Top 5 stories from Purdue University

‘Purdue News Now’

The ribbon is cut on a new residence hall and summer commencement is Saturday. Trevor Peters has this and all the latest Boilermaker news in this week’s edition of “Purdue News Now.”

Plus, check out five good stories below you may have missed.

New USDA location in Indianapolis to complement Purdue agricultural research, programs

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has selected Indianapolis as one of five hub locations to relocate the agency’s staff and other resources from the Washington, D.C., area. The hubs were chosen based on their proximity to the agricultural community and more affordable cost of living for USDA employees, saving taxpayer dollars. The move to Indianapolis puts USDA resources closer to Purdue University’s widely recognized agricultural research and educational and community outreach programs. Since launching its expansion in Indiana’s capital last year, Purdue continues to increase its presence in Indianapolis, positioning the university as a catalyst for innovation and economic development.

Media contact: Derek Schultz, schul221@purdue.edu

IBJ Media’s Indiana 250 features Purdue executives, trustees and alumni among Indiana’s most influential leaders

From agriculture to civic leadership and from higher education to life sciences, Purdue University is well represented in IBJ Media’s annual Indiana 250, which highlights the state’s most impactful and influential leaders. Purdue’s 2025 honorees include President Mung Chiang; President Emeritus Mitch Daniels; Dan Hasler, chief operating officer, Purdue University in Indianapolis; Philip Low, Purdue’s Presidential Scholar for Drug Discovery; three members of the Purdue University Board of Trustees — Sonny Beck, JoAnn Brouillette and Dave Ricks — and numerous alumni. The overall Indiana 250 list for 2025 comprises primarily business leaders, including executives who are guiding the state’s largest and most important public and private companies and institutions. Purdue is represented in all 10 categories.

Media contact: Erin Murphy, ermurphy@purdue.edu

Governor reappoints trustees to Purdue board; appoints next student trustee

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has reappointed three current members, on three-year terms, to the Purdue University Board of Trustees and appointed the next student trustee on the standard two-year term for student trustees. Lawrence “Sonny” Beck, Malcolm DeKryger and Shawn Taylor were reappointed, and Reagan Koester will serve as the student trustee. Koester of Wadesville, Indiana, is an undergraduate student in the College of Agriculture studying agribusiness with a concentration in agribusiness management. Among her myriad campus activities, she served as president and central committee directing co-chair of the Purdue University Rising Professionals and serves as a board member of the Student Organization Grant Allocation. Koester is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority and on the Student Life Advisory Board. She also serves on the Ag Week Task Force and as an ambassador for the Department of Agricultural Economics Envoy.

Media contact: Erin Murphy, ermurphy@purdue.edu

Renowned Purdue drug discovery scholar Philip Low to give summer commencement address

Philip Low, Purdue’s Presidential Scholar for Drug Discovery and the Ralph C. Corley Distinguished Professor of Chemistry in the College of Science, will deliver the address at Purdue’s two summer commencement ceremonies Aug. 9 at Elliott Hall of Music. Low (rhymes with “now”) is a prolific innovator, holding 101 U.S.-issued patents through the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization. He has co-founded seven companies to bring his discoveries to market and recently formed and funded the Low Institute for Therapeutics to accelerate the transfer of his laboratory’s most promising discoveries into human use. He also serves as a faculty member in the Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery and the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research.

Media contact: Erin Murphy, ermurphy@purdue.edu

Purdue unveils charitable pharmacy to expand critical medication access in Indiana

Purdue University unveiled the newly established Purdue Patterson-McCallum-Mareta Charitable Pharmacy on Thursday (July 24), at Gleaners Food Bank’s south Indianapolis facility, marking a major step forward in improved access to essential medications for Indiana residents.
The charitable pharmacy, slated to open in the fall, originated from a partnership between Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana and the Purdue College of Pharmacy’s Center for Health Excellence, Quality and Innovation, and is designed to be a safe, trusted space where all individuals receive accessible, high-quality pharmacy-based care. It’s located at Gleaners’ southwest Indianapolis facility to allow clients to receive both food and essential medications in a single visit.

Media contact: Erin Murphy, ermurphy@purdue.edu

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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.