Perspectives Publication

A Word from Our Vice Provost:

When the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact Purdue University in March, so much of what makes up the Student Life experience was upended. Like so many of our colleagues at institutions of higher learning around the world, we were left wondering what our next steps would be. There is no playbook, no experience with a global pandemic that we can fall back on to guide us. What can use to guide us however, are the principles that make us who we are as Boilermakers. Innovation. Persistence. Doing the hard work necessary to ensure that our students get the experience they deserve. In this issue of Perspectives, we share the results of that work.

One year ago, we launched Steps to Leaps – a program focused on resiliency and well-being. The relevance of this program has been immediately put to the test in a profound way and the returns have been promising. We can see impact in the areas of student support, academic connection, research, assessment and communication. Steps to Leaps continues to adapt and push forward to offer programming and engage with students, faculty and staff.

The past nine months have required Student Life organizations to reimagine everything from the use of their physical spaces to the ways in which they offer programming. Recreation & Wellness, for example, made an immediate pivot to the online world to bring its offerings to Boilermakers wherever they were completing the spring semester – all while preparing for their successful reopening in time for fall semester. Resident assistants and Residential Life staff remained on campus to assist students who could not leave campus during the spring and have formed the backbone of the residence hall experience this fall. Purdue Musical Organizations and Bands & Orchestras have adapted with new equipment and performance venues to share the gifts of music with the campus community. The stories highlighted in these pages are but a small taste of success in the face of adversity throughout all of Student Life.

Student organizations have also helped ensure the success of this abnormal fall semester. In organizations like Purdue Student Union Board and Old Masters, we can see how students have been able to adapt to preserve generations of tradition and impact. PSUB and Old Masters, like many other organizations on campus, continue to find ways to execute their mission and provide meaningful experiences for the Purdue community. Finally, we also recognize some outstanding individuals who have earned local and national recognition.

These stories are a small sample of the continuing work Student Life is engaged in to provide Boilermakers with the meaningful experiences they crave that occur beyond the classroom. While we can’t predict what the immediate future may hold, we can always rely on our ability to innovate, persist and leave nothing undone in our pursuit of the next giant leap.

Thanks for reading and Hail Purdue!