Winter commencement Dec. 15 brought a new milestone as the number of living Purdue Engineering alumni reached more than 100,000. Mung Chiang, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering, said, “Our goal is to turn the Boilermaker Engineering alumni community into the premier alumni network in the world.”

As part of that effort, the College next week will launch Boilermaker Engineers’ Connection (BEC), a monthly e-newsletter for alumni, consisting of short videos about “The Classroom,” “The Lab” and “The Mentors.”

“We want our alumni to know how much we appreciate their involvement and support, and we aim to engage with them even more deeply and valuably,” Chiang said. This newsletter is one of the several new channels to communicate with all alumni about the intellectual life at Purdue Engineering.” 

He noted that alumni were instrumental in helping Purdue Engineering this year become the first engineering college in any public university to raise more than $1 billion in a single campaign, based on its contributions to Purdue’s Ever True fundraising effort.

120 Small Steps to Engineering Excellence will celebrate 120 Boilermaker achievements and the Pinnacle of Excellence at Scale.

Gearing up for 2020

Building on momentum generated this year, Purdue Engineering will kick off 2020 by launching a yearlong 120th anniversary observance. Called “120 Small Steps to Engineering Excellence,” it will celebrate 120 Boilermaker achievements and the Pinnacle of Excellence at Scale. The Purdue community can look forward to signature events by Purdue Engineering Initiatives, thought leadership blogs and podcasts, and alumni/partner engagement activities. Coinciding with the celebration, Purdue Engineering Open Bytes™, a unique collection of engineering educational resources, will become available online, for free or at low cost, to anyone in the world.

Leading the College’s progress through its next year will be Mark Lundstrom, the Don and Carol Scifres Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, named to serve as acting dean beginning Dec. 16, 2019, while Chiang spends a year on leave to serve in the U.S. Government as the Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State and the Chief Global Technology Officer in the Department of State.

“Mark is a truly amazing colleague,” Chiang said. “Working with the college and the university leadership team, he will lead Purdue Engineering to a fantastic 2020 and to the Pinnacle of Excellence at Scale.”

Lundstrom, in his 40th year on the College’s faculty after receiving a PhD from Purdue Engineering, said: “It is a great honor to serve as acting dean of engineering for the next 12 months. I’ll do my best to continue the strong trajectory that Mung has set us on, and I look forward to working with the College’s exceptional people – faculty, students, staff, and alumni – as we climb to the next level.”