Fund established in Fareed Nader's name will help graduate students overcome adversity

Purdue Civil Engineering gave him a tremendous opportunity to succeed. Now, in his memory, a new fund for graduate students has been established to help do the same.

In 2022, the Lyles School of Civil Engineering and Rosemarie Nader established a new endowment in honor of Rosemarie’s husband and Purdue University alumnus, Fareed Nader (PhD 1973). The aim of the endowment is to provide support for civil engineering graduate students — particularly those who have overcome adversity in their lives.

“I wanted this fund to go to those who may not have had the easiest path to earning their master’s or PhD,” Rosemarie Nader said. “Obviously, if they’re at Purdue, they have already proven to be rather successful at overcoming adversity and so I want this to help them even further so they can continue to persevere and ultimately make an impact in the world.”

After earning his PhD in surveying and mapping in 1973, Nader worked for the Federal Aviation Administration before beginning his 35-year teaching career. He taught surveying and photogrammetry at the University of Hawaii for five years before securing a position at California State University, Fresno (CSUF) where he was a professor and taught geomatics engineering for 30 years.

During his career, Nader earned many accolades, including his appointment as the second chairman of the CSUF Department of Geomatics, organizing and overseeing the 1984 International Surveying Teachers’ Conference held at CSUF. He was the recipient of numerous teaching awards including: Instructor of the Year Award in Surveying; Dean’s Leadership Award for Outstanding Service to the School of Engineering and Computer Science; and California Land Surveyors’ Association Honorary Land Surveyor’s License No. 2. In 2008, he was named professor emeritus for geomatics engineering.

And while his career led him to the other side of the country, Purdue University was always near and dear to him, his wife said.

“I don’t think a week went by where Fareed didn’t bring up his time spent at Purdue,” Rosemarie Nader said. “It was always first and foremost in his mind. And when he passed last year, I was just so touched when Purdue reached out as well as Dr. Mikhail. Purdue has always made us feel special and connected no matter how long it has been since we last visited and I will always appreciate that. I truly believe this endowment is what he would want and I cannot think of a better way to honor his memory and his love for Purdue.”