2021 Special Boilermaker Award recipients announced

 
The Purdue for Life Foundation has named Susan Huffman, Martia King and Venetria Patton recipients of the 2021 Special Boilermaker Award for their dedication to Purdue.

Established in 1981, the award honors a member of the Purdue faculty or staff who has contributed significantly to the improvement of the quality of life and/or the betterment of the educational experience for a substantial number of Purdue students.

Matt Folk, president and CEO of the Purdue for Life Foundation, presented the winners with pewter locomotive sculptures on the field at Ross-Ade Stadium during the Purdue vs. Wisconsin game on Oct. 23.

Huffman is assistant director of on-campus housing and Purdue alumna. Her nominators wrote, “She works more into a day than most could in a week. Her skills as a listener and solver prevent untold numbers of students from slipping between the cracks.”

King is director of student involvement in the Student Activities and Organization office. According to her nominators, “She challenges students to do what is right but always has a shoulder to cry on. Her unwavering loyalty to and love for students is authentic and enduring.”

Patton was formerly the head of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies in the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue. She recently became the Harry E. Preble Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “For nearly two decades, she has been the center of efforts to help the University community live up to its potential for equity,” her nominators wrote. “She is known for getting things done from start to finish.”

Purdue for Life accepts nominations for the Special Boilermaker Award from March 1 until June 1. Nominations may be made by any person or group affiliated with Purdue — students, faculty, staff or alumni. The names of recipients are inscribed on the recognition obelisk on Purdue Mall and on a plaque in the Dick and Sandy Dauch Alumni Center.

For more information about the award, contact Courtney Magnuson, senior director of outreach and volunteerism, at cmmagnuson@purdueforlife.org.