Thankful. Boiler Gold Rush. Football, soccer and volleyball games. The College of Agriculture Scholarship Dinner. Ag Council’s Ice Cream Social and Ag Olympics. These are all events that have taken place in person this semester, and it has been a lot of fun.  

Let’s not forget what else is happening on campus – studying, assignments, exams and last minute scrambles to finish projects – all the things associated with being a student.  

I am so proud of our students who continue to balance the hard work in the classroom while participating in various activities, volunteering in the community and completing internships.  

Our College of Agriculture students can be found at many events across campus – often leading the way – whether it is being on the student government or a member of the Board of Trustees, leading the Purdue Grand Prix, participating in Old Masters and Rising Professionals, or hosting events through the Purdue Foundation Student Board.   

It never fails to amaze me how involved our College is in the life of the University. 

Our students are leaders not only while they are on campus but also after they graduate. I think most of you can look around and see the impact of Purdue Agriculture and our graduates within your community, across Indiana and around the world.  

Why can our students be so involved?  

I hear repeatedly from our students who say, “I have time to do this because of my scholarship.”  

The generosity of our donors allows for our students to excel in and out of the classroom. This year, we awarded $2.4 million in scholarships to 1,390 students in the College of Agriculture. That is almost half of our students. What can I say but WOW. 

But, it does not end there. In order for our students to be their very best, we need faculty and staff who are the very best. Through the generosity of an anonymous donor, five years ago we embarked on the Endowed Chair Challenge, which provided matching funds for 10 new endowed faculty chairs.  

This year we completed the Challenge filling all 10 with current or planned endowed chairs across five different departments. This ensures that we are able to recruit and retain faculty who are at the cutting edge in research and who believe that discovery, learning and engagement are critical to the land grant mission.

When I go home for Thanksgiving break this year, I have much to be thankful for. A college that is responsible for the food that we all enjoy over the holidays and the very best students, faculty and staff in the University supported by an amazing set of alumni and donors.

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 24-26: Thanksgiving Break (No Classes)

February 5, 2022: Purdue Ag Alumni Fish Fry

March 3-4, 2022: Indiana Small Farm Conference 

Former U.S. Surgeon General named Presidential Fellow

Dr. Jerome Adams, former Indiana state health commissioner and the 20th U.S. surgeon general, joined Purdue University on Oct. 1 as a Presidential Fellow and the university’s first executive director of health equity initiatives, professor of practice in the departments of Pharmacy Practice and Public Health and a faculty member of the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering at Purdue.