Purdue University celebrates record-breaking participation on 12th Purdue Day of Giving

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After celebrating a record number of gifts during its 12th annual Day of Giving on Wednesday (April 30), Purdue University continues to set the standard for single-day fundraising in American higher education.

Boilermakers around the globe were encouraged to “give back to the Old Gold and Black” throughout the 24-hour online, social media-driven fundraising effort, and their collective contributions brought in $105.1 million through 36,875 gifts for the university — bringing Purdue Day of Giving’s cumulative total since its launch in 2014 to $602.1 million.

“Today, we are celebrating another successful Purdue Day of Giving and the sense of unity and pride it brings to Boilermakers around the globe, with the special momentum of announcing the Campaign Steering Committee,” said Purdue President Mung Chiang. “I am excited to continue the tradition of running with students around campus. To everyone who shared their resources and their school spirit: You are the heroes who will make victories possible for the next chapter of the university’s legacy. It is your generosity that helps us support students and colleagues, strengthens our global reputation of excellence at scale, and advances the university’s strategic initiatives, especially in One Health-related areas in this year’s Day of Giving. The number of gifts is a new record, reflecting the enthusiastic support from alumni, staff and students.”

Purdue Day of Giving encompasses all the university’s locations — Purdue’s main campus (West Lafayette, Indianapolis and online), Purdue Fort Wayne, Purdue Northwest and Purdue Global. In addition to the money raised from donors, participating programs competed for cash prizes through more than 30 different challenges.

All gifts on Purdue Day of Giving are donor-directed, meaning donors choose the areas and initiatives that receive their support. Beginning with this year’s Purdue Day of Giving, contributions to non-Athletics units also qualify for priority points through the John Purdue Club — the fundraising arm of Purdue Athletics — offering donors more ways to engage with and support Purdue while strengthening the university’s philanthropic impact.

Gifts came in from all 50 states and ranged from $10 to $20 million, including:

• $20 million from Philip Low, Purdue’s Ralph C. Corley Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, and his wife, Joan, supporting the creation of the Low Institute for Therapeutics, which will work toward accelerating lifesaving therapeutics from the lab into the world
• $20 million from Greg (BS pharmacy ’99) and Amy Baker supporting research in the College of Pharmacy and the university’s One Health initiative
• $8 million from Sam (BS management ’75, HDR management ’17) and Marsha Allen (BS health and human sciences ’75) supporting the Mitch Daniels School of Business, including $5 million to name a new laboratory within the school and $3 million to name the directorship of the Brock-Wilson Center for Women in Business
• $5 million from the Jean and Bernas Downing Charitable Trust supporting Purdue Extension to establish the Downing Endowment for Community Vitality
• $1.49 million from Michael Humnicky (BS physics ’70, BS management ’71) supporting Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies, the College of Science, and study-abroad initiatives
• $300,000 from Cynthia (BA English ’72) and William Smith III (BSCHE ’69) supporting the Purdue Military Research Institute and an additional $40,000 to support graduate student research into rare earth metals
• A leadership gift from Barry Odom, Purdue head football coach, and his wife, Tia, supporting various campus partners
• $2,500 from Cheryl (MS youth development and agricultural education ’81) and Kemal Altinkemer, including $1,000 to support the Center for Families within the College of Health and Human Sciences
• $600 from Julie Bowman (BA French teaching ’73) supporting study-abroad scholarships within the College of Liberal Arts
• $15 from Ishita Mukadam, a freshman in the College of Engineering, supporting Engineers Without Borders at Purdue in Indianapolis

Continuing his tradition, President Chiang led dozens of students in a run through campus — beginning at the steps of Hovde Hall and ending at the Purdue Memorial Union lawn.

New this year, a gift from Jeannie (BS pharmacy ’61) and Jim Chaney allowed two students to each earn a $10,000 scholarship during the Purdue Day of Giving After Dark student event. Isabella Bartol, a sophomore nursing student, and Adeesh Mahesh Desai, a master’s student in robotics, were the recipients.

This year’s student event took place in the evening inside the Córdova Recreational Sports Center, where students were able to experience a night of neon — complete with glow-in-the-dark games and attractions, free food from Boilermaker favorites, and a one-of-a-kind LED performance.

Throughout the day, students had the opportunity to learn about the university’s next comprehensive campaign, “Victories & Heroes: Your Campaign for Purdue” — a bold initiative to invest in the long-term future of the university. Student leaders handed out flyers outlining the importance of philanthropy and how it impacts students. All gifts made during Purdue Day of Giving counted toward the campaign.

The following individuals were announced as the steering committee chairs for “Victories & Heroes”: Purdue trustee Vanessa Castagna (BS psychology, speech and communication ’71) of Naples, Florida; John (BSIE ’71, HDR ’06) and Fran Edwardson of Winnetka, Illinois; and Bill Elmore (BSEE ’75, MSEE ’76) of Palo Alto, California. See the full list of members here.

The steering committee will provide leadership and strategic guidance throughout the five-year campaign; additional members will be appointed to support continued advancement.

“Even though I have been a longtime donor on Purdue Day of Giving, this was my first time being part of the campuswide team that makes the magic happen,” said Julie Dussliere (BA Russian, political science, English ’94), president and CEO of the Purdue for Life Foundation. “Every gift on this day — no matter the size — makes an impact and creates countless opportunities for Boilermakers to take their next giant leaps, and I am ever grateful to everyone who participated.”

To view highlights from Purdue Day of Giving, including the leaderboards and winners of the hourly challenges, visit dayofgiving.purdue.edu. 

About the Purdue for Life Foundation

The Purdue for Life Foundation helps people who love Purdue stay connected, get involved and give back. Created in March 2020, the foundation deepens alumni ties to Purdue, drives and coordinates all alumni-related activities across the Purdue family’s postgraduation lives, and works with alumni and friends to garner support for the university.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.