Grandparents University (GPU) is a two-day program designed for grandparents and their grandchildren, ages 7–14. GPU participants are able to pick a major that interests them, attend classes, and even graduate!
This event is an opportunity for the young and young at heart to learn from top Boilermaker faculty and staff; laugh together during hands-on activities, classes, free time, and field trips; and create lasting memories on Purdue’s beautiful West Lafayette campus.
Grandparents University (GPU) is a two-day program designed for grandparents and their grandchildren, ages 7–14. GPU participants are able to pick a major that interests them, attend classes, and even graduate!
This event is an opportunity for the young and young at heart to learn from top Boilermaker faculty and staff; laugh together during hands-on activities, classes, free time, and field trips; and create lasting memories on Purdue’s beautiful West Lafayette campus.
Hosted by the Purdue for Life Foundation—which helps people who love Purdue stay connected—GPU encourages Boilermakers of all ages to discover how they can be involved with the university. This is a great opportunity to get children excited about pursuing a degree in higher education.
Grandparents University began in 2001 at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and other universities quickly took note of its success! The program has been licensed to universities around the country, including Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, and—of course—Purdue.
GPU was designed to provide relevant programming to alumni and families while also piquing young students’ interests in higher education. The result was an intergenerational experience that strengthened the connection between grandparents and grandchildren and allowed them to learn with each other and from each other.
Office of Special Events
765-494-0900
specialevents@purdueforlife.org
Office of Special Events
765-494-0900
specialevents@purdueforlife.org
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.