Jim and Carol Cure look at the world through a wide-angle lens. They pay close attention to where their help is most needed, now and into the future. They have given selflessly of their time and resources to Purdue and faith-based causes.

"We’ve been extraordinarily blessed," Jim (BSCE '75) says. "I feel that we wouldn't have what we have if I hadn't gotten my education at Purdue. It's opened so many doors for me."

Jim's wife, Carol, sums up the couple's attitude toward giving: "We have an overall philosophy that none of us owns anything. Everything is on loan, and we hand it off to the next generation."

Boilermaker Blood

A Martinsville, Indiana, native, Jim came from a family of Purdue alumni. Four of his siblings are Purdue grads, and his father, William Cure (BSEE '39), was a Purdue engineer.

Jim started at Purdue in 1965 but deferred his education to join the Navy in early 1968. After four years as a communications technician, he returned to Purdue. A leader on campus, he was president of the student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

He graduated in 1975 with his civil engineering degree focused on construction management. In 2007, he retired after seven years as president of Advanced Technology Group, a provider of specialized architectural and mechanical services, based in Hillsboro, Oregon. Currently he is a partner of Curetech LLC, a construction consulting firm in Beaverton, Oregon.

Support for High-Achieving Faculty, Students

The Cures have contributed $2 million that will benefit the students in the Lyles School of Civil Engineering. It will fund both the Jim and Carol Cure Professorship in Civil Engineering and the Civil Engineering Advisory Council Scholarship.

Among those most grateful for the Cures' gift is Rao "G.S." Govindaraju, the Bowen Engineering Head of Civil Engineering and Christopher B. and Susan S. Burke Professor of Civil Engineering.

"An important tenet of our school's strategic plan is to recruit and retain high-performing faculty who interact with students in areas of discovery, learning and engagement to create leaders of tomorrow," Govindaraju says. "Our goal is to have 15 named professorships in the school by 2019. The Cures' gift directly aids our efforts to amplify our impact on society."

The Cures decided to name their scholarship for the school's Advisory Council, to encourage its members to contribute. Jim says: "Ten years from now, whoever receives this scholarship will understand its meaning.
We want it to go to potential leaders in the industry - the cream of the crop. We want students to come to Purdue and maintain its high standing."