A Comprehensive Look at Purdue University's History

Introduction

Purdue University, a public land-grant research university, has a rich history dating back to its establishment in 1869. From its origins as Indiana Agricultural College to its current status as a leading academic and research institution, Purdue has played a significant role in shaping higher education and technological advancements. This article delves into the university's history, covering its founding, early challenges, academic development, campus expansion, research contributions, student life, and recent developments.

Founding and Early Years

The story of Purdue University began with the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act of 1862, which enabled the Indiana General Assembly to establish an institution focused on agriculture and engineering. In 1865, the Indiana General Assembly voted to take advantage of the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act of 1862 and began plans to establish an institution with a focus on agriculture and engineering with the preliminary name of the Indiana Agricultural College. Several communities vied for the location of the new college, including proposals to designate Indiana University or Butler University as the land-grant institution or to add an agriculture department to Indiana State University. On May 6, 1869, the General Assembly officially established Purdue University in Tippecanoe County, named after its principal benefactor, John Purdue.

Classes commenced on September 16, 1874, with a small cohort of 39 students and six instructors. Professor John S. Hougham served as Purdue's first faculty member and acting president between the administrations of presidents Shortridge and White. By the end of 1874, the campus consisted of five buildings. The university awarded its first degree, a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, to Sarah D. Purdue in 1875.

Academic Development and Early Challenges

Emerson E. White, president from 1876 to 1883, adhered to a strict interpretation of the Morrill Act. White's efforts to differentiate Purdue from classical universities included a controversial attempt to ban fraternities, which was later overturned by the Indiana Supreme Court, leading to his resignation. Despite these challenges, Purdue continued to develop its academic programs. President Benjamin Harrison served on the board of trustees. Purdue's engineering laboratories included testing facilities for a locomotive, and for a Corliss steam engine-one of the most efficient engines of the time. Programs in education and home economics were soon established, as well as a short-lived school of medicine.

Campus Expansion and Key Figures

President Edward C. Elliott spearheaded a campus building program between the world wars. Inventor, alumnus, and trustee David E. Ross played a crucial role in fundraising, donating land, and establishing the Purdue Research Foundation. Ross's contributions supported projects such as Ross-Ade Stadium, the Memorial Union, a civil engineering surveying camp, and Purdue University Airport. Amelia Earhart joined the Purdue faculty in 1935 as a consultant for flight courses and as a counselor on women's careers.

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Research Contributions and World War II

During World War II, every school and department at Purdue participated in military research and training. In a project on radar receivers, Purdue physicists discovered properties of germanium that led to the creation of the first transistor. The Army and Navy conducted training programs at Purdue, and over 17,500 students, staff, and alumni served in the armed forces. Purdue established approximately one hundred centers throughout Indiana to train skilled workers for defense industries. After the war, veterans returning under the G.I. Bill led to the establishment of degree-granting regional campuses within the Purdue University system.

Post-War Growth and Modernization

Following World War II, a decade-long construction program focused on science and research. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Purdue established programs in veterinary medicine, industrial management, and nursing, as well as the first computer science department in the United States. Undergraduate humanities courses were strengthened, and graduate-level study in these areas was gradually established. The official seal of Purdue was inaugurated during the university's centennial in 1969.

Recent Developments

In recent years, Purdue's leadership has continued to support high-tech research and international programs. On July 1, 2024, Purdue launched Purdue University in Indianapolis, an extension of the West Lafayette campus, after the formal split of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. It conveys Purdue West Lafayette degrees and has the same academic rigor as the flagship campus.

Diversity and Inclusion

Purdue had black graduates by the 1890s, and in 1905 a Black man ran for its track team. But some time in the 1910s the teams became segregated, and remained so until a student protest in 1947. Black students were not allowed to live in the residence halls until the 1940s. Black males were able to live in cooperatives, but Black females were not allowed to live anywhere in West Lafayette. In 2025, in response to state-level executive orders aligning with directives issued by President Donald Trump, the university terminated its Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, saying that staff who had been a part of that office would have the chance to interview for current vacancies in other areas. The university also terminated the Recruitment and Diversity Office for the Polytechnic Institute, despite diversity only being a small part of the office's function. In June of that year, the Indiana General Assembly passed a state budget bill mandating that Indiana's public universities phase out programs that produce fewer than a certain number of graduates over a three-year period. As a result, Purdue eliminated or merged a number of master's and Ph.D.

Campus Overview

Purdue's campus is situated in the city of West Lafayette, near the western bank of the Wabash River, across which sits the larger city of Lafayette. Mitch Daniels Boulevard (formerly State Street) divides the northern and southern portions of campus. Academic buildings are mostly concentrated on the eastern and southern parts of campus, with residence halls and intramural fields to the west, and athletic facilities to the north. The Purdue Mall is the central quad of Purdue University and was created to connect the academic campus with Ross-Ade Stadium. It is also known as the Engineering Mall due to its proximity to several engineering buildings. The Purdue Bell Tower is between the Stadium and Centennial Malls. Southwest of the Stadium Mall is the Edward C. West of the Elliott Hall of Music is the Armory Building. The Purdue Memorial Mall, south of the Purdue Mall, is the original section of campus. Near this section of campus is Felix Haas Hall, which was constructed in 1909 as Memorial Gymnasium in memory of the 17 Purdue University football players, coaches, alumni, and fans who died in the Purdue Wreck railroad accident of 1903. The structure was renovated in 1985 to house the computer science department. University Hall is the only building remaining from the original six-building campus. Construction began in 1871, when the building was known as "The Main Building". The building was dedicated in 1877. University Hall originally housed the office of the president, a chapel, and classrooms. The area south of Mitch Daniels Boulevard is home to Purdue's agricultural, fine arts, life sciences, and veterinary buildings. The western portion of campus consists of student housing, dining, and recreation facilities. Much of the northern part of campus sits on land purchased for the university by industrialist David E. Ross and author George Ade in the 1920s. Many of Purdue's athletic facilities are there, including Ross-Ade Stadium (American football), Mackey Arena (basketball), and Lambert Fieldhouse (indoor track and field).

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Admissions and Academics

News & World Report categorizes Purdue University-West Lafayette as "more selective." For the Class of 2025 (enrolled fall 2021), Purdue received 59,173 applications and accepted 40,759 (68.9%). Of those accepted, 10,157 enrolled, a yield rate (the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university) of 24.9%. The university started test-optional admissions with the Fall 2021 incoming class in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has extended this through Fall 2023. Purdue University is a college-sponsor of the National Merit Scholarship Program and sponsored 88 Merit Scholarship awards in 2020. Purdue offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in over 211 major areas of study, and is well known for its competitive engineering curricula. The university has also been integral in America's history of aviation, having established the first college credit offered in flight training; the first four-year bachelor's degree in aviation; and the first university airport: Purdue University Airport. Purdue is organized into 10 colleges and schools. The Purdue University College of Engineering was established in 1874 with programs in Civil and Mechanical Engineering. Cassier's Magazine featured the Purdue University in its August 1892 edition. The university's Exploratory Studies program supports undergraduate students who enter the university without having a declared major. The College of Health and Human Sciences was established in 2010 and is the newest college. Purdue's College of Liberal Arts contains the arts, social sciences and humanities programs at the university. Liberal arts courses have been taught at Purdue since its founding in 1874. The School of Science, Education, and Humanities was formed in 1953. In 1963, the School of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education was established, although Bachelor of Arts degrees had begun to be conferred as early as 1959. In 1989, the School of Liberal Arts was created to encompass Purdue's arts, humanities, and social sciences programs, while education programs were split off into the newly formed School of Education. The Purdue Polytechnic Institute, formerly known as the College of Technology, offers bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees in a wide range of technology-related disciplines. With over 30,000 living alumni, it is one of the largest technology schools in the United States. The university's College of Science houses the university's science departments: Biological Sciences; Chemistry; Computer Science; Earth, Atmospheric, & Planetary Sciences; Mathematics; Physics & Astronomy; and Statistics. Purdue's John Martinson Honors College supports an honors program for undergraduate students at the university.

Research and Rankings

The university expended $622.814 million in support of research system-wide in 2017, using funds received from the state and federal governments, industry, foundations, and individual donors. The faculty and more than 400 research laboratories put Purdue University among the leading research institutions. Purdue University is considered by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education to have "very high research activity". Purdue also was rated the nation's fourth best place to work in academia, according to rankings released in November 2007 by The Scientist magazine. Purdue's researchers provide insight, knowledge, assistance, and solutions in many crucial areas. The Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP), a global research consortium focused on global economic governance challenges (trade, climate, resource use) is also coordinated by the university. The Purdue Research Park which opened in 1961 was developed by Purdue Research Foundation which is a private, nonprofit foundation created to assist Purdue.

Student Life and Traditions

About one-third of the single undergraduate students on the West Lafayette campus live in university-owned buildings. The rest live in fraternities, sororities, cooperatives, or private off-campus housing. Several campus-wide programs are planned by the Purdue Alumni Student Experience (part of the Alumni Association), Purdue Student Union Board, Purdue Student Government (PSG), or the Purdue Graduate Student Government (PGSG). Annual campus events include Boiler Gold Rush, Purdue University Dance Marathon, Spring Fest, and Grand Prix. Boiler Gold Rush (BGR) is Purdue's annual student orientation program and a sports pep rally. Purdue University Dance Marathon (PUDM) is an 18-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping, dance marathon; over 2,000 students participate and the event raises over $1 million annually for Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Spring Fest is an annual carnival with entertaining exhibits from many academic departments. A highlight of the weekend is the Entomology Department's Bug Bowl, where the sport of cricket spitting was invented in 1997. The Purdue Grand Prix, a 50-mile, 160-lap go-kart race ends Gala Week each year. All 33 participating karts are made from scratch by student teams. Purdue has a number of religious organizations on and near the campus. St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church serves the Catholic community at Purdue and the surrounding community.

Media and Communications

WBAA are radio station operations owned by and licensed to Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Media, with studios at the university, featuring three noncommercial stations: WBAA News, WBAA Classical, and WBAA Jazz. The stations can be heard on AM 920, 101.3 FM, and 105.9 FM. WBAA also broadcasts on HD Radio and digital platforms including wbaa.org and the WBAA app. Its studios are in the Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music on the Purdue campus, and the transmitters are in Lafayette, Indiana. WBAA is the longest continuously operating radio station in Indiana, having been licensed on April 4, 1922. WBAA is a NPR member station. Historically, there were three main campus radio stations at Purdue University which operated from residence halls: WCCR from Cary Quadrangle, WILY from Wiley Residence Hall, and WHHR from Harrison Residence Hall. No student radio stations currently broadcast on AM or FM frequencies and instead broadcast exclusively online. WHHR officially shut down operations in the mid-1990s following a lapse in funding, lack of student interest, and the shutdown of the Purdue Radio Network, and remained shuttered until the late-2000s, at which time most of the broadcast equipment, vinyl records, and items in the recording studio were sold off to raise funds for a revival. The second iteration of WHHR operated from around 2008 until sometime in either 2011 or 2012, when it again ceased operations. As of 2026, there have been one or two short-lived attempts to revive the station, but the studio remains empty and unused. In the early 1990s, WILY also had a lapse in funding and closed operations until sometime in the 2000s, when student interest generated funds and resurrected the station. Students are able to reserve time on WILY (now colloquially known among students as…

Key Buildings and Landmarks

Below is a list of buildings that were constructed on Purdue's campus between 1931 and 1960. Today, Cary Quadrangle Residence Hall stands as one of the largest all-male dormitories in the country. Construction began on this magnificent structure about a century ago, being made possible by funds from the Cary family. After Mr. and Mrs. Cary's son passed away, who was just about to enter his freshman year at Purdue, the couple decided to donate $50,000 to the University to build the residence hall in his memory. This building, which was then called "Franklin Levering Cary Hall, is now the current Cary East building. After making several other donations, the Cary family donated a total of $150,000 to expand the residence hall to include the Northeast, Northwest, and West units. In 1939, the South unit was added, thus completing the Cary Quadrangle. Cary Quadrangle, which is located right off of Stadium Avenue, is currently one of the most popular dorms at Purdue and is the largest residence hall on campus. From 2000 to 2006, the building went through a $53.6 million renovation that provided many needed upgrades, including air conditioning in the suites. The residence hall continues to exceed expectations in offering its residents an outstanding place to live and study. A wide variety of activities are offered as well that provide students with exciting opportunities outside of the classroom, such as volunteering, Kart Club (to prepare for the annual Grand Prix race), and having movie nights out in the courtyard, just to name a few. The origins of Elliot Hall of Music trace back to 1934 when the current president of the University, Edward C. Elliot, saw the need for a state-of-the-art music hall on Purdue's campus. As the size of graduating classes expanded rapidly, a new venue would be required to host the commencement ceremony. As this took place during the Great Depression, Elliot faced many challenges transforming his vision into a reality. In May of 1940, the building, which was then known as Purdue Hall of Music, was dedicated in a ceremony that had over 11,000 people in attendance. It wasn't until 1958 that the building was officially renamed to the Edward C. Elliot Hall of Music in honor of his outstanding contributions to make this majestic concert hall possible. Elliot Hall of Music is a true landmark of Purdue University. This building may appear to be just a typical concert hall, but it surely much more than that. Purdue Convocations presents a variety of musicals, operas, ballets, rock, country and pop groups on the stage of Elliot Hall. Also featured throughout the year are comedians, lecturers, symphonies, and notable speakers. Purdue Musical Organizations, University Bands, and WBAA, Purdue's own public radio station, all call Elliot their home and base their operations from the building. Other activities that take place in Elliot Hall of Music include the Purdue Musical Organizations' annual Christmas Show, commencement exercises, honors programs, and conference events. Seating is available in the Hall of Music for over 6,000 people, and the facility is one of the largest proscenium theaters in the United States. Since its opening in 1940, many legends have set foot on the stage, such as Bob Hope, Billy Cosby, and Lady Gaga. After about ten years of planning and construction, Lilly Hall of Life Sciences was completed in 1959. A request was made to the state legislature for a new Agronomy building that would allow for more interactions and collaboration between those studying plant, animal, and soil sciences. The original plans for the Life Sciences building were ruled too small by the Head of Agronomy, J.B. Peterson. As a result of his efforts, the size of the planned building nearly doubled. Additional grant funds, which were mostly provided by the Eli Lilly and Company, were required in order for the building to be completed. Construction began on the west wing in 1951, and it was ready for the Agronomy department to move into in 1955. After several more years of construction, the main entrance and east wing were finished in 1959. Upon the building's completion, a special conference was held to formally dedicate Lilly Hall of Life Sciences. This three day symposium entitled "Growth in Living Systems" focused on molecules, viruses, bacteria, cells, tissues, organisms, plant growth, and plant communities. Nationally famous as well as internationally known scholars gave presentations during the symposium, such as Francis Crick of Cambridge University. Lilly Hall of Life Sciences continues to be a building of bustling activity on Purdue's campus to this day. It is still the home of the Department of Agronomy, and it also contains the offices for the Botany and Plant Pathology, Animal Sciences, and Biological Sciences Departments. Being one of the largest buildings on campus, it has a total of five stories (three above ground and two below) and about two miles of hallway. The building has over 750 classrooms and laboratories that are used for a wide variety of subjects, and ramps connect the building to the Life Science Plants and Soils Building and the Lilly Small Animal Building. The Life Sciences Library can also be found in Lilly Hall.

Notable Alumni

David W. For his outstanding accomplishments in combustion research, teaching, and university administration, the Schools of Engineering are proud to present the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award to David W.

Reflections on Student Life

I lived in Wiley Hall for four years and was involved in student government in the dorm. I was president of the dorm's cinema club-Cleopatra was a bit hit, I remember. I was also president of Omega Chi Epsilon, the chemical engineering honorary society. I mainly remember how hard the workload was as a student. There was really no time to do much else besides study, although I'd try to go to the variety shows in the Hall of Music on football weekends. The whole world stopped for football weekends. Professor Bob Greenkorn was my mentor during my last two years, and he arranged summer jobs for me and my roommate at Exxon in Houston. I worked on fracturing problems in the oil field, and when I came back to campus, I did a research project on the same subject. Dave Kessler, my academic adviser, also had a profound influence on my life. As a chemical engineering student, I imagined that I would complete my PhD with Professor Greenkorn at Purdue and go to work for a large oil company, doing research. The problem was the Vietnam War. I had a low draft number, and in the end, I spent three years as an officer in the Public Health Service. In those days the Public Health Service was providing line officers for what became the Environmental Protection Agency. I served in Cincinnati and North Carolina, working in air pollution research. That's how I got into air. On the personal side, I've been married to my wife, Dr. Lynn Kennard Pershing, for 21 years. She's a professor of dermatology at the University of Utah. We have a 14-year-old daughter, Nicole, and it's likely that she'll end up in a technical career. One of the things I love about being a professor-and I still teach, by the way-is working with young students and helping them grow in their lives. It's very important, as an administrator, to emphasize the importance of undergraduate teaching and research. People think of those as competing forces, but they go integrally together. At the University of Utah, we try to involve our undergraduate students in research, just as I was involved in research as an undergraduate at Purdue. Research makes the subject come alive, and students get a sense of why they're learning the formulas in the classroom. The real issue that I see today is, How does higher education, and state universities particularly, stay competitive in what is becoming a tough marketplace? In the old days, Purdue was so clearly the engineering school for Indiana. Today, for-profit universities are springing up, and distance education is taking place. The thing that is not obvious is that a 10 percent decrease in enrollment at Utah, or at Purdue, would have a huge financial impact. Also, when I became dean of engineering at the University of Utah 11 years ago, there were no tenure-track women engineering professors in the entire state. That's clearly unreasonable. I worked hard to get women into real tenure-track positions, and succeeded. That to me was a very big issue-it's important to the state and to the future. And we're going to need to give students more biological training.

Traditions

The Military Ball is indeed one of the last dance traditions still holding out on campus. It’s doubtful that any of today’s attendees spent the evening with a dance card dangling from the wrist, but that was the practice 100 years ago. Dance cards, popularized in 19th-century Vienna, were part evening itinerary and part commemorative souvenir. Although dance cards largely fell out of fashion in the 1930s, many college campuses kept the tradition alive until the 1960s, when dances became less formal affairs.

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