Ever True campaign

With a gift the evening of June 13 from the deanship’s namesake, John A. Edwardson (BSIE ’71, HDR ’06), and his wife Fran, “We became the first engineering college in any public university to raise more than $1 billion in a single campaign,” Dean Mung Chiang said. “We say to our alumni and friends with all our heart: ‘Thank You!’”

The development team emphasized that because Purdue is a land-grant public institution, every gift counts and that Purdue Engineering will continue to rely on the generosity and goodwill of its supporters to attain the Pinnacle of Excellence at Scale.

“Philanthropy is increasingly important to Purdue due to the growth in student enrollment; faculty research; program innovation; and impact on Indiana, the country and the globe,” Chiang said.

“The College’s fundraising success, 47 percent above the target of $700 million, would not have been possible without the kindness of thousands of alumni, friends, corporations, students and foundations,” said Alyssa Wilcox, senior associate vice president for advancement with the Purdue Research Foundation. “Also important to note is that all of the individual schools and divisions surpassed their targets, and dollar goals for students, faculty, facilities, programs, and unrestricted support were exceeded.” 

The College received numerous meaningful gifts, in general and through countless transformative commitments that allowed the naming of schools, centers, facilities and programs, as well as professorships, scholarships and graduate fellowships.

The campaign, which kicked off under the outstanding direction of former Dean Leah H. Jamieson, now Purdue’s Ransburg Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, also garnered a high overall donor number.

“Our alumni are very proud to be Boilermakers,” said Chiang. “This is a special, uplifting place where people from ordinary backgrounds are enabled to pursue extraordinary dreams.”