Joyce (HHS’65) and Bob (CE’63) Miles began making a difference in the lives of young people long before their philanthropic efforts began at Purdue. After Joyce graduated from Purdue, she spent 31 years as an educator with Duval…
Watch the recording of our Welcome (Back) to Campus virtual event, where Vice Provost Dr. Beth McCuskey and the Student Life team shared their insights on Fall 2023 preparations. Get a glimpse of how they’re welcoming over 50,000 Boilermakers back to campus. Check out all the details on our Student Life website and explore more exciting events at Convocations page.
Dear Boilermakers, With Boiler Gold Rush welcoming our new students and the 2023-24 academic year starting next week, our campus is lively to its fullest extent once again. From the 100th season at Ross-Ade Stadium to the first entrepreneurs homecoming, from the largest student-run job fair to the Presidential Lecture Series, there are many exciting activities awaiting.
“I arrived in West Lafayette on a cold and quiet winter day,” says Ryan Tedjasukmana (AAE’13, MS’15). “When classes started, Purdue turned into this melting pot of people from different backgrounds and unique upbringings. Some of them became my very best friends.”
The child of a Scottish immigrant, Tom Howatt (M’72, MS M’73) was the first in his family to attend college. “What I learned growing up was a strong work ethic—something that has served me well my entire life,” he says.
Donald “Don” Coates (MS ME’66, PhD ME’70) didn’t originally plan on attending Purdue. He changed his mind, however, while working at the Grumman Aerospace Corporation. His boss, Bernard “Bernie” Zapotowski (AAE’54), was a proud Boilermaker who embodied the university’s innovative spirit.
When the Purdue Boilermakers pulled off an upset against the No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on September 22, 1979, hundreds of students rushed the Ross-Ade Stadium field.
Lush trees, eye-catching sculptures, welcoming tables and benches, and serene surroundings have made Pickett Memorial Park the perfect campus escape since 1971. Now, by capitalizing on the park’s proximity to the Intramural Gold Playing Fields, the university will further its focus on student health and wellness.
Today is not just any graduation but the commencement at a special place called Purdue, with a history that is rich and distinct and an accelerating momentum of excellence at scale.
As Purdue’s graduates set out to change the world, they do so ever grateful for the generosity of alumni and friends.
Patsy earned a bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition in business from Purdue in 1969, in addition to an MBA in food marketing from Michigan State University in 1970. She retired from Kraft Foods in 2006 after 36 years in corporate food marketing and marketing communications management.
A community volunteer, Patsy serves on the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana Advisory Board and the Purdue College of Health and Human Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council, in addition to the President’s Council Advisory Board. She is a former member of the Health and Human Sciences Alumni Board. Patsy held several offices from 2006 through 2013, including president and treasurer. She serves her community’s Discover Indianapolis Club in Fishers, holding several leadership roles for over 10 years.
Patsy has received several honors, including the Purdue University Nutrition Science Department Hall of Fame recipient in 2009 and the Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016. She also received the college’s Gold and Black Award in 2016, an honor reserved for donors who have moved the college forward by committing exceptional financial resources.
In addition to endowing two scholarships, the Patsy J. Mellott Scholarship and Patsy J. Mellott HHS Scholarship, she established the Patsy J. Mellott Teaching Innovation Award in the College of Health and Human Sciences in 2013. In 2015, she endowed the Patsy J. Mellott Women’s Tennis Coach Performance Award. She is a lead donor in the Christine M. Ladisch Faculty Leadership Award and the Purdue Women’s Network Virginia C. Meredith Scholarship for the College of Health and Human Sciences.
