50th Anniversary Celebration

"It has been a spectacular 50 years. In 1955, Purdue was one of the first universities in the nation to recognize the necessity of educating future leaders in the growing world of industry and management."

"The School of Industrial Engineering quickly established itself as a national and state leader and created an economic force. The impact of the school continues to benefit the state's economic development efforts through its partnerships with business.

Purdue's industrial engineering school is the only accredited industrial engineering program in Indiana. It is regularly ranked one of the best in the nation. This year U.S. News and World Report ranked its undergraduate program second and its graduate program fourth.

When industrial engineering was established at Purdue, we had seven faculty and 13 students. Since that time, we have grown to 28 faculty members, 423 undergraduate and 185 graduate students. The school has graduated more than 6,900 engineers. The Purdue School of Industrial Engineering has been moving toward preeminence since its inception."

- President Martin Jischke (speaking to over 200 alumni, faculty, and guests at the 50th Anniversary Celebration held on October 14, 2005.)