Butler Center to honor five alumnae as Distinguished Women Scholars on Friday

Five Purdue alumnae from four colleges will be recognized as 2017 Distinguished Women Scholars for their exceptional contributions to their fields and impressive leadership.

The Office of the Provost and the Butler Center for Leadership Excellence will honor the alumnae during an award ceremony at 2 p.m. Friday (March 10) in Purdue Memorial Union, Room 118, with a welcoming address by Provost Deba Dutta. This celebration is free and open to the public.

The five 2017 awardees from the colleges of Agriculture, Engineering, Liberal Arts, and Science are:

* Caula Beyl earned her PhD in 1979 from the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture in the College of Agriculture. She currently is the dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at the University of Tennessee. 

* Kristine Blair earned her PhD in 1994 in the Department of English, specifically in rhetoric and composition. She currently serves as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Youngstown State University.

* Yael Edan earned her PhD in 1990 from the School of Industrial Engineering. She is a professor in industrial engineering at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel.

* Vicki McCracken earned her PhD in 1984 from the Department of Agricultural Economics. She currently is associate director and professor in the School of Economic Sciences at Washington State University.

* Marcy Towns earned her PhD in 1994 from the Department of Chemistry and returned to Purdue in 2006. She is a professor of chemistry and director of General Chemistry.

According to Patrice M. Buzzanell, Butler Chair and director of the Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence, "we bookmark these amazing women’s lives from the time they graduated from Purdue to their current positions but the space between is filled with so many accomplishments. These five 2017 Distinguished Women Scholars are not only known nationally and internationally for their accomplishments in their content areas of expertise, but also are recognized as effective teachers, outstanding administrators, and generous mentors. Their contributions and the ways they act as role models to all of us are nothing short of inspiring.”

Buzzanell, herself a Purdue doctoral alumna, continued, “Whether you know any of these women or are in their departments or colleges, I encourage everyone to come and listen to their stories. Our Butler Center has made the Distinguished Women Scholars celebration a signature event. There always is laughter, good food, plenty of photo ops, and a moment in our regular routines to recognize how fortunate we are to be members of our institution.” 

For more information about the program, contact Buzzanell at buzzanel@purdue.edu or Tamara Hoffman at hoffm100@purdue.edu or 765-494-9879.