Alumnus who is business executive, civic leader keynotes commencement

Alumnus Ronald W. Dollens shares insight from his experiences in executive leadership with graduates during the summer commencement in Purdue's Elliott Hall of Music. (Purdue University photo/John Underwood) Download image

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. —Purdue pharmacy alumnus Ronald W. Dollens, retired president and chief executive officer of Guidant Corp., and chairman of the board of Halyard Health, spoke at Purdue’s summer commencement ceremony on Saturday (Aug. 4).  

Dollens, formerly president of medical devices and diagnostics at Eli Lilly & Co., is a director of the Regenstrief Foundation. He has been a director for the Alliance for Aging Research, a director of the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, a trustee of Butler University and is past chairman of the United Way of Central Indiana.

Dollens had an advisory role for the Purdue School of Pharmacy, Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering and Stanford Advisory Council on Interdisciplinary Biosciences.

About 1,341 students were eligible for degrees, with 453 undergraduates, 894 graduate and seven professional program students eligible to participate in the ceremony, which took place in Elliott Hall of Music. Four undergraduate posthumous awards were presented.

President Mitch Daniels attended the ceremony, and Nora Kiesler from Louisville, Kentucky, gave the student response. Kiesler, captain of the 2018-19 women’s basketball team, received a bachelor’s degree in management and marketing. She completed her undergraduate degree in three years and was Academic All-Big Ten in 2017 and 2018.

Commencement videos will be available for $30 per DVD. Order forms can be obtained at the Stewart Center’s Loeb Playhouse box office, online at

http://www.purdue.edu/commencement/documents/DVD_Form.pdf, or by calling 765-494-3933. Forms may be submitted within two weeks of the event.   

Writer: Tim Doty, 765-496-2571, doty2@purdue.edu 

Source: Christine Pass, 765-494-6163, dehahn@purdue.edu