A Message from Jay

Dear Colleagues,

As we wrap up finals week, and I wrap up my first month without “interim” in my job title, I just wanted to say thank you for another outstanding semester at Purdue. Recognizing the accomplishments of our outstanding faculty and staff has been a highlight for me over these first few months. Distinguished and named professors, research awards, Title IX awards, Violet Haas and Leadership in Action awards, faculty service anniversaries, clerical and service staff anniversaries — the truly remarkable accomplishments, leadership and service of our faculty and staff are both inspirational and humbling.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank those of you who sent me messages of encouragement and support when I was named provost and chief diversity officer. Your kindness is much appreciated and I can’t tell you how honored I am to serve in this role. In addition, I have appreciated your support and patience as our office worked to keep things moving forward during the transition period while I was interim. My deepest thanks to the entire team in the Provost’s Office for the work they did during this time. I have also enjoyed collaborating with our academic deans to keep college-level initiatives moving during the transition. I continue to appreciate their leadership and their commitment to their colleges and to Purdue.

All that said, I am looking forward to the new year and developing a strategic agenda to help focus our efforts so that we can take Purdue to even higher levels of excellence and impact. In my interview seminar, I talked about working with you to build the world’s leading example of the 21st century land-grant university — a global model of excellence in the land-grant missions of learning, discovery and engagement. I captured some of the key elements of that goal in four themes that, for me, undergird the successful 21st century land-grant: excellence and innovation; access and success; affordability; and a climate of inclusion and respect. We have many initiatives already in motion that support these themes, but there is much more we can do in each of these areas to make them more than words on a page.

I want to work with you in the spring to develop these ideas further, to identify those actions/investments/changes that will have the greatest impact and help us move our University to even higher levels of excellence. While I have been around this University for a long time, I have much to learn from you about how the Provost’s Office can support your highest aspirations and bring this idea of defining the 21st century land-grant university to life.

I wish you much success wrapping up your semester. And I wish each of you the very best of the holidays and hope you have a wonderful winter break. I am very excited about the prospects of the new year and what we can accomplish together.

All the best,
Jay

December 13, 2017