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Department of Chemistry renamed in honor of longtime donors James and Margaret Tarpo

A history of giving by James (S’59) and Margaret Tarpo that spans decades and surpasses $23 million has led Purdue University to rename the Department of Chemistry in their honor. The department will now be called the James Tarpo Jr. and Margaret Tarpo Department of Chemistry.
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News and Stories

Image of Gerald and Nanette Lyles.
  • News

Alumnus and wife give $10 million in unrestricted support to Purdue’s Daniels School of Business

Purdue University has received a $10 million commitment from Gerald (CE’64, MBA’71) and Nanette Lyles for unrestricted support of the Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business. The commitment represents the latest in a long history of giving for the Lyles family, which can trace its Purdue ties back to Gerald’s maternal grandfather, who was both a student and a professor at the university.
An image showing two women engaged in a conversation.
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Purdue receives $5 million Lilly Endowment grant to support Military Family Research Institute

A $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. will provide continued support during the next three years for the work Purdue University’s Military Family Research Institute (MFRI) does to improve the lives of military families and veterans. The grant will help MFRI enhance its robust support networks.


5 Purdue graduates in their caps and gowns standing next to the John Purdue statue
  • Impact, President's Council News

Scholarship reflections

As Purdue’s graduates set out to change the world, they do so ever grateful for the generosity of alumni and friends.






An image of JeanAnne “Jeannie” (left) and Jim Chaney, (right) the Purdue College of Pharmacy’s most generous donors.
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Pharmacy alumna and husband give additional $17 million to support Purdue College of Pharmacy

JeanAnne “Jeannie” (P’61) and Jim Chaney, Purdue Pharmacy’s most generous donors, have made an additional $17 million commitment in support of pharmacy scholarships. The Chaneys are among the most prolific benefactors in university history, having committed more than $44 million over 45 years.

An image of Purdue Alumni William right and Barbara Rakosnik left.
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Purdue University receives $10 million commitment from alumni William and Barbara Rakosnik

Alumni William (ME’69, MBA’70) and Barbara (HHS’70) Rakosnik have committed more than $10 million to Purdue in support of the School of Mechanical Engineering, the Department of Psychological Sciences and University Residences. The commitment will support graduate students and necessary services and programs in these areas.
Spring campus scenes.
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Purdue trustees ratify positions, award posthumous degrees, approve resolutions of appreciation

The Purdue Board of Trustees ratified faculty and staff appointments and the promotion and tenure of faculty, and approved resolutions of appreciation for friends of the university who recently contributed $1 million or more to Purdue.

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Patsy J. Mellott

BS College of Health and Human Sciences, 1969
Fishers, IN

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.