October 7, 2005

Alumni gift to jump-start Purdue's Human Development Institute

Bill and Sally Hanley

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University's new Human Development Institute, which will be the home for centers that promote research on families, aging and leadership, got a boost from a $3 million gift that was announced Friday (Oct. 7).

The Bill and Sally Hanley Hall will house the Human Development Institute, which will include programs and centers from the College of Consumer and Family Sciences and the College of Agriculture. The naming is subject to ratification by the university's board of trustees.

"The Hanley family has been generous toward the university in countless ways, and their generosity will inspire others to share their commitment," said President Martin C. Jischke at the annual President's Council dinner. "Their name on this building serves to remind the entire community of their hard work and support. I am extremely grateful to them for all they have done."

Sally (Berner) Hanley, a 1961 home economics and child development graduate, and her husband, William Hanley, a 1960 industrial management graduate, live in Omaha, Neb., but have remained active at Purdue. They previously funded a professorship in gerontology.

As a Purdue student, Bill Hanley was a member of Phi Gamma Delta social fraternity, participated in NROTC, and was a student-athlete in golf and basketball. Sally Hanley was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. As an alumnus, Bill Hanley is serving as the Region 13 director on the Purdue Alumni Association board of directors.

Dennis Savaiano

Dennis Savaiano, dean of the College of Consumer and Family Sciences, said the gift was a major step in the creation of the Human Development Institute, which pairs his school with the College of Agriculture.

"This vision grew with faculty collaborators and our desire to integrate learning, discovery and engagement around families and children, so it's wonderful that we will soon see evidence of all our hard work," Savaiano said. "The types of projects that will be undertaken by the centers will benefit not only the university but also the state and the country."

The Human Development Institute will be housed in two buildings on the Purdue campus: the existing Fowler House and an adjacent new facility, the proposed Hanley Hall, which will be located immediately to the west of Fowler. Together, the two buildings will provide almost 50,000 assignable square feet of space.

The programs and centers in the Human Development Institute will focus on six areas:

• The Center on Aging and the Life Course is one of Purdue's newest centers. It brings together more than 50 faculty and 30 graduate students from 17 departments representing almost every academic area at Purdue. The Center on Aging and the Life Course will represent a new stage in the evolution of interdisciplinary research and education on aging.

• The Early Childhood Education Program and the Department of Child Development and Family Studies are national leaders in family studies, marriage and family therapy, and child development.

• The Department of Youth Development and Agricultural Education is a new academic department composed of agricultural education, agricultural communication and the academic unit of 4-H. Additional space in the new facility will house a universitywide youth development center.

• The Volunteer Leadership Development Center will offer a convenient location on the Purdue campus for essential leadership training. New resources and technology integrated in the building will enable the center to prepare adults who volunteer their time to community programs.

• The Center for Families conducts research and programming with a focus on improving the quality of life for families and strengthening the capacity of families to provide nurturing environments for their members. To accomplish this, the center works with Cooperative Extension educators, human service providers, employers and policy-makers.

• Interdisciplinary research space will accommodate universitywide collaborations such as those conducted by the Military Family Research Institute, a joint effort of the College of Consumer and Family Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and the Krannert School of Management. This initiative, funded by the Department of Defense, focuses on quality-of-life factors for military members and their families and is currently housed off-campus due to a lack of space.

"I'm doing this for my wife, but I'm proud to see both of our names associated with our alma mater," said Bill Hanley. "Since we retired, our basic mission has been to give back to the communities, organizations and people who were instrumental in our development. Also, we have nine grandchildren, three sons and three daughters-in-law, so it makes sense to promote a center that focuses on the family."

The announcement is part of a two-week celebration leading up to Purdue's Oct. 15 Homecoming. Events focus on ways Purdue is improving education and helping the state of Indiana as part of the university's strategic plan and $1.5 billion fund-raising campaign.

Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, maggiemorris@purdue.edu

Sources: Martin C. Jischke, (765) 494-9708

Dennis Savaiano, (765) 494-8213, savaiano@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Purdue Memorial Union ballrooms (ticket required). Journalists can interview donors at a VIP reception from 6-6:30 p.m., prior to the dinner.

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