Purdue College of Liberal Arts asks students to ‘leave your footprint’ at 150th event

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue College of Liberal Arts has scheduled a series of events from Monday to Friday (Aug. 19-23) to celebrate Purdue’s sesquicentennial, “150 Years of Giant Leaps.”

The highlight of the week’s festivities will be a painting where students are invited to literally leave their footprint, creating a 72x24-foot design that celebrates the intersection between liberal arts and other campus units. The foot-painting station will be available on Purdue Memorial Mall from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday through Thursday (Aug. 19-22) and from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday (Aug. 23). On Friday afternoon, the segments of the painting will be assembled to publicly reveal the full design.

On Wednesday (Aug. 21), the College of Liberal Arts will host an outdoor screening of the 2019 live-action version of Disney’s “Aladdin” on Memorial Mall at 8:45 p.m. The event will be free and open to students and families alike. The college will also provide free popcorn.

In addition, organizers used smartphone scavenger hunt app Goosechase to create “missions” that highlight the departments within the college and showcase how liberal arts works. The Android or iPhone app can be downloaded to participate in next week’s events. The game code is Y6W1L9 and it will be available on Monday. Missions will feature liberal arts trivia, encourage them to attend the week’s planned activities, and celebrate Purdue traditions.

The Giant Leaps Sesquicentennial Campaign is a yearlong exploration of some of the world’s most pressing problems and Purdue’s mandate to be part of the solutions. The 150th anniversary celebration launched last September during Homecoming and will conclude with an astronaut reunion in October at Homecoming 2019. The emphasis is on a series of Ideas Festival events addressing four areas: space exploration, artificial intelligence, health and longevity, and sustainable economy and planet.

The College of Liberal Arts’ celebratory week will feature many other games and activities, including daily snack giveaways and department-specific events. More information is available online. 

Purdue News Service: Joseph Paul, 765-494-9541, paul102@purdue.edu 

Source: Kati Pratt, 765-496-7276, katipratt@purdue.edu