for development and recognition from the Office of Engagement.

The Purdue Engagement Awards recognize engaged scholars who raise the profile of Purdue University with exemplary engaged scholarship, elevating Purdue’s societal impact to national and international renown.

Amlan Mitra has been working with Purdue for over 30 years with the goals of reducing stereotypes, improving cultural and racial understanding, and building a sense of responsibility among community members.

The Indiana Medical History Museum is this year’s recipient of Purdue University’s JoAnn L. Miller Exemplary Community Partner Award.

Opportunity for Purdue students, student organizations, faculty, staff, and retirees to connect with local organizations for project partnerships, personal and professional engagement, and leadership development.

The Purdue Office of Engagement seeks a quarter-time (0.25 FTE, 10 hours per week) graduate administrative / professional assistant to provide administrative support for the Director of Service-Learning in coordinating service-learning programs and initiatives campus-wide.

The only undergraduate student invited to speak at the 2023 Engagement Summit, Chelsea describes how she didn’t know she wanted to come to Purdue until she met Purdue Engineering’s largest service-learning community.

Engaged Purdue faculty, staff, student, and partner news + profiles + opportunities for development and recognition from the Office of Engagement.

Seigfried-Spellar is working on a tool that analyzes chats and identifies the grooming strategies used by online offenders.

Accepting applications for the Scholarship of Engagement, Service-Learning, and Societal Impact fellows programs via the Office of Engagement.

Accepting applications now – fellows programs that help faculty like DeBoer & Hans find mentorship and support for engaged scholarship and impact.

Students from across Purdue’s campuses showcased community engagement projects as part of service-learning courses or engagement with organizations at the 2023 Purdue Engagement and Service-Learning Summit.

The 2023 summit brought hundreds of Purdue faculty, staff, students, and community partners from across the state to the West Lafayette campus to celebrate the impact they’ve made together in their communities.

Students from across Purdue’s campuses showcased community engagement projects as part of service-learning courses or engagement with organizations at the 2023 Purdue Engagement and Service-Learning Summit.

Engaged Purdue faculty, staff, student, and partner news + profiles + opportunities for development and recognition from the Office of Engagement.

Through her service-learning sociology course, Lindsay Hamm works to equip Boilermakers with tools to tackle the problems of today and build a better tomorrow.

Engaged Purdue faculty, staff, student, and partner news + profiles + opportunities for development and recognition from the Office of Engagement.

Five extraordinary Purdue employees, who give back to their communities in meaningful ways, have been named Purdue’s 2023 Jefferson Award winners.

Purdue’s Giant Leaps aren’t restricted to West Lafayette; sites across the state of Indiana are critical.

Helping university units and employees engage Purdue with local business and community leaders through membership with Greater Lafayette Commerce.

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning & International Engagement currently accepting proposals and articles for consideration in its tenth volume.

Q&A with Sherrie Steiner, PhD, assistant professor of sociology in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at Purdue University Fort Wayne and former Scholarship of Engagement Fellow.

Faculty like Case leverage persistence, innovation, and Purdue resources to create reciprocal relationships with community partners addressing societal challenges.

Save the date for the March 2, 2023 annual Engagement & Service-Learning Summit.
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The Office of Engagement at Purdue University has selected 9 Purdue instructors for the spring 2023 Service-Learning fellows cohort.

As a professor in the School of Industrial Engineering, Bob Kenley dedicates himself to engaging with the world outside of the abstract.

View or download the Purdue Engagement In Brief booklet to learn how we connect the university with communities and individuals in partnerships to make the world a more equitable, resilient and prosperous place for all, at home and across the globe. 

Engaged Purdue faculty, staff, student, and partner news + profiles + opportunities for development and recognition from the Office of Engagement.

The 9th volume of the Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement (PJSL) is now available.

Student proposals and articles are currently being accepted for consideration in the Fall 2023 Purdue Journal of Service-Learning & International Engagement issue (Vol. 10).

Purdue earns top institutional leadership award for engagement; described as a “stunning example of an institution that has, at the senior most level, acknowledged, recognized, and championed community engagement.”

Lindsey Payne, director of service-learning for the Office of Engagement and assistant professor of practice in environmental and ecological engineering, and Kim Illingworth, assistant dean for learning and assessment and professor of pharmacy practice, received the inaugural Teaching Catalyst Award at the annual Celebration of Teaching Excellence.

Pamela Sari’s interest in service-learning first blossomed while pursuing her doctorate degree at Purdue.

Engaged Purdue faculty, staff, student, and partner news + profiles + opportunities for development and recognition from the Office of Engagement.

Purdue Center for Regional Development (PCRD) in partnership with the Economic Development Administration (EDA) will work for three years to collect data from 21 BBBRC coalitions.