Murray M. Blackwelder Senior Vice President for Advancement

A message To Alumni and Friends
January, 2009

All of us at Purdue University wish you a very happy New Year as our students return to campus for what we optimistically call the “Spring Semester.” It begins in the cold of January, but winter will break its grip long before our May commencement.

The Purdue men’s and women’s basketball teams are bringing lots of excitement to campus and you can take part by attending games at Mackey Arena or watching them on television.

Our annual Mollenkopf Weekend in Naples is February 14-16 and we hope you will join us. Black-To-Class sessions will offer alumni and friends an opportunity to learn about important topics and interact with outstanding faculty. There will be a President’s Council dinner, programs hosted by our colleges and schools, and opportunities to meet with President France Córdova. The Mollenkopf Classic Golf Outing, hosted by the John Purdue Club, will raise funds for athletic scholarships. This is a great Boilermaker tradition and we look forward to seeing you there.

We have exciting plans for the semester. This month President Córdova is launching her 2009 Purdue on the Road events. She will visit will friends and alumni in seven cities: January 15, Dallas; January 16, Houston; January 30, Atlanta; February 14-16 Naples, Florida; February 24, San Francisco; and March 18, Boston.

You will be able to keep tabs on where President Córdova is headed, thanks to an interactive map that will be launched on the president's Web page. The map, at http://www.purdue.edu/president/, will allow Web users to learn about alumni in the cities the President is visiting and confirm when she might be in a nearby location.

We will soon finish our Mackey Renovation Campaign which has reached $25 million toward its $32 million goal. Improvements to the 40-year-old arena will include improved seating, ticket offices and other amenities for fans, as well as the opportunity to bring academic, athletic and training needs into one complex.  We also hope to wrap up fund raising to build a new home for our outstanding Purdue Musical Organizations.

Our Access and Success Campaign is continuing, focused on helping students from middle- and lower-income families as well as attracting top students to Purdue. Nearly $78 million has been raised toward our $304 million goal.

The start of a new semester is always an exciting time for our students, faculty, staff and administration. We also recognize 2009 presents special challenges. Our nation, state and university have faced difficult economic times before and, with your help, we will succeed and move forward today as we always have in the past.

We deeply appreciated your continued support. Now more than ever your investments at Purdue are enabling our students to succeed and fulfill their dreams, just as generations of Boilermakers have done before them.

Hail Purdue!

Murray Blackwelder
Senior Vice President for Advancement

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Learn more about upcoming events at Purdue!

Click here to view Advancement's Strategic Plan 2004–2009.