History of Purdue University in Timeline

Purdue University, established in 1869 in West Lafayette, Indiana, is a public land-grant research university and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. Founded through a donation from John Purdue, the university focuses on science, technology, and agriculture. Its first classes commenced in 1874. Purdue is known for its strong engineering, science, and technology programs, and its significant contributions to research and innovation.

1903: Purdue Wreck Railroad Accident

In 1903, the Purdue Wreck railroad accident occurred, leading to the deaths of 17 Purdue University football players, coaches, alumni, and fans. The Memorial Gymnasium was constructed in 1909 as a memorial to the victims.

1905: Black Athlete Runs for Track Team

In 1905, a Black man ran for Purdue's track team, but sometime in the 1910s the teams became segregated.

1909: Construction of Memorial Gymnasium

In 1909, Memorial Gymnasium was constructed in memory of the 17 Purdue University football players, coaches, alumni, and fans who died in the Purdue Wreck railroad accident of 1903.

1918: Reconstruction of the Armory Building

In 1918, the Armory Building at Purdue University was rebuilt after a fire.

1920: Previous Callsign 9YB

In 1920, the Amateur Radio Club at Purdue University had the callsign 9YB.

April 4, 1922: Licensing of WBAA Radio Station

On April 4, 1922, WBAA, the radio station operations owned by and licensed to Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Media, with studios at the university, was licensed, making it the longest continuously operating radio station in Indiana.

1925: Largest Undergraduate Engineering Enrollment

By 1925, Purdue had the largest undergraduate engineering enrollment in the country, a status it maintained for half a century.

1925: First Old Oaken Bucket Competition

In 1925, the first competition for the Old Oaken Bucket between Purdue and Indiana University Hoosiers ended in a 0–0 tie, resulting in the first link on the chain being an "IP."

1932: W9YB Callsign Adoption

In 1932, the Amateur Radio Club at Purdue University adopted the callsign W9YB.

1932: National Champions Designation

The Purdue Boilermakers were retroactively designated the 1932 national champions by the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll.

1935: Amelia Earhart Joins Purdue Faculty

In 1935, Amelia Earhart joined the Purdue faculty as a consultant for flight courses and a counselor on women's careers.

1936: Purdue Research Foundation Funds Lockheed Electra 10-E

In 1936, the Purdue Research Foundation provided the funds for the Lockheed Electra 10-E aircraft Amelia Earhart flew on her attempted round-the-world flight.

1947: Student Protest Leads to Desegregation of Teams

In 1947, a student protest led to the desegregation of Purdue's athletic teams after they had been segregated since the 1910s.

1947: On-Campus Housing Desegregation

In 1947, on-campus housing at Purdue became racially desegregated.

1953: Formation of the School of Science, Education, and Humanities

In 1953, the School of Science, Education, and Humanities was formed at Purdue University.

1957: Construction of Córdova Recreational Sports Center

In 1957, the Córdova Recreational Sports Center was built, becoming the first building in the nation created solely to serve university student recreational needs.

1958: Beginning of the Purdue Grand Prix

In 1958, the Purdue Grand Prix, a go-kart race, began raising money for student scholarships.

1959: Bachelor of Arts Degrees Conferred

Bachelor of Arts degrees had begun to be conferred at Purdue University as early as 1959.

1960: First Bachelor of Arts Degrees Awarded

In 1960, Purdue awarded its first Bachelor of Arts degrees.

1961: Opening of Purdue Research Park

In 1961, the Purdue Research Park was opened by the Purdue Research Foundation to assist Purdue and focus on companies in life sciences, homeland security, engineering, advanced manufacturing and information technology.

1963: Establishment of the School of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education

In 1963, the School of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education was established at Purdue University.

1968: Helen Williams Becomes First Black Faculty Member

In 1968, Helen Williams became the first Black faculty member at Purdue University.

1969: Official Seal Inaugurated

In 1969, during the university's centennial, the official seal of Purdue was inaugurated, depicting a griffin and a three-part shield.

1969: NCAA Runner-Up

In 1969, the Purdue Boilermakers were the NCAA runner-up, losing to UCLA in the national championship game.

1975: Purdue Joins ARPANET

In 1975, Purdue University joined ARPANET, an early packet-switching network that served as the foundation for the modern internet.

1980: Third-Place Finish

In 1980, Purdue finished third in the NCAA tournament, losing to UCLA in the semifinals but defeating Iowa in the consolation game.

1985: Renovation of Memorial Gymnasium

In 1985, the Memorial Gymnasium was renovated to house the computer science department at Purdue University.

1987: Ronald Reagan's Visit

In 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan visited Purdue University's West Lafayette campus to deliver a speech about the influence of technological progress on job creation.

1989: Creation of the School of Liberal Arts

In 1989, the School of Liberal Arts was created at Purdue University to encompass Purdue's arts, humanities, and social sciences programs.

1994: Distinguished Alumni Award for Agriculture

In 1994, Reuben J. Olembo was recognized by Purdue with a Distinguished Alumni Award for Agriculture.

1994: Launch of Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)

In 1994, the English department at Purdue launched the first Online Writing Lab (OWL).

1995: Founding of Exploratory Studies Program

The Exploratory Studies program at Purdue University was founded as a pilot program in 1995.

1996: ACS Award for Encouraging Women into Careers in the Chemical Sciences

In 1996, Nina Roscher received the ACS Award for Encouraging Women into Careers in the Chemical Sciences.

1997: Invention of Cricket Spitting

In 1997, the sport of cricket spitting was invented at the Entomology Department's Bug Bowl during Spring Fest.

1998: Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring

In 1998, Nina Roscher received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.

1999: Creation of The Movie Tribute Show

In 1999, The Movie Tribute Show was created in a small television studio (now known as the Erik Mygrant Studio) on campus.

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1999: Exploratory Studies Program Becomes Permanent

In 1999, the Exploratory Studies program at Purdue University was made a permanent program.

1999: Women's Team NCAA Champions

In 1999, the Purdue women's basketball team were the NCAA Champions.

2001: Women's Team NCAA Runner-Up

In 2001, the Purdue women's basketball team were the NCAA runners-up.

2004: Purdue Research Park Ranked First

In 2004, the Purdue Research Park was ranked first by the Association of University Research Parks.

2004: Dedication of Discovery Park Buildings

In 2004, the first buildings of the Discovery Park interdisciplinary research center were dedicated.

2005: Renaming to College of Liberal Arts

In 2005, the School of Liberal Arts at Purdue University was renamed the College of Liberal Arts.

2006: Renaming of Memorial Gymnasium to Felix Haas Hall

In 2006, Memorial Gymnasium was renamed Felix Haas Hall in honor of retired Provost Felix Haas and began to also house the Statistics department.

November 2007: Purdue Ranked as a Top Workplace

In November 2007, Purdue University was ranked the nation's fourth best place to work in academia, according to rankings released by The Scientist magazine.

2007: Faculty and Staff Totals

By Fall 2007, the Purdue Statewide System had a total of 2,563 tenured and tenure-track faculty and 18,872 faculty and staff members system-wide.

2008: End of Debris Yearbook Publication

In 2008, Purdue stopped publishing its yearbook called the Debris, which had been in publication since 1889.

2008: Ryan Newman wins Daytona 500

In 2008, Ryan Newman, a Purdue graduate with a bachelor's degree in vehicle structure engineering, won the Daytona 500.

2009: Purdue's Record Research Funding

During the 2009-10 fiscal year, Purdue University generated a record $438 million in sponsored research funding with participation from various national organizations and departments.

2010: Purdue Alumni as CEOs

In 2010, Bloomberg revealed Purdue was one of the universities in America with the most undergraduate alumni serving as chief executive officers of S&P 500 firms.

2010: Establishment of the College of Health and Human Sciences

In 2010, the College of Health and Human Sciences was established as the newest college at Purdue University.

2010: Formation of College of Health and Human Sciences

In 2010, the College of Health and Human Sciences was formed at Purdue University, through combining existing academic units.

2011: Purdue Alumni in Super Bowl Winning Teams

As of 2011, a total of 19 Purdue alumni have been on a Super Bowl–winning team.

2011: First LEED Certified Building

In Fall 2011, Purdue University's first LEED Certified building, an addition to the Mechanical Engineering Building, was completed.

2012: Herman Cain's Presidential Candidacy

In 2012, Herman Cain, a Purdue University alumnus, was a Presidential candidate.

2012: International Student Attendance

In 2012, Purdue University had 8,562 students from 126 countries around the world.

2013: Indiana Resident Enrollment in 2012-13

In 2012–13, 19,689 out of a total of 39,256 students enrolled at Purdue University were Indiana residents.

2013: Dedication of Purdue's Baseball Facility

In 2013, Purdue's baseball facility was named in honor of alumni Anna Margaret Ross Alexander and John Arthur Alexander.

April 27, 2017: Acquisition of Kaplan University Announced

On April 27, 2017, Purdue University announced its plans to acquire the for-profit Kaplan University and transform it into a public university in Indiana, which later became Purdue University Global.

2017: Purdue's Research Expenditure and Ranking

In 2017, Purdue University expended $622.814 million in research system-wide. It was also ranked fourth in Engineering research expenditures amongst all colleges in the United States, with a research expenditure budget of $244.8 million.

December 2018: Purdue Online Initiative Approved

In December 2018, Purdue President Mitch Daniels and the Purdue Board of Trustees approved the Purdue Online initiative, intended to radically expand online course and degree offerings.

2020: OWL Partnership with Chegg

In 2020, Purdue OWL began a partnership with the company Chegg, which provides AI-generated "homework help". This partnership was criticized by professors.

2020: Creation of the Purdue for Life Foundation

In 2020, the Purdue for Life Foundation was created by uniting the Purdue Alumni Association and the University Development Office. The foundation is housed in the 67,000-square-foot (6,200 m) Dauch Alumni Center.

2020: Sponsorship of National Merit Scholarship Program

Purdue University sponsored 88 Merit Scholarship awards in 2020 as a college-sponsor of the National Merit Scholarship Program.

2021: Class of 2025 Enrollment Statistics

For the Class of 2025 (enrolled fall 2021), 10,157 students enrolled at Purdue, a yield rate of 24.9%.

2021: National Merit Scholars in Freshman Class

In the 2020–2021 academic year, 127 freshman students were National Merit Scholars at Purdue University.

2021: Start of Test-Optional Admissions

Purdue University started test-optional admissions with the Fall 2021 incoming class in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2022: Completion of Marc and Sharon Hagle Hall

In 2022, Marc and Sharon Hagle Hall was completed, becoming the new base of operations for Purdue Bands and Orchestras, previously housed in the Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music.

2022: Sale of WBAA to WFYI-FM

In 2022, Purdue sold WBAA (AM) and WBAA-FM to WFYI-FM for $700,000 in underwriting credit and agreed to provide an investment of $250,000 annually for two years to WFYI.

2022: Purdue's Rankings in U.S. News & World Report

In the 2022 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked Purdue University the 7th most innovative national university, tied for the 18th best public university in the United States, tied for 51st overall, and 127th best global university.

2022: U.S. News & World Report Categorization

The 2022 annual ranking of U.S. News & World Report categorizes Purdue University-West Lafayette as "more selective".

2023: Purdue Wins 25th Big Ten Championship

In 2023, Purdue won its 25th Big Ten Conference Championship and 2nd Big Ten Tournament Championship, leading the conference.

2023: Extension of Test-Optional Admissions

Purdue University extended its test-optional admissions policy through Fall 2023.

January 2024: Purdue Leads Old Oaken Bucket Series

As of January 2024, Purdue led the Old Oaken Bucket series against Indiana University Hoosiers 77–42–6.

July 1, 2024: Launch of Purdue University in Indianapolis

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. This new institution conveys Purdue West Lafayette degrees and maintains the same academic standards as the flagship campus.