Book of Great Teachers
The Book of Great Teachers, a permanent display in the west foyer of the Purdue Memorial Union, is an extension of Academy Park. It was dedicated on April 23, 1999.
The book bears the names of 428 faculty members, past and present, who have devoted their lives to excellence in teaching and scholarship. They were chosen by their students and their peers as Purdue’s finest educators. The nomination for inclusion in this book is repeated every five years.
Among the faculty members listed in The Book of Great Teachers are:
- Herbert Brown, professor emeritus of chemistry and winner of the 1979 Nobel Prize in chemistry, who is internationally recognized for his contributions to the field of synthetic organic chemistry.
- Lillian Gilbreth, professor emeritus of industrial psychology and renowned researcher in time-motion studies, who served the University first as visiting professor of industrial engineering in 1924 and later as professor of management from 1935 to 1948.
- Michael Golden, professor and later head of practical mechanics, who came to Purdue in the 1880s. He was a great teacher at Purdue back when faculty challenged students to a football game each year and was known to be as tough on the gridiron as in the classroom.
- Mary Matthews, professor of domestic economy, who served the University for 40 years and was the founding dean of the School of Home Economics in 1926, which was later renamed the College of Consumer and Family Sciences.
- Andrey Potter, dean of engineering from 1920 to 1953, largely credited with leading Purdue to its position among the top engineering schools of the world.
The most recent induction ceremony took place in December 2018. For a full list of inducted faculty, click here.
Faculty on the West Lafayette campus with 10 years of service to the University and who have been previously awarded the Charles B. Murphy Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, or recognized as Indiana Professor of the Year, or named by the trustees as distinguished professors for teaching are automatically included in The Book.
PWL faculty nominees without the awards above must have 15 years of service to the University to be considered for inclusion in The Book.
Nominations are now being accepted and are due Fri., April 28 2023. Nominations can be made here: https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eaIdVnQmYtq6FtX
For any questions, email cie@purdue.edu