History of Purdue University in Timeline

Purdue University is a public land-grant research university located in West Lafayette, Indiana. Founded in 1869 following a donation from John Purdue, it opened its doors in 1874. As the flagship campus of the Purdue University system, it is known for its strong programs in science, technology, and agriculture.

1903: Purdue Wreck railroad accident

In 1903, the Purdue Wreck railroad accident occurred, leading to the construction of Memorial Gymnasium in 1909 to commemorate the 17 Purdue University football players, coaches, alumni, and fans who died.

1905: Black man ran for track team

In 1905, a Black man ran for Purdue's track team.

1909: Construction of Memorial Gymnasium

In 1909, Memorial Gymnasium was constructed in memory of the Purdue Wreck railroad accident of 1903.

1918: Rebuilding of the Armory Building

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

1920: Establishment of Amateur Radio Club at Purdue University

In 1920, the Purdue University Amateur Radio Club was established with the callsign 9YB.

April 4, 1922: WBAA Radio Station Licensed

On April 4, 1922, WBAA, the longest continuously operating radio station in Indiana, was licensed.

1925: Largest undergraduate engineering enrollment

In 1925, Purdue had the largest undergraduate engineering enrollment in the country, a status it would keep for half a century.

1925: First Competition for the Old Oaken Bucket

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

1932: Change of callsign to W9YB

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

1932: Purdue Designated National Champions

In 1932, the Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team was retroactively designated as national champions by the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll.

1935: Amelia Earhart joined Purdue faculty

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

1936: Lockheed Electra 10-E funded by Purdue Research Foundation

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

1946: Women's dormitories integrated by governor's order

In 1946, the women's dormitories were integrated by an order of the governor of Indiana.

1947: Student protest desegregated teams

In 1947, a student protest desegregated the teams.

1947: On-campus housing desegregation

In 1947, on-campus housing became racially desegregated.

1953: School of Science, Education, and Humanities formed

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

1957: Córdova Recreational Sports Center built

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

1958: Inaugural Purdue Grand Prix Race

In 1958, the Purdue Grand Prix, a 50-mile go-kart race, began raising money for student scholarships.

1959: Bachelor of Arts degrees conferred

In 1959, Bachelor of Arts degrees had begun to be conferred at Purdue.

1960: First Bachelor of Arts degrees awarded

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

1961: Purdue Research Park Opened

In 1961, the Purdue Research Park, developed by Purdue Research Foundation, opened to facilitate interaction between Purdue researchers and private businesses.

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, after Bachelor of Arts degrees had begun to be conferred as early as 1959.

1968: Helen Williams became the first Black faculty member

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

1969: Purdue Men's Basketball National Championship Runner-Up

In 1969, Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team were the national championship runner-up, losing to UCLA.

1969: Official seal inauguration

In 1969, the official seal of Purdue was officially inaugurated during the university's centennial.

1975: Purdue joined ARPANET

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

1980: Purdue Men's Basketball Third-Place Finish

In 1980, Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team 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, Memorial Gymnasium was renovated to house the computer science department.

1987: Ronald Reagan visited West Lafayette campus

In 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan visited the West Lafayette campus to give 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 the arts, humanities, and social sciences programs, while education programs were split off into the newly formed School of Education.

1994: Reuben J. Olembo Receives Distinguished Alumni Award

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

1994: The English department at Purdue launched the first Online Writing Lab (OWL)

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

1995: Exploratory Studies program founded as a pilot program

In 1995, the Exploratory Studies program was founded as a pilot program at Purdue University to support undergraduate students who enter the university without having a declared major.

1996: Nina Roscher Receives ACS Award

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

1997: Cricket Spitting Invented at Purdue's Bug Bowl

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

1998: Nina Roscher Receives Presidential Award

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 on campus.

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1999: Exploratory Studies program made permanent

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

1999: Purdue Women's Basketball NCAA Champions

In 1999, the Purdue women's basketball team won the NCAA Championship.

2001: Purdue Women's Basketball 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: Discovery Park interdisciplinary research center dedication

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

2005: Renaming of the School of Liberal Arts to the College of Liberal Arts

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

2006: Felix Haas Hall Renaming

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 Rated a Top Place to Work in Academia

In November 2007, Purdue was rated as the nation's fourth best place to work in academia by The Scientist magazine.

2007: Purdue Statewide System Faculty Totals

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

2008: End of Purdue Yearbook Publication

In 2008, Purdue ceased publishing its yearbook, the Debris, which had been in circulation since 1889.

2008: Ryan Newman Wins 2008 Daytona 500

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

2009: Record Sponsored Research Funding

In 2009, Purdue University generated a record $438 million in sponsored research funding with participation from various national organizations and departments.

2010: Purdue Ranked Among Universities with Most Undergraduate Alumni CEOs

In 2010, Bloomberg revealed that 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 Purdue's newest college, offering BS, MS and PhD degrees in all 9 of its academic units.

2010: College of Health and Human Sciences formed

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

As of 2011, a total of 19 Purdue University alumni have been on a Super Bowl-winning team, highlighting the university's impact on professional football.

2011: First LEED Certified Building Completed

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

2012: Indiana Resident Enrollment Statistics

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

2012: Herman Cain's 2012 Presidential Candidacy

In 2012, Herman Cain, a Purdue University alumnus, was a candidate for President of the United States.

2012: International Student Enrollment at Purdue University

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

2013: Racial Diversity and Gender Statistics of Purdue's Student Body in 2013

As of 2013, the racial diversity of the US-resident undergraduate student body at Purdue was 5.7% Asian, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, and 4.0% Black or African American, with 42.6% being female. Domestic minorities made up 10.8% of the graduate student body, with 37.3% being female.

2013: Dedication of Purdue's Baseball Facility

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

April 27, 2017: Purdue to acquire Kaplan University

On April 27, 2017, Purdue University announced plans to acquire for-profit college Kaplan University and convert it to a public university in the state of Indiana, subject to multiple levels of approval.

2017: Research Expenditure and Rankings

In 2017, Purdue University expended $622.814 million in research, was considered to have "very high research activity" by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, and was ranked fourth in Engineering research expenditures amongst all US colleges, with a budget of $244.8 million.

December 2018: Purdue Online approved by President and Board of Trustees

In December 2018, Purdue Online, the unified online education initiative, was approved by Purdue President Mitch Daniels and the Purdue Board of Trustees.

2020: Creation of the Purdue for Life Foundation in 2020

In 2020, Purdue University created the Purdue for Life Foundation by uniting the Purdue Alumni Association and the University Development Office.

2020: Purdue sponsored Merit Scholarship awards

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

2020: Partnership between OWL and Chegg begun

In 2020, a partnership began between OWL and the company Chegg, which provides AI-generated "homework help" that some consider to be plagiarism.

2021: Class of 2025 applications

In fall of 2021, the Class of 2025 enrolled in Purdue. Purdue received 59,173 applications and accepted 40,759 (68.9%).

2021: Freshman students were National Merit Scholars

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

2021: Test-optional admissions started due to COVID-19 pandemic

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

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 an investment of $250,000 annually for two years to WFYI to offset initial operating costs.

2022: Completion of the Marc and Sharon Hagle Hall

In 2022, the Marc and Sharon Hagle Hall was completed, after which Purdue Bands and Orchestras moved their base of operations from Elliott Hall of Music.

2022: U.S. News & World Report categorizes Purdue University-West Lafayette

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

2023: Purdue Wins Big Ten Conference and Tournament Championships

In 2023, Purdue won its 25th Big Ten Conference Championship and 2nd Big Ten Tournament Championship, and Purdue men’s basketball achieved an all-time winning record against all Big Ten Schools improving from 91–92 to 94–92.

2023: Test-optional admissions extended through Fall 2023

Purdue University has extended test-optional admissions 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 with a record of 77–42–6.

July 1, 2024: Purdue University in Indianapolis launched

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.

2024: Purdue's Ranking in International Student Enrollment

Based on the 2024 Open Doors Report, Purdue ranks ninth among 4,500-plus public and private institutions for international student enrollment, and fourth among all U.S. public universities.

2024: Purdue Men's Basketball National Championship Runner-Up

In 2024, Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team were the national championship runner-up, losing to Connecticut.

2024: Tippecanoe County offer for the location of the new college

In 2024, the text mentions that in 1869, Tippecanoe County offered $150,000 (equivalent to $3.5 million in 2024) from Lafayette business leader and philanthropist John Purdue; $50,000 from the county; and 100 acres of land from John Purdue and local residents.

2024: Purdue University ranking

Purdue University is ranked 43rd in the annual ranking of 2024 U.S. News & World Report.

April 2025: CSRankings.org Computer Science Ranking

As of April 2025, CSRankings.org ranked Purdue's computer science program 13th overall in the United States.

2025: Class of 2025 Enrollment Statistics

For the Class of 2025 (enrolled fall 2021), Purdue received 59,173 applications and accepted 40,759 (68.9%).

2025: Termination of Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging

In 2025, Purdue University terminated its Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging and the Recruitment and Diversity Office for the Polytechnic Institute in response to state-level executive orders.

2025: Purdue University Rankings in U.S. News & World Report 2025 Edition

In the 2025 edition of U.S. News & World Report, Purdue University was ranked the 7th most innovative national university, 8th best engineering school, and 18th best public university in the United States, with its graduate programs receiving high rankings in various fields.

2025: Purdue University Rankings in Times Higher Education 2025 Edition

In the 2025 edition, the Times Higher Education ranked Purdue University 20th among all global universities for Interdisciplinary Science and 30th among all global universities for engineering.