Kate Young:

Hi. I’m Kate Young and you’re listening to This is Purdue, the official podcast for Purdue University. As a Purdue alum and Indiana native, I know firsthand about the family of students and professors who are in it together, persistently pursuing and relentlessly rethinking. Who are the next game changers, difference makers, ceiling breakers, innovators? Who are these Boilermakers? Join me as we feature students, faculty and alumni taking small steps toward their giant leaps and inspiring others to do the same.

Erik Miller:

You have so many resources there at Purdue from the different departments and now even the ability to reach out to venture capitalists to fund some of this stuff has been so exciting and it’s just so cool to see some of the innovations coming out of Purdue. It is really a university to take us into the next century, and I’m very proud to see how we continue to be a leader in technology and some of our students and the things that they’re doing coming out of Purdue leading the country.

Kate Young:

In this episode of This is Purdue, we’re talking to Erik Miller, owner and winemaker of Kokomo Winery and Breaking Bread Winery. Erik shares his journey working his way up from a wine harvest intern to concepting and later founding his own winery in Healdsburg, California in the heart of Sonoma County. Erik’s entrepreneurial spirit has helped make Kokomo Winery one of the top wineries in California. He dives into the story behind the name, which highlights his appreciation for his Indiana roots and instills a warm Midwestern atmosphere inside the winery.

In this episode, you’ll also learn more about the wine making process itself as Erik delves into his latest entrepreneurial endeavor, Breaking Bread. A line of natural wines that are best enjoyed with a meal. Erik recently returned to campus for the 2023 Purdue Entrepreneurial Alumni Reunion, which celebrated the legacy of Boilermaker entrepreneurs. You’ll hear how his experiences at Purdue equipped him to exhibit the entrepreneurial mindset that the university is working to cultivate through the new Purdue Innovates initiative. I am so glad you joined us for this story featuring a Boilermaker who used his persistence and innovation to turn his passion for wine making into his own successful business more than 2,000 miles away from his hometown roots. Here’s my conversation with Erik.

Erik, thank you so much for joining us on This is Purdue. I know you’re an Indiana native and we’ll get into that, but let’s kick off with your Purdue journey. When is the first time you heard about Purdue? What’s your first memory when it comes to Purdue?

Erik Miller:

Well, thank you for having me, Kate. My first memory of Purdue, my grandfather was a class of ’50 graduate of Purdue, so at a very young age I remember watching Purdue basketball. I guess one of my biggest memories is grade school, when it would be the Purdue-IU game and the day before you had to either wear your Purdue gear or your IU gear, and then of course the following day was you were either very proud or everyone else in the class was telling you how you got beat and whatnot. But that rivalry is probably my first memory. But yeah, Troy Lewis, Todd Mitchell, those years back in the ’80s.

Kate Young:

So how did you ultimately decide that you wanted to go to Purdue? What drew you in?

Erik Miller:

Having grown up a Purdue fan and having family that went to Purdue, I think it’s something that I always thought I wanted to do. And then as it goes, and you probably know this as well, when you have a handful of friends that decide to go there as well, you’re like, “Oh, it looks like we’re all going to the same university and an extension of our senior year of high school.” So I had a good group of friends that were going to go as well. So I think I decided that pretty soon after graduating.

Kate Young:

I had the same. When I look back now, I’m like, isn’t it crazy that some high school friends put you on this trajectory to your future life just because a couple of your friends are going to Purdue? It’s crazy.

Erik Miller:

At least I didn’t say a girlfriend or a boyfriend or something like that.

Kate Young:

True.

Erik Miller:

Because the one where you’re like, oh, you followed a high school love. But yeah, no. Your friends were everything. And then those guys are still my buddies and I still go to the Boilermaker Ball with that group of friends every year and so on. But of course I did meet a new group of friends at college as well.

Kate Young:

That’s bound to happen. So what was it like first stepping on to Purdue’s campus?

Erik Miller:

It was intimidating. I’ll never forget that. When you first step onto Purdue campus and you’re trying to … At that time I didn’t have the app or a map in that way, so I had my paper map out trying to decide where I was going to go and I hope I get to my class on time and this place seemed huge. And I can’t imagine today, right? It’s twice as big with twice as many buildings, but I was very intimidated to say the least.

Kate Young:

Erik shares some of his favorite memories during his time at Purdue, including reminiscing on a class he had with one of Purdue’s most famous athletes.

Erik Miller:

Everyone has those Harry’s memories.

Kate Young:

Of course.

Erik Miller:

Early and breakfast club and that kind of thing. And I had a lot of just … I guess the places I lived when I go back to Purdue, I always want to stop by each little place that I lived because I have so many different memories of those and playing frisbee golf at the ravines and stuff like that. But yeah, just really where I feel like I grew up and came out of being teenager to more of a young man and had your first nice dinners and sporting events and just meeting some of the players. I had classes with some of the players then, including Drew Brees, which was, looking back on it, pretty cool.

Kate Young:

Did you talk to him in class or was it a bigger class?

Erik Miller:

No. I think it was in the class of 50 lecture hall, I think. So it was a bigger class, but even still just going like, oh, there he is. I think I talked to some of them. Brian Cardinal or some of them, but not Drew Brees. I was a little intimidated.

Kate Young:

When I go back to campus now, I’ll see some of our basketball players and I’m like almost 34. I’m like, there’s Zach Edey.

Erik Miller:

Yeah. They stand out, right?

Kate Young:

They do. There’s some really tall ones on that team right now.

When it comes to Erik’s career path, he actually didn’t know what he wanted to major in, and wine making certainly wasn’t on his radar when he first got to Purdue. He ended up receiving his bachelor of science in organizational leadership from Purdue Polytechnic Institute’s Department of Technology Leadership and Innovation. After graduating from Purdue, Erik admits he was still trying to figure out his path.

Erik Miller:

So I longed for exactly what I wanted to do, and then I moved to California directly after graduating Purdue. Just had this dream even while I was there that I’m going to move west and I’m going to at least give it a try. My first job I took, I was doing financial planning or selling insurance. I thought I would like it at the beginning and I got my license. When I knew that that wasn’t the path for me as well, it was discouraging. Like wow. I remember going, I just need to find something I really love to do. This isn’t even really about how much money I could possibly make because you’re thinking of that when you’re younger and stuff.

Kate Young:

Of course.

Erik Miller:

Important that I find something that I really like and can be satisfied with. I took a job as a harvest intern, which is the very bottom of the totem pole, working in a cellar over in Russian River Valley at this winery called Belvedere at the time. I remember working. I was probably two weeks into that job when the grapes started coming in and stuff. That was the aha moment for me that was like, wow, this is really cool working with agriculture and the artistic bits of turning these grapes into wine and stuff. And it really grabbed me and at that point that was the time where I was like, wow, I want to make wine making … And I didn’t think about having my own winery of course at the time, but it was more like, wow, I love to work with my hands. I love that we’re working with agriculture. I wish I would’ve known that you could have a major in wine making, which is called enology, and Purdue has now a focus you can get. Not a major in enology, but out of the food science department. And of course in the School of Agriculture they have a viticulture focus as well. So I just wasn’t turned onto that growing up in Indiana, but I found that here in California and decided that that was going to be the career I would go for.

Kate Young:

So coming from Kokomo, Indiana, did you just want to get as far away from home? Where did that dream to move to California come from?

Erik Miller:

I came out on a spring break one year and I actually on that trip came to Sonoma County. So I had a friend of mine that left college early and had an opportunity to take a job in Sonoma County and I fell in love. I saw the town of Santa Rosa. Was big enough where I knew I … Once again, going back to that first time at Purdue, you’re intimidated, you’re seeing all these big buildings and how am I going to get around? I was like, “Well, I could make it at Purdue and this is a little bit bigger of a town, but if I could make it there, I could find a job here.” And I knew also that at that time that I would be on even footing with someone who was born and raised in California because they would have to go to college and find a job and a house and that kind of thing. And I knew that the time to do it was right out of college because if not, I was going to start growing roots and that was the time to do it if I was going to take the jump.

Kate Young:

That’s exciting. I stayed in Indiana and sometimes I’m like, should I have gone to a bigger … I moved from Fort Wayne to Indy, so to me that’s bigger, but it’s still all in Indiana.

Erik Miller:

Which Indiana is great, having just come back from Indiana for the entrepreneurial weekend at Purdue, which was very awesome. Great weather and I love the people of Indiana, but this is home to me now. I’ve been in California for over 20 years and I do feel blessed to live here. It’s a very beautiful, magical place that happens to grow some of the best wine on the planet.

Kate Young:

So you’re interning at Belvedere. How did you branch off and think I can start creating my own wines and creating your own business as a winery?

Erik Miller:

So that didn’t come and things happen. And it was interesting doing a talk to entrepreneurs at the entrepreneurial weekend at Purdue. And there’s a couple terms, the entrepreneurial spirit and then grit and things an entrepreneur are typically known for to be able to kick businesses off the ground like that. Interesting enough, that first harvest I worked at Belvedere, my girlfriend from Purdue was the one that got me the job because she worked in the tasting room there. Well, as fate would have it, the winemaker that I was working under there, which was a great mentor to me in making wine, ended up swooping that girlfriend from me at the end of harvest. So my Purdue girlfriend that I moved out with that got me this job at this winery, we had broke up. And so let’s just say that I had an extra bit of grit and a bit of intensity after that had happened, so I couldn’t go back to work at that same winery.

I went towards the path of enrolling in UC Davis’ enology program, which I didn’t finish and didn’t complete, but I guess part of that was because I took a job that second vintage in a very small winery in Dry Creek Valley and we were in a barn. It was really cool because I was making 100 … Belvedere, a 100,000 case winery, big, lots of stainless steel tanks, very intimidating if you will, to going to a barn where we were making great wine in that barn, but we were doing it without all of the fancy equipment and making more of old school style wine. And while I was working there … And I think I might’ve got that job a little bit because someone felt sorry for me. No. The winemaker there, I remember telling him my sob story of how I’m out here single and my girlfriend left me for the last winemaker I worked for.

But anyway, in working there at about the end of harvest, we had the farmer approach the owner there, and it was just him and I working. It was such a cool experience because it was small production and it was intimately working right there with a winemaker. And the farmer says, “I have some cabernet that I didn’t sell this year. I want you guys to make it.” Grapes are very perishable, so you have a small amount of time to pick them. But if you don’t have the grapes sold, you can turn them into wine and then you have a longer period of time where you can sell bulk wine. And bulk wine is just wine that you’ve made that you can pitch on the bulk market and maybe another winery will take it or so on. I remember going home that evening and going like, wow, we’re going to be making this cabernet from the vineyard we’re working on, and then we’re going to be selling this off as the bulk wine.

A couple of days after I approached the farmer with my entrepreneurial spirit, if you will, and just said, “Hey, what’s going on with that cabernet? I might be interested in that. We’re making it.” That’s how it came about. It didn’t come about by me setting my sights on, I’m going to start something, let’s go. It wasn’t even an opportunity that came. It was more of a circumstance that came up that I saw the opportunity in and I decided, let’s go for this. And that was really interesting because after he decided, “Okay. I’ll sell you those barrels of wine.” It was like 20 barrels of Cabernet. And then I had this cabernet in a barrel. I was like, what am I going to call this thing? That was another interesting point and very, I guess pivotal time in the business.

Kate Young:

Clearly, Erik’s journey was filled with some pivotal moments in his life that helped him discover that entrepreneurial spirit. So now he has 20 barrels of wine, and as he just mentioned, Erik needed a name for this wine. And for this Boilermaker turned Californian, it came down to having a piece of his story in the wine’s name by paying homage to his hometown of Kokomo, Indiana.

Erik Miller:

Certainly, I’m born and raised in Kokomo, Indiana of course. But as you know, being from Indiana and Fort Wayne and stuff, Kokomo is a great town. A lot of history, a lot of manufacturing and stuff, but it’s not Carmel or Westfield or Fishers. So it’s not something that you would say, I’m going to put it on a wine bottle because it’s not the most high end town, if you will of Indiana. But also there was another big challenge which deserves a song, by The Beach Boys. And oh, what if people mistakenly think it’s named after The Beach Boys song? So I had a lot of that that I was thinking about at the time.

But really first where it came to be was I had a friend of mine from California who I’d met at the first winery I worked at, and he was over one evening and I’m talking about what am I going to call this thing? I need to have a story. I knew I need to have a story. There’s so many wine brands out there, it’s very important that you have a story so people remember your name and connect it with it. And so he said, “What about Kokomo?” Put that bug in my ear. But at that time I said, “No.” I says, “You don’t know my hometown. And then there’s that song.” But without another really option, I decided I think I’m just going to go with Kokomo. And boy, I’m glad I did. Not only is it my story, but really, I think it gives the winery a sense of well, unpretentiousness and Midwest flare. And it’s so cool because most of the time people think that they know exactly what I named the winery after. It’s that song by The Beach Boys. And they come in singing the song.

Kate Young:

Whereas Indiana people are like, “It’s after Kokomo, the town in Indiana.”

Erik Miller:

That was tough too because the first vintage of wine that I made, I sold it all in my home state there of Indiana where I had this great local story. Local boy goes out to California, makes the wine, names it after the hometown. But so many people were like, “Is this wine made in Kokomo?”

Kate Young:

Yes.

Erik Miller:

I’m like, “No, no, no. I’m in California doing it. I just named it after my hometown.” And I still have that happen from time to time where people think that the winery’s in Kokomo made with Indiana grapes and stuff, and that’s okay. But people out here, they want to sing the song coming in because it’s a fun song and that. But then they come in and what I’ve done is I’ve collected over the years, all this stuff from Kokomo, Indiana. I have a really cool welcome to Kokomo sign that the mayor sent me that’s the original street sign there. It says Hometown of Erik Miller. I have a manhole cover that we’ve turned into a table that says city sewer, city of Kokomo that’s really cool. And then just old artifacts that I find. Signs and stuff like that.

So if you sit down, you look around the winery, it’s pretty apparent what I named it after, but it maybe takes some time. Then of course my tree logo I think throws people and some people think about Kokomo. Is it Japanese? And I’m like, no, that’s just a coastal cypress tree. Really signifies my move west. Kokomo, the name of my hometown, and then the coastal Cypress tree growing on the coast here in California signifies that move.

Kate Young:

Okay. So clearly Erik is more than happy with the decision to name his winery after Kokomo, even if some people first think of The Beach Boys. Erik touches on a key design component of his winery and the importance behind a warm, welcoming Midwestern feel that he’s grateful to have grown up with firsthand.

Erik Miller:

When people come in to the winery, I always say, “Hey, if you know Kokomo, Indiana and you come in and I have all these crystal chandeliers and this is the super fancy winery, something’s not adding up, right? So I go more after barn wood and reclaimed stuff and more of a farm vibe that we have. But it’s very welcoming to people. And what we’ve found is that we get people even from other Big 10 schools or the Midwest that feel very comfortable and they’re like, “Oh, I’m from Minnesota.” It’s Big 10. All right.

Kate Young:

Erik discusses what has surprised him the most when it comes to being an entrepreneur?

Erik Miller:

Like any entrepreneur, when you go into business, I think you find that there’s a lot more than just making wine that you need to do. And of course in the alcohol sector of things, there’s a lot of regulations. So the federal government and the state government, it’s heavily regulated. Every gallon that you make needs to be tracked and so on. But at the same time, one of the coolest things is I was like, wow, the sky’s the limits on this thing. I can distribute my product not only to Indiana, but 49 other states. And then there’s the big world out there. We’re in six countries now. We have a slowed growth where we don’t want to make too much and go into too many countries in too many states right away. But that was a really cool thing that not only do we have a retail shop, which is our tasting room that’s open 362 days out of the year. Most holidays. We’re closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Easter I think are the three. And New Year’s Day.

But anyway, we have that that takes a lot of staff, but that’s our living room that we welcome you into, and that really shows a lot of our character and so on and the lifeblood of the company. I also have a production team where we turn all these grapes into wine, and that’s more like what my major is at Purdue, which is organizational leadership and supervision where we handle more for a manufacturing setting, but a lot of the production that we do not only in turning the grapes into wine but getting them into bottle and things like that.

Kate Young:

In 2018, Erik started another entrepreneurial venture. A new line of natural wines.

Erik Miller:

Breaking Bread was a project that I started in 2018. And that was just being out and about and seeing all of what was going on in the wine industry. We’re distributed in 30 states and just seeing this new trend in wine. And it happened to be dominated by the younger generation, which happened to dominate a lot of the wine buying, particularly sommeliers in high-end restaurants were some of these younger people. And they were going after these natural wines or very low intervention wines. It really got my attention. I think one of my distributors in Georgia handled a lot of those different wines and introduced me to some of that. And as a wine maker, you’re a craftsman. And I found that as a challenge because I was like, wow, this new style of wine where you’re making wines with really low input, you’re relying on it to be farmed perfectly and the balance to come from the vineyard because you’re not going to add anything.

One of the coolest things about wine is that it is so natural as a whole. When you think about other alcoholic beverages, whether it be beer or spirits, you have these grains and they’re not as natural because you have to boil them to create a mash and then you have to add a yeast to them and so on. Whereas these grapes, they have glucose fructose. So they have natural sugars, but then they have native yeast on the grape. So when we bring them in, we can actually allow that native yeast to slowly start building and the cells to start multiplying and start to eat away at the glucose fructose or the sugar that is naturally there in the grapes and it creates the wine with little to no input. But this style for Breaking Bread also grabbed at ancient techniques. So like sparkling wine before champagne, called Method Ancestrale before Méthode Champenoise. Or white wines, the way they were made hundreds of years ago in Europe where they were fermented on the skins. We call that orange wines or amber wines or skin fermented wines.

So it also had a lot of other techniques that would be cool to … Really, I want to understand wine making to the fullest and grape growing and making sure that my wine growing skills are up there and I really understand the vine. But also different ways to make wine and these different techniques to make wine. And so that was a really a cool thing for me. But at the same time, the brand and that category lends itself to a little bit more fun labels, more colorful labels, and at the same time it took Kokomo and grew Kokomo up for me in my head is to be more of my classic brand that is going to be my luxury brand that I got to make sure is only in the right accounts and not in the wrong accounts.

One of the things that’s funny when I go back home, I’ll have friends of mine from Kokomo there that are like, “Well, I’ve not seen your wine yet in the Kroger.” And that’s a great thing. You would think if you’ve made it big, you should be at the market. And I’m like, “Actually, we don’t want our wines there.” We want to selectively have our Kokomo wines at some of the better accounts where people are passionate about selling wine and not just something you’re going to grab off the market shelf because it’s a little more high end like that. Where Breaking Bread for me is one where it’s a little more fun. The wines aren’t made in a way that are going to be as classically aged. And of course the price point’s a little lower too. But it’s a very fun project for me and I just want it to be really different from Kokomo as well, which it is, but very much a restaurant wine too.

So we want to make sure that it’s at some of the best restaurants in the world. As the name implies, Breaking Bread, it’s certainly a food driven wine, and so I always like to talk about how our cuisine tastes was really evolved in the last 10 to 20 years where we’re not so steak and potato. I love a good steak and a cabernet, but a lot of farm to table lighter cuisine has become more popular, and these style of wines I think are light enough that they don’t overpower those very conscious ingredients and things like that, and they’re meant to really compliment it.

Kate Young:

I asked Erik to reflect back on his Purdue journey. How did his education at Purdue tee him up for success as an entrepreneur?

Erik Miller:

One of the things that I learned from Purdue that was really very important was the soft people skills and the networking and the relationships. You don’t realize that as much when it’s going on, but that’s a very important piece is the relationship piece in business, which sometimes allows doors to open and allows you to meet different people and things like that. Purdue I think gave me that well-rounded education. And it’s so nice to be able to, particularly out here in the west in California, when you can proudly say I’m a Purdue grad, and people go, “Oh my gosh. Congratulations.” It has a lot of esteem to it, so that’s very cool.

I have a pretty broad major at Purdue, which was in the School of Technology, but I had a couple other majors before that. But I think that it gave me a confidence. Purdue did. And then as far as a skillset, I can’t necessarily say I did anything about agricultural making wine necessarily at Purdue, but it’s a great university that has a lot of different selectives and different classes that you could take to give you a well-rounded … It helps you be able to learn, and I think that that was really important.

Kate Young:

Erik also reflects back on a specific challenge he’s had to overcome as an entrepreneur and how this challenge has made him even more proud of how far he’s come as a winemaker and business founder.

Erik Miller:

Really bringing the brand to the forefront here where we are known as one of the top wineries in Sonoma County. You hate to say that because you feel like you’re being pompous, but we’ve really gotten some really good press and when people say Kokomo, most people have heard of it around here locally. So it was one thing starting the brand and having a presence in Indiana and having that local story, which is really cool and getting that support. But I think that being in California, a household name if you will, and a winery that people think of as high quality. And most of our customers are in California by far and away, and that’s very flattering for me as well to come out not only from Indiana, but then have that story and that connection with Indiana. But to resonate so well with all the California folks because it is such a … Wine consumption per capita in California is larger than any other state and probably because we have a big wine country, but a lot of folks will have wine with their dinner here. And it’s getting more and more throughout all the states and the Midwest alike. But to have a footprint here in California I think is really substantial, and that was a very proud moment for me.

Kate Young:

And as for what Erik loves the most about being an entrepreneur.

Erik Miller:

The most answers that you’re going to get for that is, oh, the freedom. And it’s like freedom. Well, you eat, live, sleep, breathe your business. It’s your baby like that. So you don’t really ever get time away. Even on vacation you’re checking your emails and running your business as it is. But I do love the fact that I get to really steer the ship. So not taking on investors and not having people that are … The wine industry, it’s an art and I want to make sure that I am making the best possible wine that I can make and that is the main objective, and that I’m not driven by a board or by shareholders that are trying to get me to go in different directions because this is a long haul game. We want to make sure that for the long term that Kokomo remains to be one of the classic brands of California wine.

Kate Young:

As a proud Boilermaker, Erik and Kokomo Winery have partnered with the Purdue for Life Foundation and the Purdue Alumni Association to produce limited release Boilermaker Wines. Erik says this partnership was formed with the intention of creating delicious, boutique, small batch wines that highlight and celebrate what it means to be a Boilermaker. Each wine and each release features a unique label representing different Purdue building or landmark making every bottle a must have for your collection, wine cellar, kitchen table or gift to family and friends. Erik dives further into this partnership and discusses the popularity of these unique Boilermaker Wines.

When you think about your ties back to Purdue, and you’ve referenced a lot of the story of Indiana and where you came from, tell us a little bit about your collaboration with Purdue for Life and the wine that you come out with every year with them. How did that come about?

Erik Miller:

Yeah. Thank you for mentioning that. That was super flattering for me to be able to do that partnership with Purdue. I think Purdue’s just so great in that way. A, that we have a lot of alumni that really support other alumni, but also that we have the university that supports young entrepreneurs. And going back for that entrepreneurial weekend really made it apparent that that’s something that Purdue is really focusing on going forward. I think I got connected with a dean of the School of Technology, Dean Depew back in the day, but somehow led me into the Boilermaker ball. Which if you’ve not been to the Boilermaker Ball, great event. Every February. Like the last weekend or Saturday in February typically. And it’s just a black tie event, but we have fun. There’s themes with it and so on. And so Kokomo has been the only wine poured at that event since the very first one. The very first one, they had a local mead and then they decided to go with wine and they reached out to me. So it’s been, I want to say 18 years or something that we’ve been at the Boilermaker Ball proudly as the only wine served.

And I think that that got me to meet some of the other faculty and some of the other alumni folks and be connected with Purdue for life. I was reached out by someone at Purdue for Life, and they were like, “We saw that Notre Dame has their own wine thing and we wanted to reach out to see if that was a possibility to do a collaboration or something like that.” And I was just over the moon flattered about that to be able to do a collaboration with my alma mater. And so when we were talking about how we wanted to do it, there was already a little bit of a blueprint, if you will, with a beer. The black and gold, which is People’s Brewing and the Purdue Alumni Association that did this collaboration.

Well, that’s a big project. They sell that beer at Ross-Ade Stadium and probably Mackey Arena, great beer. But it’s a big project and I was just like, “Hey, teaming up with me is going to be more of a craft small production, limited availability.” Because we don’t make a ton of wine and we make high quality wine. That’s more of the focus. So in brainstorming about how best to do that, I wanted people to think of it as a collector. A collector’s item. Most of it’s given as gifts. So we have this thing in wine called verticals, and they’re really cool because you get to taste each vintage. So if you were to taste the 2018, 2019, 2020, all side by side by side from the same vineyard, same winery, it’s really cool because the different vintage shows. That can be a big difference. Every year we see a frost or temperature changes and so on.

But I was like, only wine collectors really get that and really buy into the vertical to it like that. But what I think if we change the label every vintage and showcase a different building or thing on campus in particular … We even have the train, I think on this new vintage. Every year the label changes to make it more collectible. And if you keep one of back of each of the vintages, you’ll have this really cool collection that shows different buildings on campus and symbols and so on. So that’s been really cool and we’ve had a lot of success with it. And sure enough, the thing sells out on the first day of release every year.

Kate Young:

I was just going to say, doesn’t it sell out right away?

Erik Miller:

It does. We’re talking about doing a club so we can make sure that people can get their allocations that they want, which would help us a little bit more with production numbers. But it’s flattering that it does. I’ll be honest with you., It’s a super cool thing and we’ve gotten some really good reviews back on the wines. It just has to be said that this isn’t just a spoof thing that is like, oh, this is cool and it’s got Purdue’s label on it. We’re really making high end, high quality wines that we’re trying to really over deliver, and that’s just part of what we do. But we also want to make sure that these Purdue alumni are proud when they put this on the table and they do open it. And we do suggest drink it and enjoy it. It’s been so cool to have that collaboration and it brings me back to Purdue. It’s just really flattering. We get people that come into the winery all the time like, “I want that Purdue wine.” And I’m like, “Oh, let’s get your name on the list for the next release.” But it’s really taken a life of its own.

Kate Young:

So what do you miss most about the Midwest out there in your sunny California?

Erik Miller:

Yeah. Well, and as I’m talking with you, Kate, one of the things I miss the most, and this is true, is the people. The people of the Midwest are so typically down to earth, kind. And I’m not saying anything against the people in California, but it’s a little quicker, a little faster pace. You’re in your own lane. Stay in your lane. Let me get where I’m going. It’s more people and so on. But gosh, it’s so nice to be back in the Midwest and in Indiana where people are waving and always wanting to talk to you. Whether it be a waiter or just a random person next to you, you strike up conversation easy and you can really form relationships easy in a really nice down to earth way. I think one of the coolest things that we have a stereotype for in Indiana, in the Midwest as a whole, not only being friendly but being hardworking, and that’s something that I think really has helped me along the way with this business.

Kate Young:

And speaking of work ethic, Erik shares why he’s proud to be a Boilermaker.

Erik Miller:

Gee, I tell you what, going back to Purdue for this last entrepreneurial weekend really gave me a different sense of pride and a different … Not only all the new buildings that have been built and the new labs. I got a tour with Ernie from the School of Technology, the new labs that they have at KNOY there that are just amazing. Some of the stuff that they’re doing and the technology there. But you know what Mitch Daniels did, and I was very proud to see that Mitch Daniels Avenue there going through campus. But hearing about some of the ways that he really changed the dynamic there to be focused on, hey, when you’re a young, very bright engineer or bright Purdue student, it’s not always about thinking about getting you ready for your job. It may in fact be let’s start a business. You could partner with one of your professors, and you have so many resources there at Purdue from the different departments, and now even the ability to reach out to venture capitalists to fund some of this stuff has been so exciting, and it’s just so cool to see some of the innovations coming out of Purdue and hearing these students at that entrepreneurial weekend pitch some of their businesses to these VC folks to get them to fund it really made me proud.

From the whitest of white paint, to stints for strokes, to just all this biotech stuff that’s really amazing that’s coming out of the university. But it is really a university to take us into the next century, and I’m very proud to see how we continue to be a leader in technology and some of our students, some of the things that they’re doing coming out of Purdue leading the country.

Kate Young:

Erik discusses what the Boilermaker spirit means to him, whether he’s cheering for our Purdue athletics teams more than 2,000 miles away in California or attending a game in person. What does that Boilermaker spirit mean to you?

Erik Miller:

Oh, I’m glad you asked. I’m glad you asked. So I happened to be back at that entrepreneurial weekend while we had a home football game against Minnesota. And so I was like, oh, great. I’m going to that. And at the same time I was like, I’m going to bring my kids. Shamefully, I have an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old son that had never been to Indiana. My mom’s moved out here, my dad’s moved out here. I don’t have a whole lot of family back in Indiana. I go back once a year, but younger kids, I hadn’t brought them back and I really wanted them to see it. So they’d never been to Kokomo, they’d never been to Purdue. So I brought them back with me and I was like, we’re all going to go to this football game, and that’s going to be … But it was. We got really good seats. And of course we had a high scoring, very energetic game against Minnesota where we did come out victorious.

But what I wasn’t expecting is that the Friday before that game that there was a basketball game. I have a good friend of mine, Jim Rayl, whose dad was a professional basketball player, played for the Pacers, but he was also the best basketball player to come out of Kokomo and his son, Jace Rayl, plays for the Boilermakers, plays on the team. So he plays for Purdue’s team. He’s a freshman this year. And he reached out and he says, “I have a couple tickets if you’d like to go.” Well, my youngest son, Odin, he is a huge basketball fan. My older son, Milo, he can care less about sports as much. Although he did have a great time at the football game. But I got to bring my younger son, my 8-year-old son to the basketball game there.

It was such just a invigorating environment. Mackey Arena these days is just so loud and so much excitement. To cap that all off my friend Jim Rayl was like, “Hey, do you think Odin would like to go down to the locker room after the game?” And I was like, “He would be completely over the moon.” So we ended up getting to go down, he’s got to see the practice court. We waited a bit. We got into the locker room, got his picture taken with a couple of the players there, got our ball signed. I made memories on this last trip back that’ll last a lifetime and I think I have a couple of huge young Purdue fans now. They knew about Purdue and how connected I am. Their mom graduated here at a UC school. UC Santa Cruz. But now our house is certainly Purdue strong. We got some Purdue gear for the kids when we were back. It was really cool.

Kate Young:

Finally, Erik shares his next giant leap with us along with his favorite wine recommendations.

Erik Miller:

I say my next giant leap probably is going to be more into the vineyard side of things. So we have, my wife and I, a 16 acre vineyard here in Dry Creek. I look for that to be the first and hopefully acquiring some more vineyard land. It’s so critical in what we do. The ingredients. And wine is such a product of place. It really takes up a sense of place, whether it be the soil type, the microclimate and that. And it’s important that we have a vertical integration. That we have that secure sourcing of fruit, and I love it to be in our control. Wine making is a lifelong career. We only get to make wine once a year, and it’s really one of those things that typically in the old world was handed down from your grandfather to your father to you. I’m still learning wine making and continue to learn wine making for the rest of my life, I have a feeling.

But the viticulture side and growing the vineyard is another aspect of wine growing and wine making that has really interested me a lot lately. I have my own little vineyard in front of my house that’s a really cool little half acre that’s gotten me really started farming ourselves. The 16 acre vineyard that we have is being farmed by my partner in the winery, Randy Peters, who’s a fourth generation farmer here in Dry Creek. So he’s certainly been my mentor in the vineyard. And there’s so much to learn and so many decisions that we make in the vineyard that affect the outcome of the wine. And I love that connection with the earth like that. I love that connection. It’s on one hand you have no control. I always say there is a woman that controls it all. You know who that is? That’s Mother Nature.

Kate Young:

Mother Nature.

Erik Miller:

Okay. That’s exactly right, Kate. That’s mother nature. And we saw the vintage 2022 versus the vintage 2023, complete opposite vintages as 2022 was very hot, a drought year, early, and then 2023 was a very cool vintage. We didn’t see triple digits at all. It was very late. It was over a month later than 2022. So I like that. I find that exciting. You don’t have that control. So for some people that’s something that they certainly don’t want to be involved with where they don’t have control of the decisions of their own business like that. Some years you get a big crop, some years you don’t get a big crop. Every year is different. And I love that. You need to adjust your wine making accordingly. Not only when you decide to pick the grapes if high heat’s coming, if rains are coming, but I love to be in tune with Mother Nature like that.

Kate Young:

It’s super interesting you went to Purdue, a heavy agriculture school and didn’t study that, but yet your job is all about that and you’re so interested in that.

Erik Miller:

Who would’ve thought that I had that down deep in my … I think a lot of us come from agriculture. I think 200 years ago a lot of our ancestors were performing some type of agriculture, chances are. But when I say I’m from Indiana, that’s the first thing people think here. “Oh, you grew up on a farm in Indiana?” And I’m like, “No, I did not grow up on a farm. I was inner city Kokomo.” And then they laugh. And I’m like, I’m actually serious. We lived in Kokomo and it was more in the city part. So I didn’t grow up with that. My grandparents, my parents weren’t farmers and they didn’t have that in my family. But coming out here, that’s one of the things I think that drew me into wine making. That first vintage at Belvedere when we brought the grapes in. I always knew you made wine out of grapes, but when I saw the grapes come in, there was something that clicked and it was like, oh my gosh. And we’re eating the berries and we’re tasting them and we’re doing sensory evaluation on how are the tannins of the skins and are we getting the right flavors?

And something as simple as the seed brown and lignified. Is it fully ripe in that way? That connection really connected with me. And so I know it is funny. And having gone back, I don’t know. You don’t want to change your course because it happened where I’m here now and I love where I’m at. I feel very fortunate. But at the same time, Purdue does have one of the best schools of agriculture and it’s something hopefully in the future I can work with Purdue more in the ag side as opposed to just the wine making.

I went back on this last trip, not only did I go to those games, but Dr. Butzke who teaches the wine appreciation class, he invited me back to do a guest lecture. I had done it before for him maybe 10, 12 years ago, so I hadn’t done it in a while. But he is such a gem to have at the university. He was at the University California Davis here and an enology professor, and he’s so sharp and such a good asset to have. But yeah, that was really cool to be able to get into the class of 50 and see it packed with 300 students. A bit intimidating.

Kate Young:

Yes.

Erik Miller:

Yeah. But I was able to just talk about my path of entrepreneurship and really a cool opportunity. But hopefully as I get more into viticulture, there’ll be opportunities like that from the School of Agriculture.

Kate Young:

Okay. I have to end with … We got to hear about your favorite wine and maybe if anyone happens to come upon Kokomo Winery, what do you recommend for them? Give us a little insight into your wines.

Erik Miller:

It’s always tough to play favorites. I used to have that answer that they’re all my children. I love them equally. And I really do. And I make a lot of different varietals. The thing about Kokomo that makes it so unique is I do 16, 17 different grape varietals. So it’s not a pinot house or a cab house in particular. I make a lot of different varietals and I have fun with that. It’s really cool. But my is here in Dry Creek Valley. The winery is in Dry Creek Valley. We’re sandwiched in between Russian River Valley and Alexander Valley. So Russian River Valley is where I get my Pinot Noir and my Chardonnay from. And Alexander Valley is where we get our Cabernet from. Here in Dry Creek, the home base, we’re famous for Zinfandel. We’re famous to grow the best and make the best Zinfandel in the world here.

That’s quickly become probably my favorite grape. If you were to look for a Kokomo wine, I would say look for our Dry Creek Zinfandel. It is a grape varietal that has been mis-marketed. We had this problem in the ’80s where we had this thing called white zin, and then we had people thinking that Zinfandel was pink. No, it’s not pink. It’s a deep red, unctuous fruit forward, great food, wine. But we did the Sweet Rose blush with it and marketed as white Zinfandel and that hurt the varietal. And then we made these very big jammy blockbusters Zinfandels for a while out of California and people thought, ah, they’re not food wines because they’re just too rich in alcohol and they’re overpowering the food. We’ve went back to more of a classic style that has really good acidity, that is a world-class wine and shows how Zinfandel is such a world-class varietal. And I make a lot of variations of that. Breaking Bread, I do a Zinfandel Sparkling called a Pet Nat. Stands for Pétillant Naturel which is the ancient style of making sparkling wine. I do a rose of Zinfandel. Still rose for Breaking Bread as well. But the classic would be the Kokomo Dry Creek Zin and that can be found at most fine wine shops around Indiana.

Kate Young:

Well, I cannot thank you enough for joining us. Is there anything else you want to share with our listeners?

Erik Miller:

The big thing I’d like to share with your listeners is we love to host Hoosiers. I mean Boilermakers. But folks from Indiana of all types at the winery. And I make sure that I tell our folks in the tasting group too, “Hey, if I get someone from Indiana and I’m there, please let me know that they’re in so I can just come by and say hello.” But we would love for it … When you come to this area, the San Francisco Bay Area … We’re an hour north of San Francisco to stop in the winery and get ahold of us before your trip, make a reservation, and we can give you recommendations of places that we love around the town of Healdsburg, which is the great world-class wine country town that we’re located in, of where to eat and where to stay for different folks and then other wineries to go to.

It’s a really cool industry and the fact that it’s not all competition, these wineries up and down Dry Creek Road behind me. A lot of them recommend us and we recommend them. You want to go to more than one winery when you’re here and different ones are different. There’s certainly the ones that have the crystal chandeliers with the beautiful gardens and ours is more rustic, but we’re sitting on a 120 acre vineyard that has some of the most breathtaking views in the world. So I would say come and visit us at Kokomo. We will show you our version of Hoosier hospitality out here in California and boiler up.

Kate Young:

I love it. Thank you so much, Erik.

Erik Miller:

Thank you, Kate. I appreciate it.

Kate Young:

You can check out several video clips of Erik’s interview by heading over to our podcast, YouTube page, youtube.com/@thisispurdue, and while you’re there, hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode. And if you’d like to learn more about the Purdue Innovates initiative, please visit purdueinnovates.org. And of course, be sure to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is Purdue is hosted and written by me, Kate Young. Our podcast videography for this episode was led by Ted Schellenberger. Our social media marketing is led by Maria Welch. Our podcast distribution strategy is led by Theresa Walker and Carly Eastman. Our podcast design is led by Caitlin Freville. Our podcast team, project manager is Rain Gu. Our podcast YouTube promotion is managed by Megan Hoskins and Kierstin Bauman. Additional writing assistance is led by Sophie Ritz. And our This is Purdue intern is Caroline Keim.

Thanks for listening to This is Purdue. For more information on this episode, visit our website at purdue.edu/podcast. There you can head over to your favorite podcast app to subscribe and leave us a review. And as always, boiler up.

Adam Schenk:

This is Adam Schenck and you are listening to This Is Purdue.

Kate Young:

Hi, I’m Kate Young and you’re listening to This Is Purdue: The official podcast for Purdue University. As a Purdue alum and Indiana native, I know firsthand about the family of students and professors who are in it together, persistently pursuing and relentlessly rethinking.

Who are the next game changers, difference makers, ceiling breakers, innovators? Who are these Boilermakers? Join me as we feature students, faculty and alumni taking small steps toward their giant leaps and inspiring others to do the same.

Adam Schenk:

This proud alumni base and on the golf course, on the PGA Tour, all the time I’ll see Purdue hats, Purdue sweatshirts, “Boiler Up,” all over the place. It’s really cool to be a part of that spirit and to embody it; work hard, never give up, the Boilermaker way, that’s something that I try and do every day.

Kate Young:

In this episode of This Is Purdue, we’re talking to PGA Tour golfer, Adam Schenck. Adam is a Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business alumni and former first-team All-Big Ten Purdue men’s golfer who has spent nearly a decade dedicated to his full-time professional career on the golf course. During this time, he secured his PGA Tour card and rapidly ascended the leaderboard, often competing alongside some of the world’s top-ranked golfers.

The 2023 season took him to new heights and during this 2024 season, Adam will be playing at the Masters for the first time in his career. You’ll hear Adam reflect on his time playing for the Purdue men’s golf team, recounting his first collegiate tournament and what it felt like winning for a team, not just himself.

He also shares how he prepares to play with iconic golf legends, like Rory McIlroy on some of the most famous courses across the country. Plus, Purdue men’s golf coach, Rob Bradley, joins the podcast to discuss his journey with Adam as his coach, mentor, and friend.

From Purdue to the pros, Adam is a Boilermaker who is taking giant leaps in the world of professional golf. Here’s our conversation.

Adam, thank you so much for joining us on This Is Purdue. When did you first hear about Purdue? Let’s kick it off with your Purdue journey. What made you want to come here?

Adam Schenk:

So my family has always been Purdue fans. My dad has a sod farm and a grain farm, so with Purdue having a big agriculture tie, that was always a big portion of it for me. And the golf courses here are phenomenal, and I was recruited to play golf here, so that’s a big reason that I came here as well. Close to home, but far enough away, we’re still flying, I got a good college experience, so had a great experience, but overall just a great university and it just made sense for me.

Kate Young:

Adam grew up in Vincennes, Indiana, and he majored in business management within the Daniels School of Business. Going into his golf career at Purdue, he was named to the IHSAA All-State in 2007 and 2009 and earned Indiana Junior Golf Player of the Year honors in 2006 and 2008.

As a freshman, Adam became the second Purdue player ever honored as Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Adam reflects on his favorite memory as part of the Purdue men’s golf team, which also happens to align with his very first tournament as a Boilermaker.

Adam Schenk:

The first tournament we played in was Turning Stone in New York and I made the squad went and we were in the hunt the final day and we ended up winning. But during the final round, I remember playing for more than myself. It was the first time that I wasn’t playing as an individual. I was playing for the team, for the university. And we had the block P-logo on our golf ball and I always, every time I would tee up a shot on the tee, I would always put the Purdue logo on top that way I kind of remember that I was playing for something bigger than myself. And we ended up winning the tournament and the van ride back, the flight back, it was really fun to celebrate it with teammates because I’d never won anything before as a team, so that was very exciting for me.

Kate Young:

Adam also shares what he’s most proud of during his Purdue golf journey.

Adam Schenk:

Ultimately, the golfer that I became, the person that I became, the teammates that I have lifelong friendships with now, just the journey so much more than the destination. So many good things have come from Purdue and it’s better me in so many ways. So I owe a lot of that to my time at Purdue and just the different experiences that I was able to have here.

Kate Young:

I asked Adam about his Purdue experience outside of playing golf, which involved living with several members from his close-knit team.

Adam Schenk:

So we all lived together. We had a ping pong table, so during the winter we would study a little bit on it and then we played a lot of ping pong, so one of my best friends, Stuart Macdonald, we played so much, a couple of hours a day at least. We’d go to Mollenkopf and throw the frisbee around.

The team workouts, which were really hard and struggling through those together, feeling like they were never going to end. Looking back on those, they weren’t always fun in the moment, but very fond memories of just hanging out with teammates.

And the fraternity for me without being in a fraternity, was just the other athletes that we were able to make friends with and we’d go over to the tennis house, the baseball house, the volleyball house, and just those more friendships that you make and I still talk to several of those people still today.

Kate Young:

What else did you like to do at Purdue? Did you have certain study places you liked, certain restaurants that kind of bring you back that nostalgia?

Adam Schenk:

So Triple XXX, obviously a staple. We’d study at Krannert Rawls Hall at the Bree Center. That’s where we received our tutoring, which I needed a lot of help, but that was so helpful to be able to have tutors help us out in athletics.

I didn’t drink coffee in college, which is a huge mistake. I probably would’ve been a better student. I didn’t find out about that until afterwords or I didn’t like it. I like a lot of cream and sugar.

Kate Young:

Adam discusses his academic journey while at Purdue and how he balanced Purdue’s rigorous academics and athletics excellence.

Adam Schenk:

It was hard. We missed not a lot of school but a good amount and scheduling with your professors, “I’m going to miss this quiz, this test, can I take it early, take it later.” And a lot of times they were helpful, but you’d have to take it a week earlier or four days early and that was something that a little bit of adversity you had to face and get through.

And I wasn’t a bad student. I had a 3.1, but just how hard I had to work at some point to even get a B in a class was pretty eye-opening. Teachers were great at helping us. The tutors we received the Brees Center. Drew Brees has done a hell of a lot for this university. Great football player, even better person and very supported. Anything you needed, the resources were there. To get help, you just had to seek them out and put in some effort and you were likely to succeed.

Kate Young:

In 2014, Adam graduated from Purdue and by 2017 he secured his PGA Tour card for the 2018 season. Today he’s playing with pro golf stars in some of the most famous golf tournaments in the world.

Adam shares more about his PGA Tour career.

So getting into your pro career, you’re traveling a ton, people are asking for autographs and photos. Have you gotten used to that yet?

Adam Schenk:

A little bit. I have to deal with it a whole lot less than Rory McIlroy for instance, and that’s a bad word to say “deal with it”. It’s a great thing to do to inspire a lot of young fans, sign autographs and generally just being a good person. If there’s a hundred people there, just sign the autographs, take the 10 minutes. Most everybody on the PGA Tour, almost everybody if not all do it and it’s a very small, easy way to give back to the game that’s given so much to me.

Kate Young:

When you’re in these big tournaments and you’re more and more successful every year, do you ever notice the crowds and the cameras and all the people around you and how do you deal with that? Because golf is such a mental game, right?

Adam Schenk:

It is. I got a two part answer. I used to hate playing and practicing by myself. I hated it. I love when there’s a crowd. When there’s people to entertain like the buzz, there’s an excitement, that’s fun. But I’ve learned to love practicing by myself and going and competing at our golf course at home, Cypress Hills with my dog, Bunker, every time I go I take him out, every time. He doesn’t miss one time.

Kate Young:

Does he rides in the cart with you?

Adam Schenk:

He rides in the cart with me, chase the squirrels, he does all the stuff, runs amok, loves it.

I try and make everything a tournament. I have consequences for every shot. I’m just never hitting a shot and not thinking about the result or thinking where I’m going to miss it. I’m always trying to prepare myself for the tournament. So in doing that, I try and make myself as ready when I can when the bright lights come on. When I’m playing with a big name and made the tour championship this year, playing with Rory McIlroy on Sunday was really cool.

Got to a really nice start, pulled a shot from 115 yards on 3, super bonus, made a long put on one. Didn’t quite finish it off like I’d like to. Rory came back and beat me by four or five. But to know that I can get in those moments and play well, it’s just something to continually improve upon.

But I do a pretty good job of focusing on myself and the bright lights are there, the cameras are there, but if you don’t take care of your own business and play good golf and worry about yourself, you’re most likely not going to play well and the bright lights aren’t going to be there for very long.

So it’s cool. Fans are awesome. They make it so much fun, but it’s important to… You can use that stuff, just enjoy it, but you need to take care of yourself and take care of business in the moment and the cameras, the lights, all the stuff will be there afterwards if that’s what you’re into.

Kate Young:

This question kind of goes along with that, but what is it like playing with these absolute golf legends? At first, were you starstruck or was it just like you were saying where you kind of have to ignore all that and play for yourself?

Adam Schenk:

A little bit. I’d met Rory before and he’s such a nice guy. He’s not overly intimidating, but he’s obviously so good at golf and he had a little back injury on the Wednesday before, so he wasn’t able to hit shots he normally hits his driver quite as far as he does, but he was still hitting it 20 yards behind me and just to see how he handled himself with getting off to a pretty poor start for his standards, I’m always learning something from him or another big name that I might be playing with. But it’s cool.

My first round tour, a little more starstruck and it’s very cool when you’re around the big names, but you want to become one of those big names. They’re your colleagues, you’re with them all the time, so you do get more of a normalcy being around a lot of the stars in the game, but your goal is to become one of them to beat them. So at the same time it is cool, but I wanted to beat Rory on Sunday and that was my goal, and golfed a great start and thought I was going to do it and then he got me by a lot in the end, so something to push me to be a little better.

Kate Young:

You’ve called 2023 a “life-changing year”. What do you mean by that? How has everything changed for you?

Adam Schenk:

Well, I have two full years exempt on tour. Next year I’m in all the majors, all the signature events I think they call them. So that’s nice to be able to set my schedule. I get to go to Augusta National and play the Masters, so I’m very excited about that. That’s going to be really cool. I don’t know if it’s sunk in yet, but once you start seeing the Masters commercials this spring, it’ll start to get more real.

Just to see a lot of hard work come together for five or six years, that process that I’ve been building with Coach and my caddy, it’s been a long time coming and it’s just nice. It’s nice when a plan comes together because in golf I feel like it doesn’t. Every week I play, I try and win and I’ve never won. So in a sense, every week’s been a failure, but it’s hard to look at it like that in golf. But next year I would love to not get the monkey off my back. If I never win, that’s okay. But that’s my number one goal going for, is to win next year and to perform better in the Majors. Very much so looking forward to as well.

Kate Young:

What would you say your most memorable experience was with the 2023 season?

Adam Schenk:

Two come to mind, the Valspar where I finished second being in a playoff at Charles Schwab, got extremely close to winning again, didn’t quite get it done. Miliano got me, I made a putt maybe 20 feet for par on 18 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. And that was to ultimately get me in East Lake, and if I wouldn’t have made that putt and then I don’t know what I would’ve needed to finish in the BMW the next week, but to make that putt, it might be the most timely putt of my career to have fallen in.

So that was very fond memories of that looking back. I knew it was a big deal to make it. I didn’t know how big a deal, but it turns out it was everything. So that could have been the putt that got me in the Masters. It was like winning without winning.

Kate Young:

Adam says he loves seeing plenty of spectators in Purdue clothing and often hears a few “Boiler ups” from the bustling crowds at PGA Tournaments. He shares more about what the Boilermaker spirit means to him.

Adam Schenk:

I love it. Love the university. Purdue people are just really proud. There’s a really proud alumni base and on the golf course, on the PGA Tour. All the time I’ll see Purdue hats, Purdue sweatshirts, Boiler Up all over the place. It’s really cool to be a part of that spirit and do embody it, work hard, never give up, the Boilermaker way. That’s something that I try and do every day and I don’t succeed at it every day, but if I try and put three or four or five good days together, then that’s how you can hopefully build something that can last.

Kate Young:

In 2023, Adam told a PGA Tour reporter that he had been to the coveted course, Augusta National, one time in his life, and it was as a spectator. He was sick and he lost his wallet, so he didn’t have the best time. Now in 2024, he’s going back to this famous course as a player.

Adam will play in the Masters, one of the world’s premier golf tournaments for the first time in his career. He shares more about his excitement for this PGA Tour signature event.

What is something you’re looking forward to the most? The Masters?

Adam Schenk:

The Masters, yeah. Hands down.

Kate Young:

What does that mean to you to play at Augusta?

Adam Schenk:

Just all the memories of seeing it on TV and finally getting to go there and play the par 3 course. And my wife will caddy for me. My son, AJ, will hopefully be walking by then, maybe. If he’s not great, he’ll be crawling around. But to see all the different golfers before me that have had those experiences, and then you have the lifelong pictures and memories. So that’ll be something that I will cherish forever and to go compete in the Majors.

I’m there to win the Masters, to compete. I might not win, who knows? I think there’s been one or two first time winners. Fuzzy Zoeller comes to mind, but it’s very cool to have a set schedule, to be in the Signatures, to be in the Majors. But now it’s time… What’s next? It’s time to go compete and try and get up in the mix in a Major, which I’ve never done before. So that’s what I’m very much still looking forward to as well.

Kate Young:

I know our Boilermaker community will certainly be cheering on Adam to win that coveted green jacket. Now, we had the opportunity to interview Adam in the indoor putting green facility right next to the Kampen-Cosler course on Purdue’s campus. And Purdue men’s golf coach, Rob Bradley, was able to join this interview as well.

Coach Bradley, thank you so much for joining us. What has it been like for you watching Adam play here at Purdue and then go on to this incredible professional career?

Rob Bradley:

Yeah, it’s been awesome. Obviously, it’s like a goal of mine to help our players get to the PGA Tour. I find a ton of enjoyment being part of their journey, whether it’s mini tours or Canadian Tour or whatever it might be. But then obviously when guys can make it to the PGA Tour, it’s pretty special. It’s pretty special for Purdue, it’s special for our program, for me as a coach, it’s been really fun.

Kate Young:

Did you know right away when you met Adam that he had the potential to go on and have this pro career?

Rob Bradley:

He does a lot of things. He has a lot of characteristics of a PGA Tour player. He hits it really far. He putts really well. So I think when you have guys kind of with those characteristics, you always know there’s a chance, but it’s obviously kind of a long shot to make it to the PGA Tour.

There’s not very many players out there, so I think going in it’s hard to really say if somebody is a can’t-miss player for the PGA Tour, unless you know that they’re just winning all the time when they play in college, things like that. But I knew with Adam, with his length, the way he putts it, he generally plays well when he is in contention, things like that. Those are all really good starting points for sure.

Kate Young:

Adam was back on campus to catch up with coach and play around with the Purdue men’s golf team. I asked Adam what it means to him to be able to come back and play with these younger Boilermakers.

Adam Schenk:

It means a lot. I don’t know as many of the guys as well as I would like to, but it’s fun to come back and help them with different things they might be struggling with or talk through them. Freshmen, sophomore, junior, seniors, because I’ve been through everything they’re most likely going through. So if there’s any little advice I can give them, I’m happy to help or just to be a friend of them and just to play golf and coming out and be with the boys. So it’s like being back on the college team without all the other stuff that goes on.

But it’s something that I cherish and it’s three hours from home, so I can up five or six times a year at least, and it’s very special getting back and playing these golf courses that helps me to get ready to compete. For example, last year I came up for the US Open for two or three days and played and then ended up going and playing well at Brookline. So I would attribute the Purdue facilities a lot to allowing me to be able to be prepared.

Kate Young:

Here’s Coach Bradley on what it means to the team when Adam comes back to Purdue.

Rob Bradley:

Obviously, their goal was to play on the PGA Tour. It’s special for them to be able to know, okay, we can do this. We’ve got two guys right now that have had a lot of success on tour. It’s a bit of a fight on who’s going to play with Adam when he comes back, and they’re all trying to decide who’s going to get to be in the group. And it’s so much fun for them. They follow just like I do or the other coaches do when Adam’s playing well and in contention, we’re always obviously watching very closely. So for him to be able to come back and talk to the guys and kind of let them know like, “Hey guys, you can do this too.” So it’s pretty special for sure.

Kate Young:

And as Coach just mentioned there, Adam isn’t the only Boilermaker taking giant leaps in the world of professional golf. Former Purdue golfer, academic, All-Big Ten Honoree and Indiana Amateur winner, Tyler Duncan, is also a PGA Tour player. He won his first PGA Tour title at the RSM Classic in 2019. Adam shares more about Tyler, who is also a Daniels School of Business graduate, and their long-standing friendship.

Adam Schenk:

We got a lot of stories, took [inaudible 00:17:55] he was great to me. So we just hung out all the time and obviously we’re with each other on the golf course, off the golf course, living together. So that’s how that friendship struck up and we’ve been good friends ever since.

We’ve both played the PGA Tour for six years in a row, so that’s been extremely fortunate for, I’m assuming me and him, to have a great friend for six years because he could have played three and I could have played three and we could have maybe overlapped for a couple of years, but he’s played the Masters. So hopefully he can give me some tips.

Kate Young:

And what does it mean to coach Bradley to have two former Purdue golfers on the PGA Tour?

Rob Bradley:

Yeah, it’s great. Obviously that’s a goal. Being at Purdue, we’re lucky the athletic department gives us tons of resources to be able to get things done. And my goal as a coach is to go, “Hey, how can I get these guys to the PGA Tour?” We’ve added a strength coach that works specifically with them and we have phenomenal facilities, and Purdue has just been great about giving us the resources to be able to help those players get to the PGA Tour. So we’re really lucky. Our athletes are really lucky.

I’m sure if you took the people that Adam was paying or that other tour players were paying, whether it’s strength coaches and instructors, nutritionists, all these different things, I think you’re putting a lot of your time and money into these resources and Purdue is doing that for you when you’re here. It’s definitely a great situation to be in, for sure.

Kate Young:

Some additional background here, coach Bradley is more than just a former coach for Adam. See, in the midst of Adam’s PGA Tour season in 2021, he reached out to coach and enlisted his help. Now, the PGA Tour is a grind for dozens of players trying to make it big, and Adam felt his game was just slightly off. He was in a rut and he needed a mental boost at the time. Adam said Coach Bradley had been so influential in his golf career at Purdue and that he truly knew his game.

So Coach served as Adam’s caddy, coach, and sports psychologist all-in-one during that summer of 2021, and he continues to be Adam’s instructor on tour.

You and Coach Bradley have a really unique relationship. You played under him at Purdue here, but now he’s also your professional instructor when you go on tour. Tell us about that relationship and what that means to you.

Adam Schenk:

Yeah, it’s grown. I remember the first time we met was in the back range. I was getting ready to go to the USM and he helped me with a few things before I took off, but we talk probably every day, probably two or three times a day, one my best friends. So it helps in my golf game a lot.

And I talk to him a lot about golf course management, but more so we’re probably better friends and just a really good person to have in my life that keeps me on straight and narrow. He tells me the truth about something if I need to hear it. I’ll tell him the truth about something if he needs to hear it. He may not like it, I may not like it, but someone that can help hold you accountable I think is a pretty good friend and a unique relationship to have, because I can tell him something that he doesn’t want to hear and I might be wrong, and he can tell me a lot of things that I don’t want to hear, and he’s generally always right, but sometimes I’m too, and sometimes he needs to hear something.

It’s just a really beneficial relationship to have for me and him, I think.

Kate Young:

It’s like having a really honest friend when you need it.

Adam Schenk:

It is, yeah. They’re not scared to tell you the truth.

Kate Young:

Coach Bradley shares more about their unique bond and what it means to him to serve as Adam’s instructor.

Rob Bradley:

I was thinking about that a little bit the last few days. For me, it’s not really different than how it is with our players. Ultimately, at the end of the day, I just want him to be successful and I want to be able to help him in any way that I can. So whether it is with our players, whether they have an instructor or whether I help them, it’s my job just to come alongside them and maybe talk through things with their golf swing, talk through ideas that they have, talk through ideas that their instructors have, and be able to help them process those things, help them put them into play. And that’s basically what I do with Adam.

I think, day in and day out on tour, it’s not like I’m standing on the range with him saying, “Hey, do this and do that.” It’s much more of he’ll say to me, “Hey, I’ve been thinking about this with my grip. I’ve been thinking about this with my golf swing. What do you think that’s going to produce?” And we’ll just talk through those things.

But Adam’s on the PGA Tour because of Adam. He’s a hard-working guy that knows what he wants to do with his game, that has had a great progression where he is getting better every year and learning the golf courses and doing all that. I’m just there to help him in any way that I can to kind of improve upon what he’s doing.

Kate Young:

And speaking of hard-working, Coach Bradley touches on this special Boilermaker spirit here at Purdue.

And you’ve been coaching at Purdue for over a decade. What does this Boilermaker spirit between athletics, the fans, the education that you can get at Purdue, what does that mean to you?

Rob Bradley:

It’s really a special place. I generally think of Boilermakers as hard-working and gritty and just people that are willing to roll their sleeves up and get to work. And I love it about this place.

I think that Adam is a true Boilermaker. He is always gotten a ton out of his ability. He’s always worked really hard, grew up on a farm in Indiana, always been that type of kid.

If you said to me, what’s a model produced student athlete? I think the guy is it. You don’t really necessarily see that in somebody when they’re playing golf at a high level, like he’s playing, battling to win the tour championship or whatever that might be, but he’s no different than the guys on our team or our coaching staff or whatever. He can come back here and blend right in just like anybody else. Or going to a Purdue football game and sitting out in the crowd with everybody and having a great time, I think is kind of what he’s all about and it’s kind of what we’re all about as a program too.

Kate Young:

I loved getting to see Coach Bradley and Adam’s relationship in real life, and it was really a testament to who Adam is as a person. So throughout Adam’s collegiate and professional golf journeys, he’s embodied the Boilermaker spirit and also that Purdue persistence. Here’s Adam.

When you talk about your professional career, your career here at Purdue, you’ve gone through a lot. You’ve had to show a lot of persistence. What does that word persistence mean to you as a professional athlete now?

Adam Schenk:

Persistence, it’s similar to a Boilermaker. It’s not giving up always working hard, putting your best foot forward. I think where I’ve learned a little bit with persistence is you’re always trying to continually improve yourself. And the saying, “If you’ve always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” And sometimes you do just need to keep working hard and putting one foot in front of the other.

But in my profession and the way I see my golf game, I’m always looking for ways to improve, small little ways. It doesn’t have to be a complete wheel reinvention, but persistence to me is understanding that failure is okay and it’s thinks, pain hurts, but pain is a great teacher. And when you’re continually trying to learn better yourself at home, in your professional life on the course, that is a tenacity and something that you can attribute to most people’s success.

Rather than most people think of persistence, just keep going forward and keep trying. And it is. But failure is a great teacher and understanding that sometimes good and great isn’t enough and you’re going to fail. Pain is a great teacher, like I said, and that’s okay, but when you’re continually improving yourself, you’re going to get to where you need to go.

Kate Young:

As a very amateur golfer in the beginning stages of learning the game, I asked Adam about the best golf advice he’s ever received.

Adam Schenk:

It was probably when I was growing up. I used to take some lessons from Nick Bianco in Indianapolis somewhere. We went to much courses, but he told me, “You’ve got a canvas, you got a blank white canvas. It’s your picture to paint and you do it your way and don’t do anybody else’s. That way when you look back, if you fail, if you succeed, whatever, take all the advice you want, pick and choose, but make it your own. This is your canvas, this is your golf career. Do with it how you want to do with it, what you want to do and build it how you want to build it. That way there’s never any regrets and any excuses, you’re taking full accountability in your golf game, in your life.” So that’s kind of how I looked at a lot of things.

I’m a little more hard-headed than most, which is a blessing and a curse in golf, very stubborn in my ways, and Coach knows that and knows how to coach me, knowing that’s one of my, I don’t want to say it’s a shortcoming, but knowing that that’s the way I am.

Kate Young:

And for all of our listeners out there who are golf fans or are maybe trying to step up your game, hey, I know I am. I asked Adam for some advice for all of us recreational golfers out there.

So there’s a lot of, I’m sure, Monday morning quarterback going on when people are watching golf, what should the recreational golfer know about what it takes to be a pro golfer? What would you say?

Adam Schenk:

I would say that it’s all relative, but for the amount of work and effort we put in, we still play really, really bad golf sometimes too. So our bad golf might be 72 to 73, 74 or 75, or sometimes it’s 80, and understanding that it’s just a hard game and they don’t get to play it all the time. So when they go shoot a 70 or a 75 or an 80, whatever a great score might be for them, it’s just probably not going to happen all the time.

So if you shoot a 75 and that’s pretty good for you and you shoot an 80 the next day, why is this happening? I don’t know why I can’t play good every time. Well, there’s a reason I can’t shoot 66 every time or else I would be the Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus. So just as a guy I follow on Twitter, Lou, I forget his last name, but his hashtag is always manage your expectations. So I would say manage your expectations.

Kate Young:

I love that.

With his golden retriever, Bunker, by his side on the golf course, Adam continues to persistently pursue his next giant leap of winning a PGA Tour event, but he’s also leaning into the time he gets to spend with his wife, Kourtney, and their son, AJ, while on tour.

Adam Schenk:

It means a lot just to be able to travel together. And my wife is such a rock star and she makes it so easy on me and AJ, and to be fair, AJ makes it really easy on us. He’s been such a good baby. He’s been sleeping through the night, and I shouldn’t say it’s out loud for all the parents out there that don’t have such great luck with sleeping babies, but he’s slept through the night since he’s five weeks old. Having them with me, being able to share those experiences, the pictures we take, looking back even from two months ago, just saying, “Oh, we did this this week. I can’t believe how little AJ was.” Being able to share that with them makes the entire experience.

Kate Young:

By the way, if you want to see Bunker in action at Purdue’s Kampen-Cosler course, trust me, you do, and he looks great with the “This Is Purdue” hat on too. Be sure to check out some of our YouTube video clips with Adam and Bunker on our podcast YouTube page, youtube.com/@thisispurdue.

I asked Adam what role Purdue University has played in his life.

Adam Schenk:

A lot. It’s given me all the experience that I’ve had for four years to better develop my golfing career, helped me grow up from coming in as a young boy, starting to turn into a man and competition. We played against the courses, the phenomenal schedule, also as well as the academics, which were pretty strenuous for me. I kind of had a pretty well-rounded experience, and whether golf wouldn’t have worked out, I still had a great education to fall back on. And that’s one thing that I will always be thankful for Purdue.

And a little bit harder in golf in the winter, but you get the four seasons. You still travel south a lot in the winter, which is helpful. There’s a beautiful facility here that the golf team gets to use and all those things. It really allowed me to just become the person I am today.

Kate Young:

And why are Adam and Coach Bradley proud to be part of the Boilermaker community?

Rob Bradley:

I just think there’s so many things that Purdue has going for it. The administration here has been awesome, and the facilities, the spirit, the different teams, love going to football games, basketball games. There’s just so many different things about Purdue that I love.

I heard Tim House say it to some recruits this morning, “It’s really easy to sell something that you believe in.” And that’s probably the easiest thing for me about being at Purdue is being able to talk to recruits and believing so much about what we’re doing here and the resources that they have available to them. It’s just such an easy sell.

Adam Schenk:

Exactly what he said. There’s just so much opportunity and there was a lot of opportunity when I was here. I would say there’s even more opportunity now, and I think Coach was a big part of that. And I wish that I could come back and do it all over again, to be honest, so I could go back to 17 or 18-year-old Adam. I would do the experience again.

Maybe I’d do a couple of things a little differently, but I had such a good time with the golf team. That was my fraternity. We had so much fun.

And as I mentioned, it’s so much more about the journey as opposed to the destination. Once you get to a destination, it feels good to maybe they win a Big Ten Championship. Awesome, it’s been too long. They’re going to get it done. And once you get there, it’s like, okay, what do we do next? Well, the fun and the enjoyment was in the process of getting there and then ultimately getting there is really fun. But the most enjoyment that you’ll take out of that is enjoying the process, not necessarily the final destination.

Just a great place to learn to grow and just very thankful that I have came here and get to come back.

Kate Young:

We ended our conversation with this dynamic duo’s goals for their next giant leaps.

Rob Bradley:

I think for me, professionally, winning a Big Ten Championship at Purdue, it’s been way too long since we’ve done that. And I feel like our team is continuing to get better and better and continuing to learn as a coach. So that’s something that’s super important to me, competing to win a national championship. I really feel like that we have the resources and courses here to be able to continue to get better and compete at that level. And it’s something that is super important to me. Obviously, continuing to be a part of our players’ lives after college is important to me. And being part of Adam’s journey has been really awesome.

Adam Schenk:

For me would just be winning, personally, would be my next step on the PGA Tour. And also helping Coach win a Big Ten Championship, win a national championship, compete for a national championship, make match play. There’s steps through a progression that a golf program makes. And he’s had a lot of good teams and he is getting closer and like Coach said, always continuing to learn and how to make his players better. And I think that’s something Coach does really well. And if I can play a small part in helping the team win a Big Ten Championship, that’s what I want to do.

I like helping people more than I like playing golf, and I don’t always get the opportunity to do that because golf is the most selfish sport in the world. It’s team event once a year, the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup. So that for me is one thing that I want to help make happen soon.

Kate Young:

Well, we can’t thank you enough for your time and we’ll be rooting for you.

Rob Bradley:

Thank you very much.

Adam Schenk:

Thank you.

Kate Young:

Which golf legend is Adam most starstruck by and what’s his favorite course to play? And by the way, does he prefer a hat or a visor while playing on tour? Be sure to check out our rapid fire questions with Adam on our podcast YouTube page to find out these answers and more.

Head over to youtube.com/@thisispurdue and hit that subscribe button while you’re there. And as always, be sure to follow us on Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

This Is Purdue is hosted and written by me, Kate Young. At this special podcast shoot, our podcast videography was led by Ted Schellenberger in collaboration with Jon Garcia, Thad Boone and Matt Kerkhoff. Our social media marketing is led by Maria Welch. Our podcast distribution strategy is led by Teresa Walker and Carly Eastman. Our podcast photography is led by John Underwood. Our podcast design is led by Caitlin Freville. Our podcast team, project manager is Rain Gu. Our podcast YouTube promotion is managed by Megan Hoskins and Kierstin Bauman. Additional writing assistance is led by Sophie Ritz. And our This Is Purdue intern is Caroline Kime.

Thanks for listening to This Is Purdue. For more information on this episode, visit our website at purdue.edu/podcasts. There you can head over to your favorite podcast app to subscribe and leave us a review. And as always, Boiler Up.

Jennifer:

Hi, I’m Jennifer Rumsey, and you’re listening to This Is Purdue.

Kate:

Hi, I’m Kate Young, and you are listening to This Is Purdue, the official podcast for Purdue University. As a Purdue alum and Indiana native, I know firsthand about the family of students and professors who are in it together, persistently pursuing and relentlessly rethinking, who are the next game changers, difference makers, ceiling breakers, innovators? Who are these Boilermakers? Join me as we feature students, faculty, and alumni taking small steps toward their giant leaps, and inspiring others to do the same.

Jennifer:

When I went to Purdue, there were 10, maybe 15% women in engineering. It was pretty small, and so, I’ve gotten very used to there, and even times in my career, of looking around and just not seeing other women. And so, it is one of the reasons I’m really passionate about that investment in helping young girls and helping women see the opportunities and grow in these STEM fields, and taking advantage of the opportunities that will then ultimately help companies like Cummins, and the society more broadly, really be successful.

Kate:

In this episode of This Is Purdue, we’re talking to Jennifer Rumsey, CEO of Cummins, one of the world’s largest engine manufacturers. We had the opportunity to interview Jennifer right inside Cummins headquarters in Columbus, Indiana. In our conversation, Jennifer discusses her experience as a Purdue mechanical engineering student, and how that led her to four internships with Cummins during her Boilermaker journey. That’s right, Jennifer climbed the ladder from intern to the most senior role at Cummins, CEO. Jennifer digs into the importance of leading a 104-year-old company into the future, and the long-lasting legacy she hopes to leave at Cummins, including the Destination Zero strategy, which aims to decarbonize, reduce emissions, and lead diesel engines into a greener, more sustainable future.

And as we celebrate Women’s History Month in March, you’ll hear Jennifer’s biggest lessons and advice for fellow women in STEM, and why she believes inclusivity and representation are necessary for shaping our society for the better. Jennifer kicks our conversation off by sharing more about her ties to both Purdue and Cummins. Jennifer, thank you so much for joining us on This Is Purdue, the official university podcast. You have a lot of ties to Purdue. You’re an Indiana native, you went to Purdue, your daughters both go to Purdue now. So tell us about your first memory growing up. You grew up here in Columbus, what was your first memory of Purdue, and why did you decide to come here?

Jennifer:

Yeah, well, as you know Kate, I have a lot of connections to Purdue today. I grew up in Columbus, Indiana, so being in the state of Indiana, of course, you know, Purdue, growing up … I have to confess that I was actually an IU fan growing up. My parents were really into IU basketball, and it was really when I started thinking about engineering, I babysat for a Cummins engineer, who went on to become our chief technical officer, who encouraged me to think about engineering because I was good at math and science. And that really led me to think about Purdue, and if you live in the state of Indiana, what a great school to have available to you. And having heard so much about Purdue, I switched, so now I’m a loyal Boilermaker.

Kate:

Well, and we’re down south, right? So we’re close to [inaudible 00:03:28].

Jennifer:

Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

Kate:

As I mentioned earlier, Jennifer has certainly worked her way up through the ranks at Cummins, but after graduating from Purdue, she actually started her career working for a company that specializes in fuel processing and fuel cells in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She went on to receive her master’s in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Then, in 2000, she returned home to Columbus and started working for Cummins. Since then, she’s held a number of positions of increasing responsibility and impact, including bringing new platforms and technologies to market, driving improvement in product quality, and developing the capability of global teams.

In 2015, she succeeded John Wall as the company’s chief technical officer, becoming the first woman to hold that position. And by the way, remember that Cummins engineer Jennifer grew up babysitting for? That engineer was John Wall. Then, in 2022, Jennifer was named the seventh CEO of Cummins, the first woman to lead the company since it was founded in 1919. She digs into her engineering career post-Purdue, and her Cummins career journey. So when you were a student at Purdue within the School of Mechanical Engineering, you had four internships with Cummins. This is unique, because not many people go from an intern all the way to the highest level of CEO of Cummins. So tell us about that journey, and how you got to where you are today.

Jennifer:

Yeah, I mean, it’s been quite a journey, from growing up here in Columbus where Cummins is headquartered, to interning here during my time in college, and then, now, as CEO. And I would say, Cummins is really a hire to develop culture, so we like to bring people in as interns, and then continue to invest and give our employees a chance to grow and evolve. And that’s exactly what I’ve done in my career. So those internships really helped me start to see what engineering was all about, and while I started in engineering, I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do with that.

I ended up going to graduate school and working for a fuel cell startup company for a few years, because I love solving complex problems. And I realized at that time that I wanted to do something that really mattered and made a difference to a customer and the environment. That’s always been important to me. I’d had a great experience as an intern for Cummins with the work we were doing and the culture of the company, so I came back, and again, my career, people invested in me, helped me grow, see and realize my potential. There’s a lot of focus on, how do we recognize and take advantage of diversity at Cummins, and that led me to become chief technical officer of the company. And then, after a few years in that role, I started thinking about the business opportunity we face and became CEO about 18 months ago.

Kate:

That’s incredible. And the person that you used to babysit for, what did he think about you taking over CTO?

Jennifer:

It’s an amazing story, quite proud of me, I would say, from growing up and encouraging me to consider engineering, and really being a lifelong mentor and sponsor, which are so important to help you see what you can become. And as a woman in engineering, kind of helping me see opportunities beyond what I might have envisioned, were it not for him as a mentor for me.

Kate:

I asked Jennifer how her experience at Purdue helped shape her into who she is today.

Jennifer:

Purdue is an incredible engineering school, and I think that the combination of that engineering education and the internships to help me see what you could do with an engineering degree was very important in shaping me. That said, it’s a lot more than about just getting a good education, and Purdue is really a whole experience, and that’s what I enjoyed about it. It’s all of the other clubs and activities that you can get involved in, it’s about Division 1 sports, the basketball team was really good, like it is currently, my time in Mackey Arena, time with friends and groups and things that I did. Purdue, also, I think really shaped me. And then, last, I would say, I met my husband Jim at Purdue, so I owe Purdue a lot because of that and meeting him, and the person who’s become a lifelong partner and supporter of me.

Kate:

And speaking of Boilermaker Athletics and Jennifer’s husband, Jim, who is also a College of Engineering alum, she shares one of her favorite memories from her time at Purdue.

Jennifer:

My favorite memory probably is a football game my sophomore year where my husband, Jim, and I had been friends since freshman year, and it was kind of at that football game that we realized there was something more. So I have these really clear memories of that fall day and watching the game, and that change in the relationship.

Kate:

Jennifer also reflects on her favorite classes and professors from her Purdue experience.

Jennifer:

I really enjoyed classes that were things like thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, maybe why I ended up working for an engine company eventually. I joke with my daughters about what are my favorite classes versus theirs, which are sometimes different. I think, though, that my favorite memory in mechanical engineering was my junior year, when I took a research class, and it’s a great opportunity that Purdue gives students to get involved in research. Professor [inaudible 00:08:31] was my professor for that, he’d also been a teacher for one of my classes, and just getting that hands-on experience in that research environment at Purdue.

Kate:

In 2022, Jennifer was named one of the 50 most powerful women in business by Fortune Magazine. Fortune highlighted her more than two decades of experience at Cummins, noting how she has led the company through supply chain shortages, helped drive 21% year-over-year revenue growth to 24 billion in 2021, and laid the foundation for the developing technologies for hybrid and electric engines. This Boilermaker trailblazer shares the importance of showing young women the opportunities that are available in STEM, and what it means to see her own two daughters follow in her footsteps and pursue careers in mechanical engineering. We discussed your daughters there at Purdue, you’re a really proud advocate for women pursuing engineering and STEM degrees and careers overall. Why do you feel that women uniquely bring something to the STEM fields that help move industries and innovations forward?

Jennifer:

Yeah, I mean, for me, when I look at the opportunities in the STEM field, when I look at the challenges that our society and our planet faces, I view it as, we need everybody that has capability and potential in the space to recognize those opportunities and be given a chance to be a part of it. And unfortunately, because there aren’t always role models of other women pursuing these fields, sometimes young girls, women don’t consider it. When I went to Purdue, there were 10, maybe 15% women in engineering. It was pretty small, and so, I’ve gotten very used to there, and even in times in my career, of looking around and just not seeing other women. And so, it is one of the reasons I’m really passionate about that investment in helping young girls and helping women see the opportunities and grow in these STEM fields, and taking advantage of the opportunities that will then ultimately help companies like Cummins, and the society more broadly, really be successful.

Kate:

What’s your favorite advice to give these young girls and women pursuing these journeys? And even with your own daughters, what kind of things do you tell them to kind of overcome maybe some of these challenges?

Jennifer:

Yeah, well, the reality is that when you look around, sometimes there’s a mixture of, can I do it, because I don’t see anybody that looks like me, and also, trying to fit into a certain mold that you might see others. So with my own daughters, I’ve always encouraged them to pursue what they’re passionate about and makes them happy. My husband and I are both very happy, of course, that they’re studying engineering like we did at Purdue. That’s fantastic. I, by no means was saying, hey, you have to study engineering at Purdue. It’s about, what are you interested in, and staying true to yourself, not trying to fit a mold that others might expect you to do, and the peer pressure that can exist in our society. And then, learn and grow from challenges and mistakes that we all have, and use that to help you be a better person and do more in your life.

And I think that advice is very similar to young girls, is really understand yourself, and don’t be afraid to do something new or different. To believe in yourself, while you also surround yourself and use people that understand and care about you to also help you think about what you can do. And that has been my exact experience. I think because of my upbringing, I had a very strong, supportive mother, I had a lot of belief in myself, and I had people like John Wall, who I talked about, like my husband, that encouraged me to think big about what I can do. And so, I just think there’s so much opportunity if young girls can find those two things, and then pay it forward to others as they find their own success.

Kate:

Absolutely. Now, are they both studying mechanical engineering?

Jennifer:

Much to my husband’s dismay, because he’s a computer and electrical engineer from Purdue. They are both studying mechanical engineering, they’re a senior and sophomore there this year.

Kate:

Oh, amazing. That is so fun to see it through their eyes, right? You and your husband can repeat your experiences through your daughters.

Jennifer:

Exactly.

Kate:

Speaking of Jennifer’s Boilermaker daughters, we featured one of them on our This Is Purdue podcast back in 2022 as part of our episode highlighting the Purdue Formula Society of Automotive Engineers, or SAE. Helen Rumsey, a senior in mechanical engineering, is part of the student organization, and she and her team design and build custom race cars, then they go compete against hundreds of other universities from around the world.

Helen discussed how SAE provides hands-on experience to create innovative car designs and test engineering skills with real world problems. We link this episode for you in our show notes if you’d like to check it out. Jennifer has put more than two decades of work toward a greener, more sustainable future. As CEO, she is focused on clean energy solutions and reducing environmental impacts while improving the performance of diesel engines. As part of this focus, Cummins formally launched Destination Zero in 2022. Jennifer shares more about this strategy and why it’s so important to protect our planet for the future.

Jennifer:

Cummins is a power solutions provider. Our history is in diesel engines. We’re 104 years old, and we’re investing in a range of different power solutions today that will meet our customer’s needs now, and as they evolve for the future, in a way that allows our industry to decarbonize. And that’s what our Destination Zero strategy is all about, it’s about advancing solutions that are broadly available and viable today, because our customers also serve applications at the heart of the economy, school buses that are taking our kids to school every day, trains that are moving goods, backup power generation for critical applications like hospitals, or fun applications, like Statue of Liberty. And so, the work matters, and we contribute to global CO2 emissions, and so, decarbonizing matters. This is one of the big reasons I became CEO, is that there’s a tremendous opportunity for Cummins to grow and continue to make a positive difference in powering a more prosperous world.

Kate:

And of course, there’s still a long way to go, right? But what do you believe is the biggest obstacle standing between you and Destination Zero right now?

Jennifer:

It’s easy to talk about the technology transition that needs to happen. It’s very difficult to replace a diesel engine in terms of power density and durability. And meeting these very demanding applications is really good, and we’ve refined it over time. And so, finding alternate solutions that can serve that customer need, and also, build out the infrastructure, because there’s typically different fuels or charging that’s required, also takes time. And so, partnerships become really important, and that’s a strength that Cummins has had of partnering with our customers, with others in our industry, with the government, and helping define regulations and standards and policies, and how these evolve for the future. On my first week as CEO, I was advocating for some of the climate change provisions that are in the IRA, as an example, because this is going to be a complicated journey, and it’s an important one, because those customers are serving important applications today, and we need to protect our planet for the future.

Kate:

If you’d like to learn more about Destination Zero, we have more information on this strategy linked in our podcast show notes for you. Jennifer has already achieved a few firsts when it comes to Cummins’ storied company legacy. She was the first woman chief technical officer and the first woman CEO. And as we just heard, when it comes to the Destination Zero strategy, Jennifer is bringing next level innovation to this company. She shares more about the culture and evolution of Cummins. So Cummins was started in 1919, it’s over 100 years old now. What do you hope that your legacy will be at Cummins? You must have immense pride leading this 100-year-old brand.

Jennifer:

I do have immense pride to the company, to what we represent, to our Destination Zero strategy, and what is happening in that, and also, the culture of the company. And so, for me as CEO, I want my legacy to be about how we evolve the company for the future. And when I say that, I mean the products and the technologies, and how we’re serving our customers’ needs, that we’re evolving what we do, our people, and how we’re investing in the skills and in the capability, and ensuring all of our employees have an opportunity to reach their full potential, and the impact that we then have on all of our stakeholders in our business.

Kate:

The building is absolutely gorgeous.

Jennifer:

Thank you.

Kate:

And the Indy location is gorgeous, so it feels like there’s a good culture just when I walk in.

Jennifer:

Yeah, it’s about innovation, and it’s about caring, and it’s about working together to power a more prosperous world and make a difference.

Kate:

Any tips on Boilermakers right now who are listening, who are interested in interning, or maybe it’s been their goal to come here and work for Cummins?

Jennifer:

We are a hired to develop culture, we love hiring interns. There’s a variety of opportunities here at Cummins, it’s an amazing place to work. I encourage you to, while you’re an intern, it’s just a great time to experience different cultures at different companies and different types of work. And then, certainly, in your career at Cummins, there’s so many different things that you can do with that engineering degree.

Kate:

So we know Jennifer is part of a family of Boilermakers and Boilermaker engineers, to be more specific. I also asked her why she’s proud to be a part of this broader Purdue family and community.

Jennifer:

Purdue is a large school, I know President Chang talks about pinnacle of excellence. It’s a large school, and it’s also one that creates a lot of loyalty and connection with people, and so, you go out into the world from Purdue University with this network of people that you cross paths with wherever you go. And of course, I travel around the world as a part of my job, and you meet Boilermakers everywhere, and so, it builds that really special connection. That connection for me has deepened with time because of two daughters there, that provides me an opportunity to continue to connect with the school. And we hire a lot of people from Purdue, we do research work with Purdue, and so, I’ve just continued to strengthen that Boilermaker passion and connection in my life.

Kate:

We’ve had a lot of guests say they’re traveling to all different countries, they’re wearing Purdue gear, and they hear the boiler up, and they’re in Japan. Do you still keep involved with athletics?

Jennifer:

I watch games, for sure, I try to make it to at least one football game and one basketball game a year, and definitely watch them on TV when I’m not able to do that.

Kate:

Yes, awesome.

Jennifer:

And my daughter actually runs for the Purdue cross-country and track team, so I’ve been to a few of those events, as well.

Kate:

Wow, that’s impressive!

Jennifer shares her next giant leaps with us.

Jennifer:

I think professionally, I talked about this Destination Zero strategy and the change that’s happening at Cummins, and really, how we continue to transition and reposition Cummins for the future. So that really is the giant leap for me. It’s going to be a big change, as I said, 104-year-old company that has its roots in diesel engines, and we have changed and transformed the company over time. We’ve embraced the need for change and use that to drive innovation. Most of us that are engineers step up when presented with a challenge, and that’s really how I think about what’s ahead for us here at Cummins. For me, personally, I’m already at the empty nest stage, my daughters are going to begin their own careers, and so, I look forward to moving into that phase of my personal life.

Kate:

We ended our interview with Jennifer with some rapid fire questions. She takes us through a day in the life of a CEO. Okay, so we’re going to do some rapid fire with Jennifer here. Okay, first up, what is your morning routine like?

Jennifer:

First thing I do in the morning is, I have three dogs, take them outside, give them breakfast. I like to work out in the morning at least three days a week, and then, breakfast and coffee, because I never skip a meal before I get into my work.

Kate:

Love it. Okay, next up, what is the best career advice you’ve ever received?

Jennifer:

The best career advice I’ve ever received is to recognize that you can do jobs in your own way. For me, as a woman in engineering, I’ve sometimes looked at other leaders and engineers, and thought, that’s not the way that I want to do a job. And I got great advice from our former CEO, Tom Linebarger, of being comfortable doing the job my way, and recognizing that often, that’s actually what the company needs.

Kate:

I love that. How do you work to get your inbox to zero? Is it possible as a CEO, Jennifer?

Jennifer:

So as you can imagine, a CEO, I do get a lot of email. I try to stay on top of my email, and the way that I do that is really with a strong partnership with my assistant, Michelle, that helps me make sure I’m focused on the things that are most important, and helps me with the things that are less important.

Kate:

Head over to our podcast YouTube page, youtube.com/@thisispurdue, and hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode. Plus, you can watch our full video interview with Jennifer, Inside Cummins, on our YouTube page, as well. And as always, be sure to follow us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This Is Purdue is hosted and written by me, Kate Young. At this special podcast shoot, ad Cummins, our podcast videography was led by Ted Schellenberger in collaboration with Jon Garcia, Thad Boone, Alli Cheney, and Zach Mogensen.

Our social media marketing is led by Maria Welch. Our podcast distribution strategy is led by Teresa Walker and Carly Eastman. Our podcast photography for this episode was done by John Underwood. Our podcast design for this episode was led by Caitlin Freeville. Our podcast team project manager is Rain Gu. Our podcast YouTube promotion is managed by Megan Hoskins and Kirsten Bowman. Additional writing assistance is led by Sophie Ritz. And are This Is Purdue intern is Caroline Kime. Thanks for listening to This Is Purdue. For more information on this episode, visit our website at purdue.edu/podcast. There, you can head over to your favorite podcast app to subscribe and leave us a review. And, as always, boiler up.

Carolyn Peck:

This is Coach Carolyn Peck, and you are listening to This is Purdue.

Stephanie White:

This is Stephanie White, and you’re listening to This is Purdue.

Ukari Figgs:

This is Ukari Figgs and you’re listening to, this is Purdue.

Kate Young:

Hi. I’m Kate Young, and you’re listening to This is Purdue, the official podcast for Purdue University. As a Purdue alum and Indiana native, I know firsthand about the family of students and professors who are in it together persistently pursuing and relentlessly rethinking. Who are the next game changers, difference makers, ceiling breakers, innovators? Who are these Boilermakers? Join me as we feature students, faculty, and alumni taking small steps toward their giant leaps and inspiring others to do the same.

Basketball Announcer:

Ladies and gentlemen, the National Champion team resides in West Lafayette, Indiana. As Katie does it, throws the ball skyward, it’s over. Purdue wins 62 to 45 capturing the national championship.

Carolyn Peck:

Well, you want the real story?

Kate Young:

Hi, This is Purdue listeners. I’m so glad you all joined us because in this episode, we are celebrating. What are we celebrating? Well, that audio at the beginning of this episode gave you a big hint. This March Madness, we’re reflecting on the 25th anniversary of the legendary 1998-1999 Purdue Women’s Basketball Team Championship win. This team had a 34 and 1 record, and this team became the first and only Big 10 conference women’s team to win an NCAA national championship.

So to help us celebrate, we’re talking to several members of this iconic team, former head coach Carolyn Peck and co-captain Stephanie White and Ukari Figgs. These three women share more about this historic season and the real story behind what happened once they got to San Jose, California for the final four. This season kicked off with this Boilermaker team beating number one ranked and three-time defending national champion, Tennessee, 78 to 68 in Mackey Arena. This game ended the Lady Vols 46 game winning streak, by the way, here’s Coach Peck after that massive win.

Carolyn Peck:

Y’all, I cannot tell you how proud I am of you. Let me tell you, hard and intense like you’re on and you hang tough together. They’d make their runs and you showed no sign of fear. You ain’t afraid of nothing. You step on the floor ready to play every day just like that….

Kate Young:

This Boilermaker team was also the first women’s basketball team to sell out Mackey. At the end of the season on March 28th, 1999, this was the team that hoisted the championship trophy up and cut down the net after beating Duke 62 to 45.

The friendship, commitment, and determination that led this legendary women’s team to a national championship will forever be celebrated in our Purdue community. In this special episode of This is Purdue, you’ll hear the heart-wrenching, jaw-dropping, and emotional behind the scenes stories from three of the women who were there for it all. Let’s go.

Thank you all for joining us. We are so excited to celebrate the 1998-1999 Women’s Championship NCAA Championship team. Let’s kick it off with how you all felt coming into that season. The previous season you had won that 1998 Big 10 Tournament, you got to the Elite 8. Did you all know this was a really special team going into that year as the season kicked off?

Ukari Figgs:

You know how long that was? You want us to remember that far back?

Kate Young:

I feel like it was a special time in your life, so you should remember it, right?!

Carolyn Peck:

I remember it like it was yesterday because I had expected to take a job to go to the Orlando Miracle, and I believe Steph and Kari were at USA basketball. So I had to call you guys over the phone. I talked to Kari first and Kari says to me, “Well, every year I’ve had a new head coach and every time we get a new head coach, we go a step further.” That pissed of me off. I’m like, “Well, I’m not going to turn this team over to somebody else.” Then I call Steph and Steph was angry.

If there was anybody that knew we had what it took to win a national championship, it was Steph, and Steph is like … She used some choice language that she was very adult.

Stephanie White:

I did that I might not be proud of.

Carolyn Peck:

Hey, but the message was delivered and she was like, “We can get it done. You can’t leave us.” So after talking to these two, then I knew we had something really special.

Kate Young:

Stephanie and Ukari, how do you feel knowing that you rewrote history in a way by keeping Coach Peck as the head coach for the Purdue Women’s team?

Stephanie White:

I felt relieved. The backstory, Ukari and I had played for three coaches in three years, and there had been a lot of turmoil after our freshman year. We had returned, I think, three scholarship plays, a couple of incoming freshmen that decided to still come. So it was at that time, Coach Peck said, it’s like, “We were this close after having gone through everything that we went through.” So for me, and Kari said it a little bit more tactfully than I did, but for me, it was more just like, “Gosh. Dang, we’ve been going through so much adversity. Now we have this opportunity right in front of us. We don’t want to have to start over.” So I was relieved when Carolyn was able to stay. I think we knew we had what it took and we felt like we had such a unique bond with that team and staff and community, quite honestly, and we didn’t want to let it go. I didn’t anyway.

Carolyn Peck:

Well, and let me tell you, I knew that after the decision was made, I was going to stay. We had a European trip scheduled. Now, I don’t know if Steph knows this, but I know that she’s a planner, and she had an itinerary for everything that she was going to do once we landed in France. So I made it a mission that everywhere she went, I was going because I, one, knew I was going to get a great education of the history, but then two, rebond our connection after knowing that I was going to leave.

Ukari Figgs:

I think for me, just going back to that Elite 8 game and losing to LA Tech, I think we were devastated for one, and then two, just knowing that we, like Steph said, after everything we had gone through in the past, that we had actually everybody from that team back. We thought we had the coaching staff back. Then when Coach made that call, it was like, “Really? What’s going on?” I thought it was pretty funny what I said, but I don’t think she thought that was funny at the time.

For me, I’m just like, “Well, all right. We’ve been through it before, we’ll go further this time.” I think for Steph and I, I guess I would say I can’t speak for her, but after all the years we’ve been together, I can probably speak for her and saying that it really did build a lot of the toughness into us and helped us as leaders, all the adversity we had gone through.

So for the situation that happened with Coach Peck, after Steph and I actually got a chance to talk about it, we’re like, “Wait a minute. Maybe we shouldn’t let this happen.” We wanted to at least let our voice be heard and saying, “Hey, we’re the ones who stayed through all of this. We don’t want to go through another coaching change. We’ve got what it takes right now. We came here to win a national championship. We know we can win it with this team and this coaching staff regardless of whether Coach Peck is here next year or not.” I think we were able to show people that we had the right choice in mind.

Kate Young:

It was important to our podcast team to interview these three women together, and the comradery, love, and respect I witnessed in this interview was truly incredible. I’m sure you as a listener can already pick up on this as well. Coach Peck, Stephanie, and Ukari have a true lifelong bond.

So to give some additional background on Stephanie and Ukari, going into their freshman year at Purdue, Stephanie was the reigning Indiana Miss Basketball and Ukari was the reigning Kentucky Miss Basketball, and both were recruited by a number of universities aside from Purdue. For Stephanie, she says she always dreamed of going to Purdue. She shares more about her Purdue journey.

Stephanie White:

Well, I grew up about 45 minutes away from Purdue and, really, all of my childhood was spent going to Purdue Sports and oftentimes it was volleyball matches. My aunt was a volleyball season ticket holder. She worked at Purdue. I traveled around sometimes to watch the volleyball play at different Big 10 arenas and, of course, watched Purdue basketball as well. So Purdue had always been a place that I had thought about and dreamed of going.

Then other opportunities came about. So then it became, “Okay. Well, you’re being recruited by all these different places, so you do have more than one option.” At the end of the day, I originally majored in aviation. I studied aviation for two years. So Purdue was the only place I could do that as a major, so that added too.

When Ukari and I came to college, there was no WNBA, there wasn’t an opportunity, really, to play basketball beyond college unless we were willing to go overseas, and neither one of us at that time, that really wasn’t an option for us. So the education portion of it was important. For me, I consider myself a community project. I grew up in a small town. Everybody in our community has really been a part of my journey since I started kindergarten. So for them to be able to continue to watch me play and come to our games and be a part of it was really important.

Ukari will probably talk about this too, but one of the things when we were both deciding if we were going to come to Purdue or not was like, “You guys can’t play together. You guys play the same position. You can’t play together. Why would you both want to go there?” That was the extent of the negative recruiting back in the day. It’s much different now, but it was like, “You can’t play together.” If you know anything about us, we’re both pretty stubborn too. So it was like, “You don’t think we can play together? All right. Watch. Watch what we can do together.” That was an added benefit. Ukari committed before I did. So for me, it was an added bonus to be able to play with her.

Kate Young:

Here’s Ukari on her Purdue journey.

Ukari Figgs:

I knew probably in middle school that I wanted to do engineering. As the colleges started letters and things like that, started coming in during high school, I separated them by who had an engineering program and who didn’t. The places that narrowed it down to were probably, I think, the same four schools maybe that Steph had narrowed down to as well, that all had really good engineering programs, but also their basketball programs were highly touted as well.

So as Steph mentioned, it was one of those things where everybody for me that was recruiting me outside of Purdue was saying, “Oh, Steph’s from Indiana. She’s going to be Miss Indiana Basketball. You don’t want to go there. You’re not going to get to play. She’s going to get all the publicity,” ‘blah, blah, blah. I’m sitting here thinking like, “I’m not playing basketball to get publicity. I’m playing to win. Why wouldn’t I want to play with one of the best players in the country?” It didn’t make sense to me.

Once I got to actually meet Steph, I think maybe it was my junior year or one year I went to Purdue’s basketball camp. So it was me, Steph, and Monica Maxwell at camp, and we were all talking about who was recruiting us and where we thought we might go, et cetera. We didn’t do a good job, obviously, of getting Monica to come to Purdue, but anyway, but Steph and I, we all wanted to win a national championship. We wanted to be able to compete for championships. I think for me, the combination of having one of the top engineering schools in the country, as well as knowing that I could do it close to home where my family … I’m three and a half, four hours from home and my family, like Steph, had been at every game, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, great aunts and uncles, everybody. So for me, it was really important.

So at the time, the Big 10 Network was a great way for people to be able to see the away games, which honestly when you look at Stanford or somewhere out on the West Coast, we couldn’t get those channels. In Kentucky, at least, you couldn’t get them without having cable, which in the area I was in was not possible. So anyway, it was a really big thing for me once I got on campus. I think we took our official visit to Purdue together and getting to know Steph more and seeing the team, et cetera. So it ended up working out well both from the engineering standpoint and, obviously, from basketball.

Kate Young:

For this dynamic duo, their bond goes back even further to before their time as teammates at Purdue. So your history goes back even to high school. That’s incredible.

Ukari Figgs:

Yeah, high school and then, actually, when we got Miss Basketball, during that time, you could still play AAU, so we were still under 18. We actually got Miss Basketball in Indiana and Kentucky and played AAU together that summer with Monica, with Mackenzie Curless, and won, actually, the AAU championship that year. So we got our first championship together in AAU, which was I think an even better experience because we got to play more together and just get a better feel before we even got to Purdue.

Stephanie White:

You can probably tell we’re very much aligned in our viewpoints of things. I think that for us, we were linearly focused on academics and being the best that we could be and helping Purdue be the best that we could be. It didn’t matter how it happened. That’s what we wanted to accomplish. So for us to be able to know that I think from the beginning and have a strong foundation of just beliefs and core values, it allowed us to very quickly, I think, step onto the floor, be great teammates, and be leaders for our team because it wasn’t about us. It was about what can we accomplish. Can we accomplish the goals that we want to accomplish together at Purdue? It was a windy road with a lot of peaks and valleys, but ultimately, we were able to do that and that was our goal outside of getting our degrees when we stepped foot on campus together.

Kate Young:

So fast forward to their senior year at Purdue, Stephanie and Ukari earned the titles of co-captains during the 1998-1999 season. They reflect back on leading this championship winning team 25 years ago. Here’s Ukari.

Ukari Figgs:

I think as leaders, Steph and I, obviously, have different communication methods and our personalities are similar, but also they’re probably complimentary of each other in that I’m probably the more fiery, things are black and white, very direct, and don’t really sugarcoat a lot of things for people, but at the same time, I had a connection with maybe some of the team that Steph maybe had a connection with other members of the team. So we complemented each other well and we’re really co-captains. There were games when I was struggling and Steph would pick me up or come be the person to help me, and the same thing for Steph. If one of us were struggling, the other one picked each other up, and I think it worked well both for us and also for our team.

Stephanie White:

I think the other thing is that after what Ukari and I had been through and throughout the course of our three years up until that point, we had a different sense of urgency. While some people would probably call us a little bit overbearing, we also knew that there’s a small window, and that for us in particular, being that we were going to be seniors, the window was closing. We didn’t want any distractions, we didn’t want anything to take away from the opportunity because it had been such a struggle for us to get to where we were, and we had gone through that together.

Ukari and I had been bonded as soon as we got to Purdue, but going through all of the things that we had gone through, it just made our bond even tighter. So we were very aligned, very supportive of one another and, as Ukari mentioned, complementary of one another in the way that we did things. We had a really good group that if they fell out of line in our mind, then we nipped it in the bud, we brought them together, and we helped them understand, and I think they did understand that this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity for us.

Kate Young:

Throughout the season, this team hit a number of milestones. One of those was a sellout at Mackey Arena, the first Purdue Women’s Basketball team to do so. The he team defeated Ohio State 88 to 58 in front of a crowd of 14,123 fans. Coach Peck, Stephanie, and Ukari reflect on this game, and you’ll hear why this particular Big 10 matchup was an incredibly emotional one for this close-knit team. What was that feeling like? How did you all find out? Take us back to that game.

Stephanie White:

I don’t know how we found out because there was no social media. We didn’t find out on social media. I just remember running through the tunnel, and as soon as we stepped onto the floor hearing the crowd erupt and looking up. I think that was one of the few times I’d ever gotten really emotional before a game. I had tears in my eyes because it was a special day. We had a special team. Our community really rallied behind us and were with us. It just was a really indescribable feeling, a sense of pride that up until that point, I’m not sure that I had felt that it just really did overcome me with emotion.

Ukari Figgs:

It was an emotional week for me just because it was the week my grandmother had passed away. We had a really tough game at Penn State that Friday. Honestly, with it being senior night, I was already emotional or a little bit just, I guess, maybe overwhelmed just from, like Steph said, just everything we had gone through, what we knew we came to Purdue to do, and to walk out of the tunnel and see all those fans.

Then for me personally, a lot of people from my church, from my family, from my community came up from Kentucky to support me. It was a pretty awesome ordeal. Actually, I’m friends with one of the players on Ohio State’s team. I really honestly don’t think they thought they had a chance before the game, but when you looked at that crowd, it was like they don’t even have a chance here because we were really pumped up, and I think everybody came out with a great energy. The Purdue fans are amazing. It was awesome send out for senior night, I think, to have that sold out.

Carolyn Peck:

I thought that these two, Steph and Kari deserved that. I was really happy that the state really, the state of Indiana and Kentucky really showed up for that game to really show their appreciation for what these two have been through and what they were. It was a sendoff too into the Big 10 tournament, into the NCA tournament. So I felt like Steph and Kari deserved that. So I can’t even tell you how appreciative I was to see how that fan support rallied around these two.

Kate Young:

As the season progressed, this Boilermaker Women’s Basketball team went 16 and 0 during Big 10 play and won both the Big 10 regular season and Conference Tournament championships. As March Madness approached, the team secured the number one seat along with Yukon, Tennessee, and Louisiana Tech. Purdue beat Oral Roberts, Kansas, North Carolina, and Rutgers in the March Madness Tournament until they secured their spot in the Final Four. Coach Peck kicks it off for us with the real story behind this team’s championship run, the details that even our most diehard Boilermaker athletics fans may not know.

Talk us through that trip to the Final Four and ultimately winning the whole thing. How does it feel now 25 years later, but also, reflecting back, can you remember the nerves, the excitement?

Carolyn Peck:

Well, you want the real story?

Kate Young:

Yes, we do.

Carolyn Peck:

This is a team that felt like we had been disrespected all season long even though we started the season off by knocking off Tennessee. There was always the talk of Tennessee and Connecticut. Then when we get to San Jose, Tennessee and Connecticut aren’t there. We’re not in the best hotel. We had to call our band who was on their way to San Francisco to go sightsee and to bring the bus back so we could go to practice. It was just like, “What else could go wrong?” but it never the team from staying focused on the mission of what we were there to do.

We couldn’t even get the brand new gear. Y’all remember, we practiced in … Back in those days, you threw the practice gear in the dryer, so some of our numbers were peeled off. The other three teams are out there in shiny new gear and we’re out there like the bad news bears, but it was a focus that this team had. I really felt like if we could get past Louisiana Tech, we had a really good chance of winning the national championship.

Now, we had a motivating factor from the previous year. It was Louisiana Tech who had knocked us off, but they had a phenomenal team and rebounding was their strength, the athleticism. Monica, what was Monica’s last name?

Ukari Figgs:

Maxwell.

Stephanie White:

Maxwell.

Carolyn Peck:

Monica Maxwell, I swear that woman had wings. She could fly. So remember the practices leading up to that? Those were freaking football practices, and I told you guys, “If you can’t get a butt on somebody, just chest bump them, just go straight ahead, but keep them off the glass,” and it was a war, it was a battle.

Stephanie White:

It was. I don’t remember a lot of the details between the end of the season and into the tournament. I just remember being very locked in and laser focused. I think our regional … Was that at Illinois State? At Illinois State, and we had two really good teams that we had to get past in the regional, North Carolina and Rutgers, and they were very good. I remember feeling a little bit relieved when we won and we were going to the Final Four. It was like emotion, this is what we’d work towards, it’s finally here, go up to cut down the net. I’m so excited. I get down off of the ladder afterwards and I’m like, “Okay. This isn’t what you want.” I had to remind myself because I was just so happy and so excited and felt so relieved that we had finally gotten to that point, and then had to really remind myself and bring myself back to being locked in on, “Yeah, this is a no-no. We want the national championship.”

Obviously, we weren’t privy to a lot of the logistical stuff. I know we were disappointed in our hotel. I know we were on that rackety bus, but at the same time it was like, “Okay.” Well, we didn’t know any different. We didn’t know any different. We were just going to go. We were going to play and we were going to do the best that we could and we were going to fight for national championship.

Ukari Figgs:

The game against Rutgers was probably the game for me just because, again, we had come here to win the national championship. We had gotten to the Elite 8 before and just not wanting to mess it up. We knew we had the team, we had what we needed. Both those games were tough games, but the Rutgers game was definitely a physical game. They had a really strong team and, obviously, a hall of Fame coach that we were going up against, but I remember the end of that game. Once we knew we were going to win and looking over at Steph and just thinking that, “This is what we came here for,” even though we went through a lot, it wasn’t really the path that we would’ve imagined when we came, but this was what it was.

Then to her point, I don’t honestly remember the bus, I don’t remember the hotel, anything other than you’re going to talk about later maybe the exam that I knew I had to take in the middle of the Final Four, but I was trying to just enjoyed being there because we had worked so hard and it was like, “Okay. Now we’re here,” but to Steph’s point, it’s like, “You don’t want to be excited or be okay with just being here. We want to win it. We want to come out here and win it.” So I think it was a really motivating thing for me just to know we’ve come this far, let’s not mess it up.

Kate Young:

So they did it. They were the national champions, and the accolades didn’t stop there. Ukari was named the 1999 NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player. Stephanie was named Big 10 Female Athlete of the Year, Big 10 Player of the Year, the Margaret Wade Trophy Recipient, and the Honda Award winner. Coach Peck was named National Coach of the Year and Big 10 Coach of the Year. So I was curious, how does one celebrate after winning a national championship? Well, for Coach Peck, at first it wasn’t exactly the celebration she had in mind.

Carolyn Peck:

After that game, I come back to my suite and one of our managers comes to the door to tell me that we’re going to fly back. Then she said, “We’re going to leave in two hours,” and I said, “To go where?” and they said, “We got to get back to West Lafayette. The girls got to go to class,” and I’m like, I’m thinking, “Class? We just won a national championship.”

Kate Young:

Okay. So I see where Coach was coming from, but hey, even as national champions, these young women had to get back to class. It’s all about the balance. Coach Peck details a more exciting celebration that came once they landed in Indiana and made their way back to campus.

Carolyn Peck:

So they were like, “No, we’ve got to fly back to West Lafayette.” Well, then the fog set in, so we had to fly into Indianapolis until the fog cleared, and then when we got back, the fans, some of them were still there, but then we got to come back in Mackey and going through the athlete line. They had arranged a line of all of the athletes. I believe the last hand that I slapped, the high five before I went on the stage, that was freaking Drew Breeze. It was so exciting because a football team helped. They tackled my girls after we beat Tennessee. They followed this team. They were at the game. They were so supportive.

Kate Young:

Here’s Purdue’s beloved former vice president and director of athletics, Morgan Burke and Coach Peck herself at the team’s official championship celebration and ceremony.

Speaker 6:

You’ll hear a lot of accolades this evening about these young women. Not only are they great students, great athletes, but they’ve been tremendous role models for this entire community, and this championship reinforces that not only can we compete against the best, we can beat the best.

Speaker 7:

Focus, focus, focus, that’s what the head coach preached all season long, and the results are pretty apparent. In addition to receiving virtually every individual national coaching award, she’s got the ultimate reward here. She is surrounded by the 1999 national champions. Here’s Head Coach Carolyn Peck.

Carolyn Peck:

This has been a year of first. We’ll start with the first team to end Tennessee’s winning streak against Indiana. Stephanie White McCarty got Purdue’s first triple double for the women’s basketball. This team went undefeated in the Big 10 to be number one, first. They beat all three teams that we played in the Big 10 tournament so we were first. I forgot one. We had our first sellout for a women’s basketball game.

Kate Young:

Since 1999, there have been multiple reunions and celebrations for this iconic team. Coach Peck shares more.

Carolyn Peck:

To see what Mackey had done, but I’m going to tell you the true celebration was the 10-year celebration when Sharon Versyp brought us all back. That was the first time as adults we could really celebrate that championship. That’s where I felt like the true celebration really started.

Kate Young:

Here’s Ukari.

Ukari Figgs:

Definitely the 10-year with everybody there and being able to, like you said, be that first time we were able to celebrate and all come back together, but we had the celebration in Mackey. Unfortunately, Steph and Coach Peck weren’t able to be there, but we did FaceTime them. We called them and made sure they were a part of some of the celebration, but it was really good to get to see some of the team and Amy Shaffer and Danielle Bird, two of the players who walked on during our sophomore year in order for us to just have enough people to have a team. So their sacrifice and people look at Steph and I as being the captains and being the leaders, but we had a lot of other people that sacrificed and did a lot for the team to even be able to compete for a national championship. So it was really cool to get to see them, their families. Mackenzie Curless came back, which Mackenzie was one of the members on that team from sophomore year as well and lives out in Wyoming, so we don’t get to see her as much. So it was really cool to get to see everybody.

I really didn’t realize how close this team was until I went to the WNBA and I would talk to Steph or we would talk to other people about their experience in college and we’re like, “You guys didn’t go to the movie. You guys didn’t hang out together or you didn’t go eat together or whatever,” but every time we played or we played against one of our teammates, we always wanted to get together or the coaches when Coach Peck was there. So it’s one of those things where you don’t really realize how tight that connection is because we just experience it and we’re a part of it, but it’s a really unique thing, I think. Even the Purdue staff and team members now are like, “You all haven’t seen each other in 15 years or 20 years and it’s just like you pick right back up.”

Stephanie White:

I think the older we get too, the more we can appreciate that because we’ve had different experiences, whether it be with different teams or different jobs, and all of these different situations. For us, we’re talking to all of these young people now and continuing to realize that very few get to have the experience that we had collegiately with the team. So it reminds us that it really was the journey. It really was the journey. It really was the memories. It really was all of those things that sound very cliche.

So to think about celebrating this championship, yes, the trophy’s awesome and, yes, winning the national championship and continuing to be the only Big 10 team to do it and seeing the banner, all that is awesome, but when we get together, we ain’t talking about that. We’re talking about the practices and we’re talking about the experiences and the moments and all of those things. They are still very, very fresh because we are still family, and now we’re talking about our kids and all of these things too. So it really does remind us how very, very fortunate that we were.

Kate Young:

So out of all the milestones and firsts and triumphs, what were these three women’s favorite memories from that historic 1998-1999 season? Here’s Ukari.

Ukari Figgs:

I would say for me it’s definitely the Penn State game at Penn State, I think, and I’ll try not to break down, but my grandmother had passed away that week unexpectedly. The game was a tough game. Well, it was tough for me, actually, even to get to the game because of the weather and the flight getting canceled and having to take a taxi or whatever over to Penn State from Pittsburgh, and then knowing that Steph was sick and she was trying to still play. It was a lot going on before the game, but then even towards the end of the game, I remember telling Katie, I’m like, “Katie, if you don’t ever hit another shot, hit this shot.” We drew up a play for Katie to go left and, of course, they let her go left and she makes the shot, but I just remember the team congratulating each other, but really, I just felt that love and that support because, like you can tell and just people know from our team, that we are a family, not just a team, and for everybody to embrace me, I think, most of the time it’s like people are thinking we’re celebrating the win, but I think that team was just huddled up around each other and just help and support. I’ll never forget that because it was a tough week for me.

Kate Young:

Here’s Stephanie’s standout memory from that season.

Stephanie White:

Certainly, beating Tennessee to start the year, that was one. We were using that game as a measuring stick of where we were and where we wanted to go. Losing the way that we did at Stanford, that was another one. Just disappointing, but also, I think, reframed a narrative for us in how sharp we have to be all the time. That Penn State game that Ukari mentioned, just getting her there, free cellphone, it was logistically just … The fact that she could have been anywhere but there being with her family and grieving with her family, and she went through all of that to be with us and to play that game, and we didn’t want to let her down. We wanted to lift her up and we wanted to have her back and we wanted to do it for her. It was an emotional, it was a heavy game for all of us. I think that being there for her and supporting her was our priority, and thankfully, Katie was able to deliver.

Then you come to that last game in Ohio State and the soldout crowd, just the emotions of senior day and what we’d been through and where we were. I remember nothing about the Big 10 tournament and beating Rutgers and then hoisting the trophy and flying home on a red eye. That’s what I remember.

Ukari Figgs:

With a broken ankle.

Stephanie White:

With a broken ankle.

Ukari Figgs:

I’ll mention one thing because Steph, when she said they wanted to have my back at Penn State, Steph thought … A lot of people don’t see the, I guess, the energy or the passion that Steph has all the time. She plays like I did a lot, just you play, you don’t have a lot of emotion, but before the game, I went out to shoot, we were out shooting and somebody was heckling me and just tell, “Oh, Figgs, you’re terrible. You can’t shoot,” just saying crazy stuff. I was trying to tune it out, but it was honestly getting to me, but Steph came out and was pissed off. I don’t remember if she said something to the girl or went and told their coaches like, “You better tell this girl to be quiet because Kari’s got enough going on than to deal with a heckling fan,” but just for me, again, the sisterhood, the friendship, the concern about me when she’s actually the one that has a fever trying to play through or figure out how to play with that fever. So anyway, that’s the kind of team and the kind of bond we have and why 25 years later we’re still … I’m in her house right now.

Kate Young:

Finally, Coach Peck reflects on her favorite memories.

Carolyn Peck:

I would say for me, there were bookends. So you start with that Tennessee game. I can remember Steph hitting a N1 and come marching out of the huddle of people. I don’t know what she was saying, but she was ready to go.

Stephanie White:

Bleep, bleep, bleep.

Carolyn Peck:

All the way to Tennessee’s final time out that Pat Summit had, and everybody comes to the bench, they’re jumping up and down, everybody’s excited, and Steph’s grabbing her teammates telling them not to celebrate because we’re supposed to be here. So that started and led to what you saw this team to be able to do and be. Then you get to that national championship game. Katie Douglas was emotional before the game. I got into the locker room, Katie’s crying, Tiffany’s crying, Camille is crying. So I go to Tiff first and I go, “Tiff, why are you crying?” and she said, “Well, because Camille’s crying,” and I said, “Camille, why are you crying?” and she said, “Well, Katie was crying.” Well, Katie was extremely emotional because she had lost her father before her freshman year at Purdue, and they felt that for each other. Didn’t have time, we’re down.

So I go into the coach’s locker room. We have our little meeting. Everybody had suggestions of Xs and Os, and I was like, “That’s not the answer.” So I came out and in front of them, and Step and Kari sat right in the middle because they were my captains, and I said, “Y’all, we’re exactly where we want to be,” and these two looked at me like I was absolutely crazy. I said, “Do you remember the Elite 8 last year?” I said, “We were ahead of Louisiana Tech. They came back and took it from us and we’re getting ready to do that to do.” It was again, Steph, we got to check your little soap in your mouth because she stood up and dropped the bomb and was like blank, “Yeah.” The rest of the team with how much they believed in these two and the leadership that they could bring, that second half, they went out and took over.

Then vividly, I remember when Steph went down, and we relied a lot on Steph, and Kari had had a phenomenal tournament, but it was like, “Can they do it with just one of them?” When Steph was down, Kari went over and put her arm around Steph, and I could tell she was telling her, “We’re going to do this for you.” I get emotional thinking about it, but they just took over. I can see flashbacks of the camera going over to Steph and Tiffany Young is holding her hand as tight as possible, but that group bonded together to complete the mission, and they did it for each other. With the clock running down, who else but Katie Douglas has the basketball in her hands. I remember looking down and I’m going, “The bad news bears, we got it done.”

Let me tell you, this team taught me that you don’t have to be older to teach lessons. You can learn from young people. I don’t even know if there’s a word to describe how tight this team was and the commitment that they had not only to wanting to commit to winning a national championship, but what they had for each other, the pride that they had in each other, and that program, it’s something that you wish that everybody in their lifetime could experience but not everybody gets to. That’s why I love this group because I learned so much from them of what sacrificing meant, what commitment meant, what determination meant. They showed that to me throughout that whole entire season.

Stephanie White:

I remember in that … Wait, I want to remember on that game that Ukari steal of Nicole Erickson, who had been a player that was at Purdue and left and transferred to Duke, and then Kelly making the big free throws, a freshman coming in that moment and making the big free throws. There are a lot of specific plays from either one of those games at the Final Four. I remember Ukari had just an outstanding Final Four national championship, but those two plays in particular. At a critical moment, Kari gets that steal from Ericson, which I thought was very poetic, and Kelly knocking down those big free throws in a critical, critical moment. To Carolyn’s point, we just had the ultimate trust and belief in one another.

Kate Young:

So some of these memories are emotional, some are celebratory, but overall, these stories reflect just how close this team really was as Coach Peck just alluded to. Before we move on, Ukari did share one last behind the scenes Final Four story with me.

Ukari Figgs:

I had heat and mass transfer, and when we were going through every time during the NCA tournament, I would look at the syllabus for each class and see what projects or tests I had so that I could plan accordingly and try to either study or get stuff done before a big tournament or whatever. So I knew if we made it to the final four that I was going to have to take this exam. So I talked to Sue and she’s like, “Hey, just keep studying for it, but if you get to the point where you get to the Final Four, you’re going to either have to ask your professor if you can take it early or you’ll have to take it with you and somebody will have to proctor it for you during the Final Four,” and I’m like, “Okay.”

So we get there and I contact my professor or I let him know in advance like, “Hey, if we get this far, I’m going to need to either take the exam early or whatever.” So we got to the point, I talked to him and I said, “Hey, can I go ahead and take the exam before I go? I’d really like to be able to focus for, one, on the exam and then two, be able to have my focus on the Final Four.” He was like, “Nope, absolutely not. You’re going to take it at the same time as everybody else. You can’t take it early.” I’m thinking, I don’t know honestly what his thought process was because at the time, I’m telling my age, but there were no cellphones, there wasn’t really any way for me to take the answers and give it to anybody else or whatever.

So anyway, he didn’t agree to that. Then I had to decide did I want to take it before the first game or after the first game. In my mind I’m thinking, “If I take this thing before the first game, I’m not going to be able to focus on the game or the exam.” I decided to play in the first game and then take it after we won hopefully that first game. So I ended up won that first game and then studied like crazy, took the exam, and then I still say the reason I went over eight in the first half was I was still thinking about that heat and mass transfer exam. So that’s my excuse for why I played so bad in the first half of the Duke game.

Kate Young:

Hey, I do not blame you. I’d still be like, “What did I answer with that?” Oh, that’s great.

Stephanie White:

I didn’t even know that story until we did the documentary with the Big 10 Network. I had no idea that Kari had to take an exam when we were at the Final Four. We’re living our best life at the Final Four, and we’re playing basketball and we’re signing autographs and we’re doing all that stuff. I don’t even know what heat and mass transfer is, and she’s having to take an exam about it, so didn’t know that at all. So a whole new level of respect came after we found that out.

Kate Young:

Well, what a testament to her too that you’re not sitting there complaining like, “Oh, I have to take this exam. I can’t believe it.”

Stephanie White:

Oh, yeah, no idea.

Kate Young:

While we’re on the topic of this, how did Ukari and Stephanie balance Purdue’s rigorous academics with being the best college basketball team in the entire nation?

Ukari Figgs:

I would say for me, a lot of it was … I’ll say one. It was, for one, the coaches, the support from the coaches. Even before I got to Purdue, Cindy Lamping and Shannon Lindsey were two of the players that were already doing mechanical engineering and chemical engineering and playing significant minutes for the team. So for me, I knew if they’ve got two people doing it now, if I work hard, I can do it too, but knowing that the coaches would allow the flexibility in the schedule around labs and things like that and trying to work through that situation was beneficial.

Then also for Purdue with the academic center at the time, Sue Ofter Hudd was our academic advisor, I guess, and she was the one that honestly, probably single-handedly gave me the confidence to do it because there was an advisor I remember on campus that when I told them initially as a freshman that I wanted to do basketball and mechanical engineering, he came back and said, “Well, that’s going to be really hard for you to do both,” and I said, “I understand that, but that’s what I want to do.” Sue, when I went to Sue and I’m like, “Hey, am I crazy for thinking I can do this?” and she’s like, “Absolutely not. You can do it. Shannon and Cindy did it. We can set your schedules up. We’ll have to plan accordingly for your spring semester and your fall semester, and even take some of these harder classes or tougher labs during the summer. You can stay here during the summer.” So she gave me that confidence and also helped me throughout that ordeal.

Kate Young:

Here’s Stephanie on how she handled the balance between academics and athletics during her time at Purdue.

Stephanie White:

I do think we had an advantage then because there weren’t as many distractions. There’s so many distractions now, and there wasn’t the cellphone, there wasn’t social media. We weren’t reading the paper unless we went and bought one, and we didn’t have money to do that because there was no NIL. There weren’t as many distractions. As I mentioned before, we’re pretty literally focused. So we managed our time well. We spent time doing what we were supposed to do. College was a means to an end for us. We wanted to get our degree, we wanted to win a championship, and then we were going into the next step of our lives. Not everybody felt that way, but that’s just who we were.

So for us, it was more along the lines of, “Okay. Let’s make sure that we do as much as we can ahead of time so that no matter where we are, we can be all there, so we can completely focus when we’re at practice and we can completely focus when we’re in school and we can completely focus on the road or we’re spending time with our team.” I don’t know that we knew how to articulate that at the time. It’s just who we were, and I think that that allowed us to wear a lot of different hats and allowed us to be successful academically and athletically, and we’re both very goal-oriented. So we wanted to make sure that we were accomplishing our academic goals as well.

Ukari mentioned the resources. Even though the resources weren’t as vast as they were as they are now, the quality of the resources were tremendous. Sue Ofter Hudd was the best, that she kept us aligned. I changed majors. I was in aviation for two years. I changed to communications after that. I had no idea which direction I wanted to go. Sue help with that. Our coaches were very accommodating. Our teammates understood as well. So if we had to go late for practice that day and we weren’t starting until 7:00 at night, it was just, “Okay. It’s what we’re doing.”

So I do feel like we had the best of all worlds at Purdue. I think the foundation that we laid in terms of our work ethic, our work style, being a part of a team, but also our expectations of what it meant to be a part of a team and what it meant to be your best every day, that really started at Purdue. Really, I would give the credit to it really started after our freshman year at Purdue when our narrative was really reframed. Our experience wasn’t what we thought it was going to be. Everything changed after that year for us on the basketball floor. I think it brought us a renewed focus on what we wanted our experience to be. Then that set us up for what we want our lives to be, and those are lessons that we learned while we were at Purdue.

Ukari Figgs:

I will say I’m glad that Stephanie changed her major from aviation because she tried to get me to go fly with her one day, and in one of those, I don’t know how small, it’s probably a two-seater or maybe three.

Stephanie White:

Single engine.

Ukari Figgs:

I’m like, “Steph, I love you. You’re a great teammate and friend, but no, thank you.”

Stephanie White:

“But I’m not doing that.”

Ukari Figgs:

“I trust you on the floor, but there’s boundaries here. I’m not going up with you.”

Kate Young:

With Ukari’s background in engineering as a Purdue School of Mechanical Engineering alumna, she shares a story of another Boilermaker engineering alum, and this isn’t just any Boilermaker.

Ukari Figgs:

It was crazy. So after practice, a lot of times we would go up in the basketball office and either talk to the coaches or talk to the secretaries or the people who are in the office taking care of the office for everybody. Leah and Dee were the two people, I think, at the time that were there, maybe Leah, for sure. So we would have our little slots there with our name on it, and if we got fan mail or whatever, we could grab it. When I went up there and I’m talking and they’re like, “Oh, you got some fan mail.” So I grab it. There’s a couple of letters or whatever. Don’t really think anything of it. So I think I got that, went to training table to eat, then went on over to Owen Hall. I don’t even know if I opened it right away, but I started opening some of the mail and I’m like, “Oh, this is a nice letter from a fan.”

Then I opened that one and I’m like, “Wait a minute.” I’m reading it and I’m like, “This is Neil Arm-” I’m like, “There’s no way This is real. Literally, who’s playing a joke on me?” whatever, but come to find out it was, and it was interesting because I used to want to be an astronaut, and that’s what got me interested in being an engineer because most or at the time at least, most of the people who are astronauts had gotten engineering degrees. So I had said this in a newsletter or some kind of newsletter, they were asking us random questions or whatever, and I must have told them growing up as a kid I wanted to be an astronaut. So he had in the letter said, “Hey, I saw the newsletter. I saw you wanted to be an astronaut. You would love to play basketball on the moon. You could slam dunk with no problem,” or whatever.

So I’m smart enough to have kept that letter. It’s framed at my house, but for me, honestly, it’s one of those things that’s surreal. Looking back, I wish I had have asked to meet him at the time because I never actually got to meet Mr. Armstrong, but it was something for me that I was like, “Man, here I am this sophomore on a team that basically just disintegrated, and we’re not a big name or anything like that, but here’s this most famous Purdue alum that’s taken the time to write a letter to me,” and that really was grounding for me and also is something I think later on you wanted to talk about what sets Purdue apart or why I’m so proud to be a Purdue alum, but it’s alums like that and the small gestures that people make that really make me proud to be a Boilermaker.

Kate Young:

So what happened after these two national champions graduated from Purdue in 1999? Well, they both went on to have professional playing careers within the WNBA, and they both coached in the basketball world as well. Stephanie continued her coaching career and is now the head coach of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. She also just won WNBA’s Coach of the Year in 2023. Meanwhile, Ukari has been enjoying her career post-basketball as an engineer for Toyota in her hometown of Georgetown, Kentucky. So what happened after the ball stopped bouncing, and how did their Purdue experiences help set them up for success, both within the WNBA and then later in their careers outside of playing professional basketball?

Stephanie White:

I don’t know that either one of us could have predicted being able to play basketball after college. I know Ukari always wanted to be an engineer. I had no idea. I didn’t think I wanted to coach. Coaching never crossed my mind, but I do know that having the opportunity to continue our career, we might’ve been sophomores, freshmen or sophomores win the WNBA came into existence. It was just the next step for us. We were drafted. We were going to go be a part of a team. Playing in the W was different than college, and Kari alluded to it. We had a unique experience as far as being a part of a true team that felt like family. When you’re a pro, it’s not like that. Most places, it’s not like that. It’s your job, and just like most places, you go to your job, you go home. So that was different for us.

Neither one of us had really long careers. For me, I had a lot of injuries. That ankle that I hurt in the national championship game, I ended up having three surgeries on that and then a number of surgeries as well. I think I had six in three years, and so it cut my playing career short. I remember before the last year that I played Ball State University, the head coach there, Tracy Roller, she had season tickets to the Fever and I was playing for the Fever. She came in and she asked me, “Have you ever thought about coaching?” and I was like, “Not really.”

She said, “Well, I have an assistant coaching position and I wonder if you’d like to take it,” and I said, “Well, I’m not quite ready to finish playing,” and she’s like, “That’s all right. We’re just up the road so you can coach in the winter and train and then come back and play in the summertime.” I was like, “You know what? Maybe I will try that. Maybe just see if I like it.” It’ll be convenient because I’m still in Indiana. I don’t have to worry about moving or anything like that. So I did it.

I remember the first time I stepped foot on the floor, it was like I felt like I was home. I felt like I was home, and I knew that that was what I was supposed to do. So it made it a little bit easier for me when it came time to hang it up because then I went back and I played one more year. I tore my ACL, and so it made it easier for me to say, “Okay. It’s time to move on to the next thing.”

I don’t know that I anticipated my career path would bring me back to the W at the time. I was coaching in college for a number of years, and then a job in Chicago opened up and I was asked to make that leap to bring former players back into the league. I really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed working with pros. I really enjoyed trying to be on the forefront of the best basketball in the world, challenging me in a number of ways. So it just went from there.

During that time in Chicago, I was also very lucky and fortunate because that was when the Big 10 Network started. The head coach that I worked for in Chicago didn’t like to do the television interviews. So I would do our pre-game interviews and our halftime interviews and our post-game interviews. The man who was doing our playbook play at the time, his name is Eric Collins, he’s now the voice of the Charlotte Hornets, but he asked me, he’s like, “Why aren’t you working in television?” I was like, “What do you mean? What would I do in television? I don’t know.” He said, “The Big 10 Network’s starting. I want you to call this man.” He gave me the name of Tim Sutton and Leon Schwier, who’s a Purdue alum, and I called and they were like, “Yeah, why don’t you come in? We’ll try out. We’ll give you a few games.”

A few games turned into 50 that first year for me, 50 events between games and studios because I was living in Chicago, the studio was in Chicago. So it really gave me this entirely new career path. So since that year, which I think it was 2008, ’07, ’08, ’09, somewhere around there, it all blends together when you get old, but since then, I’ve had these two careers. So I changed to communications when I was at Purdue. Had no idea what I wanted to do, so I studied General Comm and it led me into two professions where communicating is all I do and finding different ways to communicate and finding different ways to get the message across.

So I’m very thankful for that experience. I felt like I was never the most athletic player, the most gifted player, the most talented player, but the way that I could see the game and think the game was always my strength and that naturally transitioned to coaching. I hope that naturally helps when I’m calling games that gives the viewer a different perspective as well. So I’m thankful that that foundation was laid while I was at Purdue, but every once in a while you got to get lucky, and I got lucky when I was in Chicago and it’s led to this.

Ukari Figgs:

Lucky and talented would be the one part that she left out there. So I think for me, as Steph mentioned, I never really was thinking about professional basketball while I was at Purdue. So when the WNBA, there’s the ABL, the Women’s Basketball League, the ABL was there, and there were a couple players from Purdue that were playing in the ABL I think at the time, but actually, coming out of one of my final exams is when I found out I got drafted with the WNBA, but part of the problem for us, I guess, that year was the ABL had folded. So we got in the draft with all the professional players from that league. So I got drafted by Los Angeles and I’m like, “Well, this is going to be crazy to try to go out,” but I got also fortunate as a point guard to pass the ball to Lisa Leslie. For me, I’m like, “Well, I’ll go out and give it a try. If I don’t make it, I’ll move forward and use my degree.”

So when I made the team and was able to become one of the starters on the team and get some playing time, but like Steph said, it was one of those things where that team was really talented, probably like our team, our Purdue, our freshman year, super, super talented, but everybody wasn’t playing necessarily together at the time. So my experience I think at Purdue helped me to be able to help facilitate becoming more of a team. Over that next three years, our team really bonded and not just because, obviously, of what I did, but Michael Cooper became our coach and we had a lot of players that bought into what he was wanting us to do and was fortunate enough to win the WNBA championship as well in ’01.

During the time that I played in the WNBA, during the off season, I actually worked at Caterpillar in Lafayette. I’d never had a chance to use my engineering degree because I couldn’t co-op. I was usually taking classes during the summer. So I did that during the WNBA off season and then came back and played. It was, for me, something that showed me like, “Yes, you’re pretty good at basketball, but you’re also able to be successful in your engineering career as well.” So I don’t know. We won the championship in Los Angeles, and then maybe two days before I was supposed to fly back to Los Angeles, I got traded to Portland and I went and played in Portland for a year. Their team folded. All these things were happening and I’m like, “You know what? I’m going to just go use my engineering degree.”

So I went and worked for my mentor in Lexington at a small consulting engineering firm. Then Houston Comets’ Coach Van Chancellor called me and wanted me to try to come back and play, and I’m like, “Van, I’ll play one more year and after that I’m done. I’m going to use my engineering degree.” So I came back and it was one of those opportunities you couldn’t turn down because it’s like you get to play with Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper, Tina Thompson. It’s like they had a dynasty in the WNBA, so getting to be that point guard for them, but I knew that year, after that year or actually during the year, I’m like, “You know what? I don’t have it. This isn’t the same experience that maybe I had at Purdue,” or even on that championship team in Los Angeles were actually the closest thing to our Purdue team as far as closeness. I still keep in contact with some of those teammates, but I decided to go ahead and leave.

Then I came and worked at Toyota in my hometown of Georgetown, Kentucky as an engineer there. I’ve been here a total of 17 years now, but I did take a little bit of a hiatus and tried the coaching thing for four years. I came back and coached at Purdue for two years, and then at University of Kentucky. I was on their staff for a couple years, but after I had my son, I realized it was a lot more. There were a couple of times I called Coach Peck or Carrie Kermins or Pam Stackhouse that were our coaches and said, “Man, I didn’t realize what you all, everything you all did.”

I think we used to laugh sometimes, and I gave Coach Peck another name. We called her Claudine for the days that most of the days she would wear her contacts and she was upbeat and her hair was fixed and everything, but then there would be days that she would come in with her glasses on. She looked like she was worn out, hair might’ve been a little frizzled or whatever. So those were the days she was probably out coming back from recruiting, late night recruiting, whatever.

So anyway, I got a chance to really see the coaching side and came back to Toyota. Now, I’m an executive at Toyota in my hometown. It’s been a great experience. I think Purdue definitely, and even just the basketball and all the adversity that Steph and I have talked about that we’ve gone through, it’s great life lessons through sports, and obviously, most people’s job and career don’t always go right as planned, but you do have to have a plan to at least try to know what you want to try to do.

There’s a lot of people, I know for me, that tried to track me from what I wanted to do. It was like I’ve known I’ve wanted to do engineering, but people have, “Oh, well, play a couple more years or go overseas. You can play and make money,” and I’m like, “Yeah, I can make money for two or three more years, but if I use my degree, I can sustain myself for the rest of my life.” So that was the decision making for me. I’ve also come back and been able to talk to some of the Purdue students and some of the classes just about engineering and just the different things you can do with engineering, because honestly for me, it’s like right now with what I do in my day-to-day, I don’t get to do the actual engineering work, but I get to help be the person that leads and helps mentor and support and hopefully inspire other people who are engineers to continue to grow and develop in the organization.

Kate Young:

As you just heard, Stephanie and Ukari have gone on to have incredible careers since winning a national title in college and playing professional basketball, and they’ve shared so much with us about their journeys since that iconic win, but at the end of the day, why are each of these women proud to be Boilermakers?

Stephanie White:

First and foremost, I’m proud because we have the only national championship banner in Mackey Arena and one in the Big 10. So from a basketball standpoint, I’m proud of that. I’m proud of the way that we did it. I’m proud of the teams that we had and the people and friendships and family that I’ve made throughout that process. I don’t know that that would’ve been the same experience that I would have the same lifetime families that I have now, so I’m proud of that. I’m also proud of the community that we have at Purdue. You’ll go a lot of places, and I hope that young people are experiencing what we experienced, but I understand it’s a different time, but at the same time, you’ll go places and you’ll have alums that will reach out. They’ll reach out and they’ll help and they’ll communicate. There’s Purdue bars and restaurants in every city, and you can go and people will remember our team and they’ll remember who we were because we were a source of pride for them.

so I think for us, for me, the sense of community that we had with our fans at the time, with alumni that we have and continue to have in connection now and that banner will always be one of the sources of pride for me.

Ukari Figgs:

I would say for me, as far as Purdue basketball or women’s basketball, and specifically, I would say I’m proud of how the two of us, to be honest, and I know that may be biased for saying proud of us, but proud of we went in with a mission. We went through a lot, but we stuck with that mission and even helped spread it a little bit throughout the program. Our program had been built up. They got into Final Four I think the year before we got there. So the program was there, and then our freshman year, it came apart, but for us, I think I’m proud that we stayed. We both had opportunities to leave and go other places. There are definitely opportunities for us to have separated or not followed the same path, but to stick together and to be able to come out of there, not only with the national championship and with the degrees and the ability to move through our career paths the way we have, but, again, developing those skills and that leadership and having all those experiences together, I think, again is the reason I’m at Stephanie’s house or here now that we still stay in contact.

For me, it’s not just proud of what we’ve accomplished on the court, but the connection off the court and knowing that when I go through a life experience or have something, whether it’s something to laugh about or something to cry about, I’ve got Stephanie that I can contact and I know she knows she’s got me and we’ve got some other people within that group that we can always rely on. Then going back just overall as Purdue to what I was saying about Neil Armstrong, it’s like people like him who have this tremendous name and notoriety around the world, for him to reach out to a women’s basketball player and on a team that … Like I said, we hadn’t done anything. Honestly, I think I maybe played or started 10 games the year before, and most people at the time didn’t even know if we were going to have enough players our sophomore year to have a team.

So for him to do that, you look at what Drew Breeze, Coach Peck mentioned, Drew was there during our time and he knew the importance of the academic center and for him and Brittany to give back and do what they’ve done for Purdue, for Brian Cardinal and Danielle Bird or Cardinal to give back. So it’s like I feel the pride in knowing we have a community of givers and people who a lot of us may not have been the people that everybody expected to win or the people … Drew, if you look at Drew’s stature compared to other quarterbacks, nobody was expecting him to have the career he did, but he was able to do it, and both at Purdue and professionally.

So I think for me, it’s that sense of pride. Like Steph said, everywhere I go when I wear Purdue, it’s like in the airport. I think I was in Hawaii one time, and it’s funny because people are like, “Man, you know people everywhere,” and I’m like, “Well,” like Steph said, it’s like if people followed Purdue Sports at all, we’re the national champs, and so people will remember us or remember who we are. So it’s pretty cool to go as you travel the world or travel around to have those Purdue connections

Kate Young:

What are their next giant leaps? Here’s Ukari.

Ukari Figgs:

I think over the past few years, I think I’ve grown a lot both personally and professionally, and there’s a lot of things that for me, I grew up in a community. People say I’m from Georgetown, but I grew up in a smaller community called New Zion. That’s a really family-oriented area. How I grew up and how my family raised me is much is given, much is required. I feel like I’ve been blessed beyond measure for just where I am in life, the things that I have and maybe even some of the skillsets or talents that I have. I’m really passionate and have been motivated to try to use those in other ways to help and benefit other people.

So that’s probably something this year that I’m putting as a big item for me to move forward. I’ve had some ideas there out there, so I don’t want to say what they are, but I will be doing some of that giving back that I said the Purdue community as well I think is probably known for.

Kate Young:

Here’s Stephanie.

Stephanie White:

I think that’s tough when we’re still so trying to accomplish things now, whether it be coaching for me or continuing to climb the ladder from a broadcasting standpoint, but I would say personally, the next great leap is just with my children and my family. I have all boys. I want my boys to be allies. I want them to champion women. I want them to be leaders who are inclusive and who are accepting and who challenge social norms and who think for themselves, who use critical thinking and who challenge ideas. We’ve got a lot of yes people in the world. I only want them to say yes when I ask them to clean their room, but I think hopefully raising strong independent men who are champions for equality. That’s what I would love my legacy to be as a parent, and that’s something that as my kids have gotten older, that I’ve started to really take to heart.

I’m not going to coach forever. Hopefully, I’m not going to work forever, but the impact and the experiences that my boys get to have because of what I do allows them to be surrounded by strong women, by lots of diversity, and I want them to take those experiences and help make the world a better place. To me, that’s my next great leap.

Kate Young:

I can’t thank you both enough for joining us. It was a blast. You all were the three friends, but I felt like I was included.

Stephanie White:

Of course, you are. Absolutely, absolutely.

Kate Young:

Are you a fan of Purdue Basketball? Need something to help you get your boiler fixed before the next big game? Check out the Boiler Ball Podcast to stay in the know and get inside stories all about the Purdue Basketball Program and beyond. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

We can’t thank Coach Peck, Stephanie, and Ukari enough for their time. If you want to experience firsthand the camaraderie, friendship, and Boilermaker spirit between these three women, be sure to go to our This is Purdue YouTube page, youtube.com/@ThisisPurdue, and be sure to hit that subscribe button while you’re there so you never miss an episode.

This is Purdue is hosted and written by me, Kate Young. Our podcast videography for this episode was led by Ted Schellenberger. Our social media marketing is led by Maria Welch. Our podcast distribution strategy is led by Teresa Walker and Carly Eastman. Our podcast photography for this episode is thanks to Purdue Athletics. Our podcast design is led by Caitlyn Freville. Our podcast team project manager is Rain Gu. Our podcast YouTube promotion is managed by Megan Hoskins and Kirsten Bowman. Additional writing assistance is led by Sophie Ritz. Our This is Purdue intern is Caroline Kime, and special thanks to our team’s athletics expert, Tom Schott. Thanks for listening to This is Purdue. For more information on this episode, visit our website at purdue.edu/podcast. There you can head over to your favorite podcast app to subscribe and leave us a review, and as always, boiler up.

Kate Young:

Hi, I’m Kate Young and you are listening to This is Purdue, the official podcast for Purdue University. As a Purdue alum and Indiana native, I know firsthand about the family of students and professors who are in it together. Persistently pursuing and relentlessly rethinking, “Who are the next game changers, difference makers, ceiling breakers, innovators? Who are these Boilermakers?” Join me as we feature students, faculty and alumni taking small steps toward their giant leaps and inspiring others to do the same.

Matt Folk:

There aren’t many universities that can take the kind of pride that we have in our work ethic, our frozen tuition and the benefits that it gives not only the students, but the families of students. Purdue people are really special and they come through when they’re asked to help.

Kate Young:

In this episode of This is Purdue, we’re talking to Matt Folk, President and CEO of the Purdue for Life Foundation. And I am so excited to share this episode with you all today because this is part of a new podcast series called Boilermaker Bites, where we interview incredible Boilermaker guests at iconic Purdue restaurants. For this interview, we dined at 8Eleven Modern Bistro, part of the Purdue Union Club Hotel inside the historic Purdue Memorial Union. Over a delicious meal of pasta with a French butter sauce and truffle oil topped with grilled scallops, Matt and I discussed Purdue for Life’s goal of helping everyone who is part of the Purdue community stay connected, get involved and give back. From frozen tuition to the establishment of new buildings on campus, to creating life-changing scholarships and more. The funds raised by Purdue for Life help keep the Purdue community we love thriving. And as a Boilermaker himself, Matt knows how deep the Purdue spirit runs, and that it doesn’t end after graduation, it lasts a lifetime. So let’s get into my conversation with Matt. Oh, and a quick warning, this episode will likely make you a bit hungry.

Matt, thank you so much for joining us on the official University podcast. We’re thrilled to have you.

Matt Folk:

I’m thrilled to be here. Thank you.

Kate Young:

This is our first time shooting something in a restaurant that we’re really excited about. Tell us a little bit about your affiliation with 8Eleven really quickly for our listeners and our viewers.

Matt Folk:

8Eleven, the whole upgrade to the hotel was brought to Purdue by the White Lodging and the Bruce White family and the White Foundation. So big league gift to develop this hotel and the restaurants and do all the changes that then led into the whole basement redo and even some work coming on upstairs. So it’s pretty appropriate to be eating here for dinner. And I’m also here all the time with donors, so it’s very familiar to me.

Kate Young:

Absolutely. Okay. So let’s kick it off. You graduated from Purdue. Tell us a little bit about your Purdue journey. How did you first find out about Purdue? What made you want to come here?

Matt Folk:

Oh, I think Purdue is probably one of the first words I heard as a baby. If I remember, my uncle was a Purdue student about the timeframe I was born. My aunt was a professor here, other side of the family. So just had some good ties going all the way back. And my aunt and uncle would bring dad and I and my little sister to football and basketball games as a kid and et cetera. So I’ve got all kinds of memories as a child all the way up through current timeframe.

Kate Young:

So when you graduated high school, you knew you were coming here?

Matt Folk:

Well, I was debating whether to do business at maybe a different business school at that point in time or engineering. I knew that engineering would be better for the career longer term. And frankly engineers can do absolutely anything from a career standpoint, especially electrical engineer. So I chose to do that path.

Kate Young:

So Matt was clearly a Boilermaker since birth. He shares a few of his favorite memories from his time as a student in Purdue University’s Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Do you have a favorite memory? I’m sure there’s a couple from your time as a student, but if you could share one.

Matt Folk:

I’m a big basketball guy, so I loved coming to basketball games. And then I think just the other great memories were to get through electrical engineering, you pretty much have to have a study group of about 15 to 20 guys and gals that are helping everybody gut through the whole thing, because a lot of cases it’s not a lot of fun. But just cracking on each other and having a good time doing the studying. And then of course, the Friday night through about Sunday at noon was the only times we weren’t pretty much studying, but at those point in times we’d go out and have a pretty good time around campus and Chauncey and Perry’s and other places.

Kate Young:

Let’s talk a little bit about your journey from graduation to your current role. I wouldn’t say that your current role involves a lot of electrical engineering.

Matt Folk:

Yeah. I’m probably the only electrical engineer in the country running a university advancement model, so that’s a little strange. I graduated on a Saturday, started working on a Monday. Moved quickly through different job functions at TMC, the Technology Marketing Corporation. Got a big break when Lexmark International sold off from IBM, I moved down to Lexington and took that from a muddling territory to our biggest territory in the country. And was doing really big numbers at that point in time, and that led to then managing divisions and then eventually President of the company and buying out the partners and owning the whole thing, lock, stock and barrel.

Kate Young:

To further set the stage here, I want to describe the look and feel of 8Eleven Modern Bistro. It’s elegant yet also modern as its name suggests, with grand chandeliers and smooth brown leather booths. We were seated at the chef’s table, which overlooks the kitchen so we could watch all of the action. From the steak sizzling and butter, to creamy pasta dishes being whipped up, to fresh salads being topped with homemade dressings. There’s a large crystal chandelier above us. And this special chef’s table is made of beautiful white marble.

Katie:

Hello, good evening. How are we doing today?

Kate Young:

We are great.

Matt Folk:

Great.

Katie:

Awesome. Well, my name is Katie. I will be taking care of you tonight. Have you dined with us before?

Matt Folk:

Tons. Yeah. Yeah.

Katie:

All right.

Kate Young:

I have only been here once. So I’m looking-

Katie:

Really?

Kate Young:

Yes. I’m looking for recommendations.

Katie:

We do have some really good appetizers. The most popular one would be the Crab Croquettes. So those are going to be five little Crab Croquettes. We’ll make them with our mashed potatoes, the crab, and then we fry them and then it comes with a lemon aioli on the side.

Kate Young:

Yum.

Katie:

Super delicious. The other one that’s very popular would be the burrata cheese. So that is going to come with your burrata and I put that jam on the side, truffle honey on top. And then it comes with some sourdough toast on the side so that you can use it as a spread. That’s personally my favorite. But if you would like a few more minutes, I can go over some other things or talk about-

Kate Young:

I heard you have a delicious mocktail that I’m interested in.

Katie:

We do. We have a couple options. So we do have a Strawberry Basil Lemonade. So we make the syrups here in-house. So we have the strawberry basil syrup and it’s mixed with a little bit of a regular lemonade and then we top it off with some soda water. That one’s one option. And then we also have the Trinitian Sage. So that’s going to be our house-made sage with agave and then it comes with pineapple and grapefruit juice, and then we shake it and we pour it over ice. That one’s pretty good as well.

Kate Young:

That sound delicious. Can I do the strawberry basil lemonade?

Katie:

Yes.

Kate Young:

That sounds amazing.

Katie:

And for you?

Matt Folk:

I’ll do a Diet Coke. And do you still have coffee going?

Katie:

We do have coffee.

Matt Folk:

That sounds good.

Katie:

Sounds good. I’ll be right back with that and give you a few minutes.

Matt Folk:

I could make you eat bone marrow. I don’t know if you would like that or not.

Kate Young:

I do not want to do that, but I would for the podcast.

Matt Folk:

Some people panic when I order that.

Kate Young:

Okay. So I wasn’t quite adventurous enough to try the bone marrow, so we settled on the burrata and grilled bread instead. As Katie went to go grab our drinks and appetizer, Matt and I got back to our conversation. Matt owned his own business, but what eventually brought him back to his alma mater… See, at the time, former Purdue University President, Mitch Daniels, and Purdue’s board of trustees were exploring how to take the well-known alumni-facing organizations across campus, including the Purdue Alumni Association, President’s Council, and the John Purdue Club, and bring them together as one. Combining these organizations that had been part of Purdue for so many years would add more ways for alumni to engage, plus add more opportunities for friends and fans too. Matt explains more.

Matt Folk:

I sold the business in ’19 when I was 50 and was going to retire. And that was one of my goals or at least start to look for a different career. I was tired of that one, and stepped back multiple years. There was a group in Indianapolis with Boiler Business Exchange that we put together and helped fundraise and do a lot of events down there. And I had given some scholarships on campus. I’d worked with the Alumni Association. I had been heavily involved with John Purdue Club, named the soccer field after my parents. So multiple folks from the board and Mitch. So they asked me to put together a committee. We put together a small committee. That summer, they asked me to essentially volunteer for a year to do it. We did, all of us together, studied about 45 or 50 other major schools that had different organizational structures, from completely independent alumni associations to completely integrated, and then to completely non-centralized to centralized advancement functions and engagement functions and presented to the board that fall.

We started on March 10th of 2020, I think March 13th the university sent everybody home. And on the 15th or 16th, I think I canceled Day of Giving, which was a big one-day giving event that year. But a few of us just worked through the whole thing, coming up to campus every day and reorganized about 10 different alumni facing organizations across campus. Worked with the Alumni Association to pull them into Purdue for Life Foundation, broadening corporations, foundations, events, MARCOM for Alumni, IT, HR services, broad-based campaigns. We’d never had principal giving before we did that. We beefed up a lot of our planned giving and benefits stuff and really just reorganized the whole thing, put everything together. Worked really hard on changing culture, and I think that whole culture and working together has really paid off.

Kate Young:

Matt walks us through how Purdue for Life Foundation is different from other higher ed institutions. And we discussed how Matt and the team came up with the foundation’s name.

Matt Folk:

No two systems are the same, but I think we’ve gone further than anyone with pulling anything alumni, corporate foundations, sort of that for life. Once you graduate for life through death even, relationship with the university into one group. And it really works well when you consider the university’s in the middle, PRF’s over the left and handles all the businesses of the university and building and land and managing the endowment, managing airports and that sort of thing. So really the technical output of the university and selling that. And then we help manage and build a relationship with the human capital export of the university.

Kate Young:

And Purdue for Life. I love that name. I love how you touched on that. Were there different names on the table or how did that come about?

Matt Folk:

There was four or five that we had thrown out on the table, but that one really stuck we thought, and caught the essence of trying to build a relationship between the university and the alum or the friend or the family member on a lifetime basis from graduation onward.

Kate Young:

So as Matt just touched on Purdue for Life as a name highlights how one’s relationship with Purdue is not limited just to their experience during their years as a student, but rather a connection for life. Matt says the best way for Purdue alums to get involved with Purdue for Life and access their content and information is to check out their newly redesigned website, purdueforlife.org. On the Foundation’s Get involved page, you can explore and join alumni clubs, affinity networks, international networks and other communities. And as for Boilermakers who are spread out across the country and all over the world, Matt says there’s plenty of digital and virtual content available too.

Matt Folk:

For example, we even list all the different clubs across the country when there’s game watches, where they’re going to be, how they can participate when they’re traveling and not even in their home area. We try and do all these courses to make them available for people that don’t necessarily live here and can attend things in person. So we do a lot of things digitally. We’ve even made the magazine digital. So instead of it just going to 30,000 PAA members, it now goes out to all 600,000 living alumni. And we’ve tried to make digital content available for those that want to see it. And at the same point in time try and not bombard people with information they don’t want to see. I’m pretty proud of the fact that when we were doing the study, there was about 17,000 people a year that would say, “Disconnect me from the university. It’s too much. I don’t need four emails a day every day of the year.” We’ve gotten that down now to where I just checked in 37 people had disconnected in the last year. So that’s pretty cool.

Kate Young:

That’s incredible.

Matt Folk:

And you can go to the website and you can log into your portal and look at four, maybe 500 different things the university is doing and tell us what you’re interested in, what you don’t care to hear about or things you really are passionate about.

Katie:

And here I have your burrata.

Kate Young:

Yay.

Matt Folk:

Awesome.

Kate Young:

Thank you.

Katie:

No problem. Would you like to go ahead and enjoy your appetizer first or would you like to order your main entrees at the moment?

Kate Young:

I think we should order. Matt, since you’re-

Matt Folk:

Go ahead.

Kate Young:

Well, you’re such a regular, I want to hear your thoughts and what your go-to is.

Matt Folk:

I’m going to go with the Truffled Bucatini, and I always have Mad Scallops onto it. Do you have them tonight?

Katie:

Good choice. Yes, we do.

Matt Folk:

Their scallops are really good. And the bucatini, it has a mushroom oil base with it. And I think when they’re done with it, they can fry it a little bit on the flat top or something. It’s got a little crispiness to the noodles. It’s really good. Of course, I’ve had everything on this menu and everything’s fantastic.

Kate Young:

I think I’m going to do what Matt’s doing.

Katie:

Okay. So two Truffled Bucatinis, with the scallop spread on top?

Kate Young:

Yes. Perfect.

Matt Folk:

Awesome.

Katie:

[inaudible 00:15:08].

Kate Young:

Thank you.

Katie:

[inaudible 00:15:09] out of the way and I’ll let you enjoy that appetizer.

Kate Young:

Okay.

Matt Folk:

What do you think?

Kate Young:

That is delicious, yes, with that chutney.

Matt Folk:

Yeah. It’s a chutney with a lot of honey in it. I know that.

Kate Young:

It’s so different and unique. That is a good one.

Matt Folk:

And it’s always, the consistency here is always really good.

Kate Young:

As we enjoyed the rest of our appetizer, Matt discussed his role within Purdue for Life. He says no two days are the same as the President and CEO of the foundation. It’s fast-paced, it’s exciting, and there’s a lot of teamwork involved each and every day. He reflects on a few of his favorite events and memories.

Matt Folk:

[inaudible 00:15:50] is a blast. Favorite memories are probably more than anything when you sit down with a donor and talk about their memories of the university and what connects them, and why they feel so passionate about the university. I don’t know if it’s our culture as a university, our grit. I was given tours to some potential students and it was Friday at 5:30, and we were still wrapping up. It might’ve even been at six. And the parents were amazed with… Almost every seat on campus was still filled by a student at that point in time, studying, doing homework on a Friday night at five and six o’clock at night. Not the case for a lot of those parents when they were in college, no matter where they were. So it’s the grit, the endurance, the love of the university, and I think also the passion that people have for the university, knowing that it really moved them forward in their careers and their relationships. And many, many of our alum feel like they really owe a lot of their success back to their days here as a student.

Kate Young:

Yeah, absolutely. You’re touching on it now, but that Boilermaker spirit, you get to see it firsthand every day. Not everyone gets to see that. You went to Purdue, you have that knowledge of the culture and everything.

Matt Folk:

Yeah.

Kate Young:

But what do you think that spirit encapsulates when you boil it all down?

Matt Folk:

It’s hard work, it’s Midwestern hard work and effort, not being afraid to fail and get up and try it again. The collective effort we all had to in every major, I don’t care what it was, that you had to put out to get through the school. There aren’t very many universities that can say that sort of thing. And there aren’t many universities that can take the kind of pride that we have in our work ethic, our frozen tuition and the benefits that it gives not only the students but the families of students, and how they’re not saddled with so much debt once they’re in their early 20s. Alum really buy into that, as do I. And when you look at all we’ve done, all the…

$1.3 billion in buildings going on on campus right now. The excellence at scale that we have throughout the entire university. There aren’t many other schools that do things as well as we do at the volume that we do it at. And I also think one of the ways that we connect, especially students coming through, is we’re set up. It’s just a bunch of small, little high schools if you really think about it. And you really get to know so many folks by the time you graduate and have so many of the same experiences, that it’s a shared community.

Kate Young:

Matt hears many stories about how alumni donations are impacting Boilermakers. He shares a recent story of why this Purdue community is so special when it comes to giving back and paying it forward for future generations of Boilermakers.

Matt Folk:

A incoming freshman just got word for a scholarship Dollars she was going to get. And her father got in touch with me to try and get information about the donor because he wanted to send a thank you letter. It was a donor that actually had passed away in 1961, had donated a small amount of money at that point in time and had set up three partial scholarships for students from Delaware County, Muncie, to come to Purdue. And with the way that PRF has managed that endowment and grown it and the way it’s been stored throughout the years, that endowment is now worth something like 2.5, $2.6 million, and is throwing off about eight or nine full rides, not even partial to students from that county.

The impact that we have, not even just today, but the impact of our alum and even the employees of Purdue for Life, paying it forward for generations to come… We’re talking about this gentleman now 50 some years after he passed away and gave this gift. Hopefully he’s looking down on us and sees the impact that he’s having at the university and with those kids and making sure those kids’ families aren’t burdened with debt coming out of here.

Kate Young:

Purdue for Life’s annual Purdue Day of Giving happens each April, and it will hit its 11th year this coming April of 2024. In 2023, Purdue for Life raised a record $110.8 million with its 24-hour online social media driven fundraising efforts. And Purdue Day of Giving’s cumulative total since its launch in 2014 is $420.5 million. Matt describes why this event is successful year after year and how it really encapsulates the Boilermaker spirit.

Matt Folk:

We were the first major university to really jump on it. Now everybody does it. We even have a small little business inside of Purdue for Life called State of Wow that teaches other universities how to do this. And we really focused on making a digital event, making a one-day event, trying to involve as many people as possible, trying to drive our donor numbers, number of donors. Every donation counts. We just want participation. That overall net production number just keeps going up every year. And a lot of that also has to do with goals of the university, both from Mitch’s term and laying over into now and then Mung’s new ideas on a lot of different areas where we want to really grow the university, that resonated with alum.

People love to participate. We gather as one community that day. And the other thing that we just started, so we have Day of Giving in the spring, we now have Day of Service in the fall. So we actually have three or 400 people that come in every year now in the fall, and we do two, three weeks worth of work from the facilities folks. They tee us up on everything, but we go and plant hundreds of trees, work with mulching and raking and landscaping and try and help beautify the campus from that standpoint. And that’s actually another really fun day.

Kate Young:

Okay. You know the moment when the waiter or waitress is bringing out your food at a restaurant and you’re just staring longingly at it? And this is that moment for Matt and I. 8Eleven Modern Bistro’s head chef Jamie DePaul explains more about our dinner order. And this right here is the part where you may find yourself feeling a bit hungry if you haven’t already.

Jamie DePaul:

I’m the hotel executive chef here. I’ve been here since we opened in August 2020. And I’ll talk to you about your entree that you have. You got a bucatini, which is a pasta. It’s a long noodle, similar to a spaghetti, but it’s got a hole in the middle, so it helps to hold the sauce a little bit better. Inside the sauce is some garlic butter, some beurre monté, which is a French butter sauce. So butter and butter makes for a great dish. Some salt pepper, lemon juice, and then some truffle peelings, and also some truffle oil. So the flavor should be pretty balanced.

A little bit of salt acid. On top, you have some diver scallops. These are some of the biggest size of scallops that we can get. They come from the East Coast. And the diver scallops are unique because the divers actually, the way that they harvest them is better for the environment and it helps to keep the population of scallops continuing instead of using a machine to harvest them all and then there’s no more. And then they shuck them on the boat and we get them fresh typically next day.

Kate Young:

Well, it looks beautiful.

Jamie DePaul:

Awesome. Any questions?

Matt Folk:

I tried copying this recipe a couple of weeks ago at home and I was not nearly as successful as you are.

Kate Young:

I love that you tried.

Jamie DePaul:

I’d be happy to send you home with a copy of the recipe.

Matt Folk:

Oh, now we’re talking.

Jamie DePaul:

Yeah, you can try it out.

Matt Folk:

Now we’re talking.

Kate Young:

Thank you. It was delicious.

Matt Folk:

Thank you very much.

Jamie DePaul:

Yeah. You all enjoy.

Matt Folk:

Tell me what you think. Good?

Kate Young:

It’s so simple, but it’s perfect.

Matt Folk:

Yeah.

Kate Young:

I love it. Great choice.

Matt Folk:

Thank you.

Kate Young:

As we finished up our bucatini, Matt shared more about Purdue for Life’s four-year birthday this coming March of 2024. I asked Matt what he thinks Purdue for Life’s biggest accomplishment has been so far.

Matt Folk:

Supporting donors where they are and family and friend members where they are really helping maintain frozen tuition. When Mitch first came here, I think we typically got a little less than $10 million of student support a year. And now last year we were up to $180 million in one year for student support. So that right there tells you how much people buy into that fact and want their Dollars to help other families elevate their families, especially first generation families, which is what a land grant, flagship university should be doing in a state like this. Moving things forward from that aspect, building buildings, getting all that done with the frozen tuition support, it really always comes down to support of students, supportive faculty, support of the university in general, and moving the university and the state and to a large extent, the country forward.

Kate Young:

Moving the university forward is right. During fiscal year 2023, Purdue for life raised more than $610 million to support the university. So how does Matt feel about the success Purdue for Life has experienced since it was formed in March of 2020?

Matt Folk:

Obviously it makes me feel great because we’re moving the university forward. It’s much, much more of a team effort than it has anything to do with my leadership. The new culture that we’ve instilled in watching people work together on this team basis that we have and doing larger and bigger asks of alum, and really working with alum on what their passion points are and how their passion can help some small area of the university move forward. Whether it’s a small donation to help an athlete through JPC or education student or an engineer to be able to get their masters or PhD or work with military families or whatever.

It’s so cool to be able to see all that move forward and come to fruition. And obviously we’ve grown donation numbers net production by over 50% since ’19, when we had the last year or the last big campaign on apples to apples for Dollars. So that’s working really well. And it’s really impressive when you look… And like last year, higher ed donations fell by over 10%. So we’re doing something right from that standpoint. And it really goes back to donors and their love of the university.

Kate Young:

As for upcoming Purdue for Life events, Matt highlights Grandparents University, an event the foundation hosts on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus, where grandparents and their grandchildren are able to explore and choose from different majors taught by Purdue faculty and staff. My podcast right-hand man and lead video producer, Ted and I, led a session on podcasting and it was one of my favorite experiences of 2023.

Matt Folk:

One of the big events we instituted this year was Grandparents University. It sold out like two hours. I think you were a presenter, a teacher in one of the class lanes. We’re going from 300 to a 1000 in two different groups next year.

Kate Young:

Oh my gosh.

Matt Folk:

It’s a really fun event.

Kate Young:

Oh, I had no idea what to expect. It was so special and meaningful and just heartwarming.

Matt Folk:

The kids and the grandparents had… I don’t know who enjoyed it more, the kids or the grandparents.

Kate Young:

Yes. I think the grandparents honestly might have enjoyed-

Matt Folk:

I think they might have. For those of you don’t know, we bring back for two days, the kids take up different class lanes and the grandparents have to take the classes with them. And there’s anything and everything you could think of, from STEM to acting classes to how to do podcasts. And then at night we had Sharon Hagel, an astronaut come in and talk to the kids and then a movie. And the whole Memorial Mall was full of blow up, kid toys and jump jumps and pizza trailers.

Kate Young:

Delicious food. Yeah.

Matt Folk:

Crazy food. The sugar high these kids had that night was crazy. And then classes the next day. And then just like the big kids do, all the little kids walk across the stage and graduate and get their name read and get a little Purdue letter jacket P and they all got their diplomas. And then when they opened up their diplomas at the end, it was a three-dimensional Purdue Pete that popped out on all of them. So that was cool.

Kate Young:

The reactions to that were incredible.

Matt Folk:

Yeah. Yeah.

Kate Young:

As Matt mentioned, Purdue for Life is now offering two different sessions this coming July of 2024 for Grandparents University, and they’re anticipating around 1000 participants. Grandparents and their grandkids can choose from more than 29 different sessions or majors, as well as embark on a campus field trip, spend the night in a residence hall, enjoy a special block party and cross the stage during a graduation ceremony. And this is Purdue Podcast team will be there again leading a major on how to conduct great interviews and produce your very own podcast episode. If you want to find out more information about this incredible event, please visit Purdue for Life’s website. Registration for this opens March 13th. So as a Boilermaker since birth, why is Matt proud to be part of this Purdue community and culture?

Matt Folk:

Why wouldn’t you be proud to be a Boilermaker? Everything we do and we… Not only everything we do and our rankings and how we’re moving everything forward and the camaraderie that we have and that feeling drives the love for the place. And I can’t hardly put into words how much I care for the place.

Kate Young:

And what role has Purdue played in Matt’s life?

Matt Folk:

Other than choosing to ask Mary to marry me, it’s probably the biggest, best decision I have ever made in my life. And I do love it. I love getting up every day, coming in and doing the job. And it’s the people that are so awesome to work with. Purdue people are really special and they come through when they’re asked to help.

Kate Young:

Well, we can’t thank you enough for joining us. Anything else you want to share with our listeners?

Matt Folk:

No, just thanks for having me. I love this new format. Any of you viewers, obviously, if you want to help support Purdue in any way, get ahold of us and we’ll make that happen for you.

Kate Young:

Special thanks to the 8Eleven Modern Bistro team for hosting us. Our team had so much fun celebrating our first Boilermaker Bites series episode at this gorgeous and not to mention delicious restaurant. You can learn more about this incredible Boilermaker spot and check out the full menu at 8Elevenbistro.com. We’ll also link that in the show notes for you. Plus head over to our podcast YouTube page, YouTube.com/@thisispurdue, and check out all of our videos to get a real taste for 8Eleven’s ambiance, decor, and food. And to learn more about Purdue for Life, please head over to Purdueforlife.org. From there you can check out their Purdue alumnus digital magazine, subscribe to their monthly newsletter, Boiler Update, and so much more. Again, we’ll link that in the show notes for you as well. This is Purdue is hosted and written by me, Kate Young.

Our podcast videography for this episode was led by Ted Schellenberger in collaboration with Alli Chaney. Our social media marketing is led by Maria Welch. Our podcast distribution strategy is led by Teresa Walker and Carly Eastman. Our podcast photography for this episode was done by John Underwood. Our podcast design is led by Caitlin Freeville. Our podcast team project manager is Rain Gu. Our podcast YouTube promotion is managed by Megan Hoskins and Kirsten Bauman. Additional writing assistance is led by Sophie Ritz and Maura Klopfenstein. And our This is Purdue intern is Caroline Kime. Thanks for listening to This is Purdue. For more information on this episode, visit our website at Purdue.edu/podcasts. There you can head over to your favorite podcast app to subscribe and leave us a review. And as always, boiler up.

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

This is Rochelle Dorn-Hayes, and you’re listening to, This Is Purdue. 

Kate Young: 

Hi, I’m Kate Young and you are listening to This Is Purdue, the official podcast for Purdue University. As a Purdue alum and Indiana native, I know firsthand about the family of students and professors who are in it together, persistently pursuing and relentlessly rethinking. Who are the next game changers, difference makers, ceiling breakers, innovators? Who are these Boilermakers? Join me as we feature students, faculty and, alumni taking small steps toward their giant leaps and inspiring others to do the same. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

Dr. Cornell A. Bell, he was absolutely a mentor and he taught me so, so very many things. I did not have any connection. I would say he was almost like a second dad to me. That impact that he, and I call all the BOP kids of all ages have brought back to me, and the things that I have learned and gained and continue to give back to that program, are immeasurable. 

Kate Young: 

In this episode of This Is Purdue, we’re talking to Rochelle Dorn-Hayes, human resources director at Ford Motor Company. Rochelle shares more about her time at Purdue, where she earned her MBA from the Mitchell E. Daniels Junior School of Business. She also dives into her relationship with beloved mentor and Boilermaker Dr. Cornell A. Bell, and the importance of providing guidance to the next generation of Boilermakers through her involvement in Purdue’s Business Opportunity Program. 

Plus, we discuss Rochelle’s 25-plus year career at Ford, including her work creating an award-winning diversity, equity and inclusion training program, her involvement in Ford’s African Ancestry Network, and her transition from finance to human resources. This episode offers helpful insights when it comes to work-life balance, advancing your career, and exploring new opportunities. Here’s my conversation with Rochelle. 

Rochelle, thank you so much for joining us on This Is Purdue, the official university podcast. We’re so excited to talk to you today. Tell us a little bit about your Purdue journey. You actually received your MBA at Purdue. You didn’t go to undergrad here. So, what was your experience like at Purdue, and what attracted you to Purdue in the first place? 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

So it was really funny, when I was finishing up law school my last semester, I was appreciating my undergrad business degree a lot. I thought, “Do I want to become in-house counsel one day? Do I want to go in the corporate world?” But I knew I wanted to use it more and I just felt like I wasn’t done. So I actually called up… I went to Prairie View A&M University for undergrad. Called up my undergraduate business dean and said, “Dr. Jones, where’s a good school? Where do you think I should go, apply to?” And she said, “Purdue.” So a couple of schools, but, “Purdue is a really great school. We’ve had a couple of our students…” 

And I was in the honors college too in undergrad, and so a couple of the honor students alumni had gone there, had done really well, really liked it. I said, “You know what? I’m going to apply to work, I’m going to apply to school, and see what happens.” I got a full fellowship plus extra money, and I said, “Oh, two years not committed in the cold? What is that?” Because I’m from California, went to undergrad in Texas, and went to law school in Louisiana. So I had never been to the cold before. And I’m still living in the cold. I never thought I would be doing it, so it was the introduction to a new experience for me. 

Kate Young: 

Were you shocked to see snow for the first time? 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

It’s funny. One of my best friends in grad school, Kerry Rouser, was from Chicago, and he had gone home for the weekend and all of a sudden early one Saturday morning, he called me and said, “Get up and go to the window.” I’m like, “What are you talking about?” “Get up and go to the window.” And there was all this snow coming down. And he said, “Okay, so now I’m going to get off the phone so you can call your parents and tell them that you’ve seen snow.” 

Kate Young: 

That’s amazing. I know… I always have grown up in this type of weather in the Midwest, so. But I do love… I frequently talk to people who are like, “Oh, Purdue was so cold, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.” 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

Well, one of my friends from high school, I will say, and I give this same advice today to anyone moving to the cold, she said, “Go to Eddie Bauer. Get a real down coat. Don’t get some poly whatever. Get a real down coat. Get some long underwear, get some gloves, hat, wool socks, snow boots, hat.” I mean, just everything real. Not fashionable, but actually practical. 

Kate Young: 

Not to be cute, to be warm. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

Yes. Yes, functional. And I use it all the time. All the time I do it and I tell anyone who comes to Ford from down south the same advice today. 

Kate Young: 

Sure. 

As Rochelle mentioned, she had a few other higher ed experiences, earning her bachelor’s in business administration from Prairie View A&M University’s honors college and getting her juris doctor from Tulane University School of Law before coming to Purdue. But what made Purdue stand out to her? What did this Boilermaker experience give her? 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

I honestly got faith in people again. My law school experience was much like you might hear in other venues, that there was one assignment everyone had and the pages were torn out of the book. That was part of my experience. When I got to Purdue, everything was in a group. And so I had study groups in law school, but I later found out everyone didn’t have the same information. Undergrad I did. Undergrad I did, but in grad school you had to work in cohorts, and I really got faith in people again. 

It was surrounded by engineers, right? Because even in the MBA school, I was surrounded by engineers. It was really technically based, and that was a stretch for me, which was great. And then on top of that, we got to use our own skills. So for example, we were placed in cohorts who didn’t choose them and I had a group of friends, and each one of us in a group had friends that were experts in their group. That expert… For example, there was a CPA in one of our friends’ group. She would teach them everything accounting. He would come back and teach us. 

And so we would all have our expertise and we would go teach our friends and learn that way. It was just a really great introduction into the business world, because that is what we do today. Cross-functional work all day every day. 

Kate Young: 

Yes. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

And so this was a great introduction to that. And also to learn how to own and understand what you are an expert in. So I was acronym girl. I would come up with every combination to remember things. We would get into class at the beginning of our test and write whatever the acronym was for the day. Like, “The blue sky had four eagles in it,” and it would stand for something. And I actually teach my daughter to memorize through connections with words today. 

Kate Young: 

My mom is a teacher, and she did the same thing growing up. All the acronyms. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

Yep. Word association works. 

Kate Young: 

Now Purdue’s very own Dr. Cornell A. Bell, the first director and chairman of the Business Opportunity Program, had a huge impact on Rochelle’s life both during her time at Purdue and after. The Business Opportunity Program, also known as BOP, was founded in April 1968 to broaden student access to a world-class management education. The program was one of the first and most successful of its kind at a major business school. Then-dean John Day hired Dr. Bell to run the program during its second year. 

Under Dr. Bell’s leadership, BOP grew into a nationally recognized program that recruits, enrolls, educates, and provides support for both undergraduate and graduate students pursuing management careers. And over the years, BOP has provided opportunities for more than 1400 undergraduate and graduate students. Rochelle shares more about her relationship with Dr. Bell and her experience in BOP, and what this program meant to her and continues to mean to her throughout the years. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

Dr. Cornell A. Bell, he was absolutely a mentor. He taught me so, so very many things. I did not have any connection. I would say he was almost like a second dad to me. That impact that he, and I call all the BOP kids of all ages, have brought back to me, and the things that I have learned and gained and continue to give back to that program, are immeasurable. 

Kate Young: 

Yeah, I want to talk to you about BOP. You’re still involved, it’s clearly near and dear to your heart. We had Shawn Taylor on- 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

Yes, yes. 

Kate Young: 

… and he said the same thing about Dr. Bell, and we’ve heard so many wonderful stories. So dig a little bit deeper into that. Why are you so passionate about the program? What does it mean to you to help support other Boilermakers within BOP too? 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

It’s interesting. Dr. Bell changed the way that I thought… Well, background. I didn’t have, and my family didn’t have, any background in the corporate world. My mom is a nurse, my dad was a judge, so we had law, we had medicine. We didn’t have anything to do with corporate world. I didn’t know anything about it. I always thought of school and institutions as learning and books, but Dr. Bell took it to another level. And I remember even during orientation week, someone in the class above me… 

So Dr. Bell, his name was on my fellowship statement letter. I didn’t know who he was or anything, and I was like, “Oh, okay. This is awesome. I got a fellowship, this is cool.” Andre in a class ahead of me had said, “Have you met Dr. Bell yet?” I’m like, “No. No, I haven’t met him.” “Oh, let’s go to his office.” And I’m like, “You can just go to his office?” “Yeah, what are you talking about?” And he was looking at me like I was crazy. He said, “Yeah, we’re in his office all the time.” “During office hours?” “He doesn’t have office hours. Just the door is always open.” 

So we go, and there were a bunch of students in there, and he knew who I was. “Attorney Dorn! How are you doing? I finally get to meet you.” And I’m… “Who is this person who knows everything about me already?” And he’s already studied me. He knew about my background. I think he had talked to my old business school dean after I was admitted. And I think he had asked other… There was another student in the class ahead of me who went to undergrad with me, and so he had told him about… He knew all about me already. “What? What is this?” 

And that was the introduction just to a change in my thinking, I think, of higher education. We would pop in his office at night. He would come in on Tuesday mornings and leave on Thursday evenings going home. So he would be in there in his office late Tuesday, late Wednesday, and depending if there’s something else, even late other nights. “Oh, perfect. I have a phone call about to make to someone in California. Why don’t you talk to them and tell them about your experience here at Purdue?” “Okay.” Or I would be in his office and someone like Shawn Taylor would walk in, or someone like Roland Parrish would walk in, and I’m… “Wow. These super accomplished people are coming in and just giving me invaluable words of wisdom, just sitting right here talking to me.” It just was amazing. 

And my parents always had given me the gumption to always give back. I always give back to the community. But this was giving back on a different level. Handing back, giving back, continuously wanting to help others. Recruiting, I think of differently. Before, it was going to a job fair and meeting these strangers and just trying to get a job. After that, I looked at it as Dr. Bell’s kids coming back to give opportunities to other people. 

And that is how I think of recruiting today. I look at it as an opportunity to help others get ahead in life. There is enough to go around. There’s no need for anyone to feel stingy. There’s no need to hide any secrets. Any way I can make easier for someone else, or if I can give an opportunity to someone else so that they can succeed, I am all for it. And he was part of that journey. 

Kate Young: 

Rochelle recently came back to Purdue’s campus to host an executive forum for the Daniel School of Business in November of 2023. During the second year of her MBA program, Rochelle was a teaching assistant for the executive forum, so she said it was really a full circle moment for her. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

When I just came back for the executive forum, for example, my hosts for the couple of days that I was there, whenever I was talking to a group of students and they said they were finance and they were juniors, I’m like, “Wait, do you have a internship yet? Have you applied to Ford? Here’s the link. Do you need the link? What questions do you have?” And so any time I can provide an opportunity for someone to show themselves, for someone to be their best, I’m willing to do it. 

And still involved with Darren today. For example, couple years ago, our finance team did mock interviews for Darren Henry’s class. It was great, and they were great. Some of the best interviews that I have heard, period, and they were freshmen. So that just… 

Kate Young: 

Wow. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

A lot of them had not had anything beyond volunteer experience. Some of them had had jobs, like at Panera or at a fast food place, but he has developed these kids … they were… And I was telling his classes too, really utilizing all of your experiences and translating that into the business world. 

Kate Young: 

Currently at Ford, Rochelle continues to champion for Boilermaker students through her recruitment efforts. She also says programs like Ford’s African Ancestry Network, which was founded in 1994 and is committed to building a group that would be inclusive and impart a sense of community among all employees in the company, can make a huge impact on younger interns and employees’ experiences at Ford. A big takeaway here? Rochelle believes nobody should ever be afraid to ask questions. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

I am active in our Ford African Ancestry Network at Ford. Even though I’m not in finance anymore, I’m still involved in finance on our advisory board. We have buddies, not just within FAAN, but overall within finance. A buddy that can ask someone anything. So when you first get to the corporate world, “Is it okay if I wear these clothes? Do I sound stupid?” “No, never.” Always want to be a resource for someone to help them get ahead. And I’ve actually been recruiting since the day I started at Ford. 

So at first it was with Purdue, then it was amongst all of broader finance. I am now the Prairie View champion for Ford. And so I just always want to continue to, any time someone new comes in, try to mentor them, give them advice, be open so they can IM me and ask questions any time. Because I think that’s one of the biggest barriers, that people don’t know and don’t know who to feel comfortable asking questions to. 

Kate Young: 

Yes. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

I am always happily available to our students to do that. 

Kate Young: 

Rochelle interned at Ford Motor Company the summer after earning her MBA from Purdue, and landed a full-time job by the end of that internship. Her first assignment? Working at a manufacturing plant in Chicago. Rochelle shares a few examples of what her first experiences were like working for Ford, and discusses some of the lessons she’s learned along the way and still carries with her today. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

It was dynamic, because you could see how Ford operated from the ground up, literally, and it was a stamping plant, so there were stamping body parts. It wasn’t the flashy assembly plant that was up the road, it was the stamping plant. But it was great to see all of the different things. And one of the, I think, most impactful times, half way through the summer in July and December, all of our plants have shut down. So they might retool, they might have different things that they’re working around, but production is shut down. When they came back up, productivity was not quite where they wanted it to be. So they came in the controller’s office and they said, “Each of you take a couple of lines, do a report for us every day, and let us know what we can do to make this productivity go up.” 

I go down the floor, I don’t know anything, and I’m letting them know. And I think that was the first… and I still use it today, the first real lesson to myself in, appreciate everyone where they are. Appreciate everyone’s expertise. Understand that there are errors you might not know anything about. They do. So I went on the floor and I said, “Okay, I don’t know what you do, but I’m here to help you. Upstairs they always tell us what to do when they don’t listen to us. I’m telling you, I’m here. I’m going to do it. Here’s my paper, here’s my pad. What is it that we can do to help you when you come in tomorrow?” “Well, it takes us about half an hour to get the racks here ready for our parts.” I was like, “Okay, so if the racks are here, that’ll help you?” “Yes.” You write that down. And there were a couple other things. 

And then I went to the other line, and the line, it wasn’t moving. Now this was back in 1997, so there weren’t many women on the floor or in that plant at all. And I have to say, I had to use my mind and what would work, because they’re all looking at me kind of crazy down there anyway. I’m like, “Excuse me, is this supposed to be moving?” And so he’s like, “Well, yes it is.” And I said, “Okay, so I’m here. I’m working with the area manager. I’m supposed to write down what time it stopped, what time it gets back up, and what was wrong with it. Can you help me?” He was kind of looking like, “Do I really need to get up?” I’m like, “I really need your help.” And you always catch bees with honey and not vinegar, right? 

Kate Young: 

Yes. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

So use honey not vinegar. Then he got up, fixed it, started running. It stopped right away. And I said, “It stopped. Is it supposed to do that?” And then he’s like, “No, okay,” and he fixed it. And I said, “Well, what was wrong with it?” Wrote all that down, gave it to the area manager. 

The next day, he had racks waiting there for that one line. So he said, “Wait a minute, you were telling the truth!” And I’m like, “I told you. Okay, so what else can I do for you today? What else do you need?” “Well, we have to take more breaks, because we need some more pads on the floor down here. Could you get some more pads?” So I’m writing all the things down. And I said, “You know your job. You know what works best for you. I don’t know that.” So did all that, and then went to the other line. 

By day three, he saw me coming. “It went down at this time, we got it back up at this time, and this is what was wrong with it.” And I carry that through today. Make sure that you respect everyone, no matter what level they are, no matter how long they’ve been there, no matter… Everyone has experiences that they bring to the table that are valuable. Realize that, understand it, learn from each other and grow together. 

Kate Young: 

Rochelle walks us through her career journey at Ford, from starting in finance and compliance to where she ended up today in human resources. And as you’ll hear, she’s had a lot of different experiences throughout her 25-plus years there. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

Ford has been really great in entertaining my desires to use what I call both sides of my brain. So utilizing the law side, using the finance side. And so I’ve had a lot of positions that have granted me bird’s eye views of the company, not just in a silo. Just been really fortunate to… I think in a lot of positions, maybe a lot of people might not have wanted, but have been very beneficial. 

So I was in the general auditor’s office, for example, and so I audited a lot of different areas including corporate staffs, including HR, including marketing and sales, including pension asset management, including [inaudible 00:21:54], so a lot of different areas. I’ve been in a couple of other control-related positions, where I looked at it not as just someone doing testing, but as an internal consultant, and really took that to heart and worked with our global directors on a lot of unique solutions. 

And so within corporate staffs, HR was one of those. So I really was getting involved with some of the operations back almost 10 years ago. Beyond that, I’ve been in contract review in the treasury department, so all non-standard contracts that had risk and indemnification language, and I had to review and approve that language. And so once again, I was working with so many different areas, including some related to HR, related to sponsorships, related to just a lot of different things. 

Kate Young: 

Ford Motor Company gives its employees 16 hours per year to volunteer during work time, and Rochelle said her love of volunteering, both within Ford and outside of Ford, was instrumental in the ease of her career move from finance to HR. She’s held various leadership roles and participated in numerous local and global community service projects with her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Rochelle said her sorority helped her gain confidence in so many different aspects, such as public speaking, networking, and presentation skills. Rochelle discusses several of the volunteer opportunities she’s involved with at Ford, including the creation of an award-winning diversity, equity, and inclusion training program. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

I volunteered the whole time. So like I said, I’ve been in recruiting this whole time. I’ve been really active in diversity, equity, and inclusion. I actually led the creation of DEI training that all of our US finance team had to complete a couple of years ago. Award-winning, I might add. 

Kate Young: 

Amazing. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

Yes, yes. 

I’ve been involved with minority dealer operations in some of their internship program, helping create a certificate program at Arizona State University. So I’ve always been involved in these different types of volunteer experiences. And even when I was a project manager in treasury, one of the things I helped create or bring about was electronic pay via a pay card type of solution for hourly employees. And so I was very involved with UAW negotiations with that, with our labor office, with accounting, so a lot of cross-functional types of projects and relationships that I’ve developed over the years. 

We also have jobs online. So this job came about and I looked at the qualifications and I’m like, “I think I’ve done all of these things.” And so I applied and got this position, which I loved. And I was amongst some of the most talented people in the world and that were just experts in their field and soaked in everything, and I had just a different perspective. I was even able to contribute from day one, with all of my expertise and perspective, just a different point of view. 

Kate Young: 

I love that perspective and advice. Because Rochelle has had so many different unique experiences within the same company that required all sorts of skill sets, she was able to earn different job opportunities than if she were to just work in the same area for decades. 

Okay, so being in human resources, I knew Rochelle would have some great insight on work-life balance. It’s a topic we’re hearing a lot about, especially the last few years. It’s all over LinkedIn. How can we balance our families, friends, hobbies, personal lives with the demands of our careers? It’s also timely as we hit February and your New Year’s resolutions on checking your email less at night or going for a walk at lunch and shutting down your Teams app, or starting your morning off with meditation, may be dwindling and losing some steam. So I asked the expert herself. 

Rochelle, we’re recording this in early January. It’s the time when people are either making New Year’s resolutions or maybe they’re already made. What are three work-life balance tips that are actually realistic if someone’s resolutions have to do with that work-life balance, spending more time with your family, mindfulness, all of that good stuff? Give us three tips. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

The first one, take care of yourself first. Absolutely positively, that is what I would definitely say. If you have to schedule time for yourself in the morning before the house gets crazy, absolutely do that. Meditate, work out. Think of what you’re going to do for the day. And with that, an illness, I just want to just say it, throw it in there, don’t go to work sick. 

Kate Young: 

Yes. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

If you want to make the most unproductive week, month of the year, go to work sick and get all your coworkers sick. And so that is, take care of yourself, and if you do get sick, stay at home. 

Second, plan as much as you can, so when emergencies or things that you don’t know are going to happen, you are ready. The biggest tip? I know they say separate work and home. No. Put all of your work and home things on one calendar, so that way you can say, “Oh, I have this award ceremony coming up. Let me block this off of my work calendar.” If you can’t make it to either work or the personal thing, you can have somebody else step in. 

Finally, get an accountability partner for yourself. Whether it’s working out, like, “Did you work out today?” or “Let’s take a walk around the building at lunch,” or it’s even at work, “Did you put that pickup time on your calendar and block it off on your calendar? Because you know you’re going to do that.” 

And so those are my top three. And then finally I just want to say, be easy on yourself, because even Superman had their kryptonite. And so if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. So my quick tips for 2024. 

Kate Young: 

If you want to catch those three tips again, we have this video posted on our podcast YouTube page. Head over to youtube.com/@ThisIsPurdue. 

Rochelle’s Boilermaker persistence and determination throughout the years have fueled her successful career as a woman in leadership in the auto industry. So what advice does Rochelle have for other women who want to learn, grow, and advance in their careers? 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

First of all, I would say seek mentors. Mentors, buddies, people to bounce things off of. Career advice. And they don’t have to be other women. You can have allies of all kinds. You want to know and understand what the people at the table are talking about. You want to know how you are perceived. You want someone to be honest with you and tell you, “These are your great assets. These are things that you can improve upon,” and not feel sensitive about that, in order to grow. You want an ally that can let people know, “This person is great with this. This person would be great on your team.” Someone that can open your eyes to different things. 

I actually just had a colleague say to me, she had known a couple of the women that she’s working with now earlier in her career, because she might have had a different pathway. Now this is someone who is controller of an entire new area that we have, has worked in Dubai for Ford. She’s amazing in herself. But she has said she wished she knew some of the other women that she’s working with right now, because they have had such vast experiences, and they’re just women bosses, you know? Just really neat to have. 

But I would just say, make sure you get an ally. Start meeting people. We’ve had interns, and I tell some of our interns that I work with, schedule one-on-ones with as many people as you can. One of the things that Ford is great with, they love interns. They love entertaining interns, they love listening to them, giving them advice. Utilize that. There was one intern and she shadowed me for half a day. She’s now a full-time employee. She had an entire slide in very small font, with I don’t know how many columns of people. She had one-on-ones that she was able to show at the end of her internship. All of those experiences were invaluable. And I’ve done the same thing to a couple of Boilermakers, actually. “Who would you love to meet?” For example, “In finance, who would you want to work with? What’s an area you might want to work with in the future?” 

And Michael Lewis, he’s actually a Ford employee right now, he said Ford Credit, marketing and sales, and I forgot what the other area was. And so I got him a one-on-one with Marian Harris, who is currently the CEO of Ford Credit, and Brian Schaaf at the time, he’s retired now, but he was CFO of Ford Credit. And Tim Baughman, he’s now general manager of Ford Pro, but at the time he was a controller of marketing and sales. And it was really cool, because he had this one-on-one with him, and then he said, “Schedule another one-on-one with me in two weeks.” And within that time, his new role had come out. He knew it was coming, but it hadn’t been announced yet. And so he got to talk to him again in his new role with Ford Pro. 

And so I would definitely say ask. Just ask, don’t be afraid to ask. And get those allies, mentors, networking. Don’t think of networking as a task, but just think of it as, “I’m learning and growing.” 

Kate Young: 

I love that, because I think a lot of people are intimidated by networking. Nobody wants to walk into a networking event by themselves. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

No. 

Kate Young: 

But you’re giving us other ways that we can network. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

Absolutely! And then if you are afraid, always find a buddy. Always find a buddy and a friend to do it together. If you’re afraid to do it, do a two on one. “Hey, do you want to do a two on one?” Or, “Hey, can we do a two-on-one lunch?” Or if you see… Ford has lots of activities and clubs and just opportunities and networking groups, employee resource groups. Grab a buddy and say, “Hey, want to do this together?” “Okay.” And I’ve been there 26 years. I can’t believe it. I like to joke and say I started when I was five. 

Kate Young: 

Yes. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

But even now some of our friends like, “Hey, are you going to this?” “Hey, I’m going.” And we don’t need them to go, but we still like, “Hey, are you going? Come on, let’s go.” Have an accountability buddy, that’s what I talk about all the time, and, “Don’t let me forget to go to this. I want to go to this. Don’t let me forget.” 

And so keep those networks. If you’re an intern, get a chat group of all of your interns. You might help each other, even with your presentations, and think of it… You are the future. You’re coming out of school. You have some of these new skillsets and technology that can help the groups today, and so you can contribute to the bottom line of the company while you’re an intern in those 12 weeks. It doesn’t have to be Ford or any company. You can make a difference today. And just make sure you know that, you realize that walking through the door, and you offer that up. Don’t accept if someone says to you, “Can you run 10 copies?” Okay, you might have to run the copies, but ask for more. Look at the copies and like, “Hey, I have a question on these presentations. What is this about?” 

And just schedule time to sit and … to a mentor, a boss. Ask, “Who else do you think I could talk to that might know about this? I’m just curious or nosy about this.” One of the best things is a curious intern or a curious new employee, and we’d love it. Don’t be afraid to contribute. Don’t be afraid and think that “What I’m going to be saying is dumb.” That psychological safety is there. Or you’ll find out very quickly if it’s not, and then if it’s not there, then you want to ask yourself, “Is this somewhere where I want to work?” 

Kate Young: 

Okay, so picture this. You are interviewing for a new job. The role is exciting to you and the company seems like a great fit, but how do you get a good sense of what the company stands for and what the workplace culture is really like from just a few conversations? I asked Rochelle what she thinks is important to ask in a job interview. Plus, she shares a vulnerable personal story that highlights why it’s so incredibly important to bring your whole self to work, whether it’s a good day or a bad day. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

I think it’s important when you’re in that interview process to start asking, “Do you have employee resource groups? What resources do you have for your employees?” For example, if they’re going through a stressful time in their life, is there assistance? Is there help? Because what do we say these days? Life lifes. Life lifes you. Life is always life-ing. And we all like to put our best fates forward at all times, but real life happens, and regardless, you bring your whole self to work. You might hide it behind something, but you bring your whole self to work. And so you want to be able to know… 

For example, I went through a divorce earlier this year. I had a divorce [inaudible 00:36:15] last year and this year, and I had the best boss ever when I was going through it. But it’s something that I was able to say, “Look, I’m not having a great day today. I’m signing off. I’ll get back on later on.” And it’s not something that was a stain on me. It is real life. Or, “I have to go to my daughter’s award ceremony. I have to go to her cheerleading event. I’m leaving now, I’ll be back online later, and whatever it is, drop me a note. I’ll get to that and I’ll have it for you in the morning.” 

Now, there are legal rules in the aid interview that you don’t necessarily want to volunteer certain things. You don’t have to volunteer certain things, but I think it is important for you to start to ask those questions. “Do you have employee resource groups?” Or “Do you have resources for employees?” Or “Do you have networking opportunities?” Just different things. And look at that personality of your interviewer and who they might pair you up with later to ask questions, and are they hesitant to answer questions or certain questions? 

I think it’s also important, even just look online. Really take a look. The National Black NBA conference is one of the many places where we recruit. It’s interesting when you’re interviewing and talking to people all day long, and you can see a difference in people who truly wanted to work for Ford, for an automotive company, who has done research, who understands our advancements that we’re doing with mobility, who sees our advancements with sustainability, who has seen all different things. And whether someone like, “I just want a job and I just want to work.” “Okay.” 

And so you’re not prepared to ask those questions. You’re not prepared to go in and see these things. You’re not prepared to understand what the mission is of the company, what things are important to them. And so that’s another reason why you don’t want to research just to look good for the interviewer. You want to research so you want to know if that’s a place where you want to be. But start doing that research and looking and seeing if you can talk to someone, seeing if you know someone else who has worked there. See if you know someone else who has had experience with that company. You’d be surprised at, if you start asking the questions, how many people would be willing to give their observations. 

Kate Young: 

For Rochelle, persistence means… 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

It is “Keep going.” And I think that’s been persistent, consistent, throughout my career. 

In the beginning when I was going back, I said I wanted to go back to school and I was studying for the G GMAT my last semester of law school, everyone’s like, “I can’t believe that you’re going back to school.” And I’m like, “Yes, I am going back to school. It’s okay. Whatever.” It was so funny because I just kept on, I just kept on, I took the test, I got in. 

The end of my first semester, beginning of second semester, I started getting the phone calls. “You are so smart. I don’t like my job, but now I bought a house, I bought a car, I got married. I can’t go back to school. You now have options that I don’t have.” So that was kind of in the beginning. Or even me taking the different positions at work that, “Oh, you’re not going through this traditional finance track?” “Well no, but you also have a different background that I have.” 

So it was just kind of being persistent and being consistent with the things that I had a vision about. I think a lot of other people didn’t see that vision, but I had that vision and wanted these different experiences, and have had some of the coolest, unique experiences than I think a lot of my colleagues have had. 

And now looking at some of the other positions and the growth of the automotive industry and the change in the automotive industry, I think that background now leads toward that diversity and those type of experiences. Everyone is not going to be a fan of your path, but you have to think of those things that are going to make you satisfied, that are going to make you happy, that are going to be best for you, and just keep that in mind. That’s persistence. 

Kate Young: 

I mentioned to Rochelle that the shift of the younger generation switching jobs and even industries more frequently than maybe our parents’ generation did within their careers. To put it simply, many people are no longer staying at the same company for 30 or 40 years. They want more of those well-rounded experiences they can gain from working in different roles in different industries. 

It’s almost like you weren’t afraid to get out of your comfort zone and take those leaps. Because people would tell me, “Why are you going on that track now? Your degree was in…” I used to work in a newsroom as a journalist, and so I had to pivot a lot and take leaps of faith, I guess. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

Yes, absolutely. 

Kate Young: 

I love that you shared some of that. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

And think back. So even though you might have been in those experiences and the startups that didn’t succeed, think of what you gained from all of those experiences. So you didn’t sit somewhere and just kind of fall off the face of the earth. You gained with every single one of those experiences. And that’s what I like to tell everyone. Remember all your experiences. And you learn from everything, including failures, your own failures. 

Kate Young: 

Yes. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

You learn from everything. My last boss said… We were talking about psychological safety. One of his most successful teams was the one where at first they had the biggest failure. The key is to learn from that and take what you learn and move that into the next phase. That would be my best advice for you. Take those risks, take those challenges and those things that might not feel comfortable to you, because that’s how you move ahead. 

Kate Young: 

And what is a great example of a challenge Rochelle had to recently overcome as a woman in a leadership role and a mom to a young daughter? 

You know, we’ve talked about overcoming challenges being a woman in a really big leadership role. Do you have a specific challenge that you’ve overcome? You talked about your divorce. What is something that you faced that you persisted and you overcame it? 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

That was definitely one of them, and most recent. My daughter’s now 11, and so here she was transitioning into middle school. And being a single mom, and my family is mostly in California. I don’t have any family in Michigan except for in-laws. And so that has been kind of wild, I would say, kind of wild. And really making sure that I take time for me. Just like they say on the airplanes, that you have to take care of yourself, put the air mask on you before you put your air mask on your child? That is what I have had to make sure that I do. Before she gets up in the morning, I meditate and I get on my Bible app and I work out too if I’m able to, or sometimes during lunch if I’m working from home. And those are things that when I was married, honestly, I would often push to the side. 

And I email her dad like, “These are options. She’s got this performance, she’s got this meet. Can you go to this?” He has a prominent position, he’s not able to go to a lot of her events, and so I don’t want her there by herself, so I have to make sure that she does that. And so does that mean that my schedule is crazy? Absolutely. Is it worth it? Absolutely. And that is just something that I’ve worked around, and have been comfortable telling my team and have been comfortable telling my workmates that. I think at the beginning of the divorce, I think anyone would have that kind of shame like, “I failed.”  And to get over that and say, “Look, I’m going through this and this is my new normal now, and I have to schedule this. I have to take her to school.” 

When I started the chief of staff job, it’s global leadership team, my boss was in the UK. I had team members in China, India, Germany, New York, North Carolina, Miami, Cincinnati, Indiana, and Oregon, and just two of us in Detroit. And I had just different hours that I was working with them, meeting with them. We had a 7:30 AM team meeting often. My daughter’s school does not open until 7:30 in the morning. So I would drop her off, get her there at 7:30, sit in the car with my laptop and take my meeting, and then drive home at eight o’clock. 

It’s those creative types of things that I’m open to game for. She has gymnastics class or she has dance class. I am in the parking lot… Especially during that Covid time, I was in the parking lot with my laptop taking a meeting. “What’s that noise?” “Oh, it’s raining. I’m sorry. You can hear the rain.” Or then the camera would be on, “Where are you now? I’m outside the dance class.” I’m like, “Okay.” And they would just kind of “Okay” and move on and take care of business. And so it was learning how to voice my needs, and also letting people know, “I can still do it. I’m just not going to be during this timeframe.” And then it was learning just how to be comfortable with myself, my new normal, and letting everyone know that too. 

Kate Young: 

I asked Rochelle how her Boilermaker experience helped tee her up for all of the success she’s experienced throughout her career at Ford. And for her, it really all comes back to the teamwork and friendships she experienced through BOP. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

I enjoyed being a Boilermaker, one, from the lifelong friends that I have gained. One of the things that I did before I was interviewing for the chief of staff job, one of my classmates, Jeremias Henderson, that was one of my study buddies, I called him up and he’s been a HR professional… He got his master’s in HR, he was an HR professional his entire career. And I was like, “I’m interviewing for this job! Help. What are the things that you think would be great for me to say and do?” And then what he did was let me know, “You know some of the greatest HR professionals have finance in their background?” Those things. And he was one of those Boilermakers, had that Boilermaker spirit to make you look at yourself and look at those things that make you shine. 

The Boilermaker spirit is persistence. Being strong. Not in a stubborn type of way, but being strong and persistent. And all of my classmates, like I said in the beginning, we taught each other things. We were giving. We were in this together. Even going to Harry’s, we were in this together. Even the night of graduation, that later on that night, we did our fountain run. 

Kate Young: 

Yes. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

We were in this together. But throughout the entire time I was there, we were in this together. And we can reach back to those friendships and those connections and able to still help each other, just like the BOP family. That is that true Boilermaker spirit. We are there for each other. We are helping each other go along, just like in that Boilermaker train. We are moving it along, definitely. 

Kate Young: 

I love that. 

As for Rochelle’s next giant leap, well, she has both professional and personal leaps that she’d like to take. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

I’m actually looking at a couple of different positions within work now, so I wish I could know a little bit more right now, but something that is different. So stay tuned. 

One of the coolest things about Ford Motor Company and my career at Ford, and why I haven’t left, is because we change jobs every couple of years, or more often or a little bit longer. And so it is like I have had 14 different jobs throughout my career. 

Kate Young: 

Yes. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

One of the reasons people ask, “Why have you stayed so long?” Because I can have totally different experiences, learn, and grow in the same company. That is what I’m looking for next. So stay tuned. I’ll have to keep you updated on my next move. 

Kate Young: 

Yes. I love that. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

Of course, being, the mother of a tween is always new and changing. And so my daughter wants to be an entrepreneur. One of the things she wants to do is be a fashion designer. One of the things that I always wanted to do and didn’t even tell her about. And so personally, think I’ll start to take some sewing classes and some design classes. And years ago I had already taken an introductory live art class with the live models before, so I’ll pull all those things out and those skills out too, and so on the side, maybe do a little of dibbling and dabbling with that too. 

Kate Young: 

With all the extra time you have? 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

Yes, with all the extra time I have. Absolutely. Absolutely. 

Kate Young: 

After working in the auto industry for more than two decades, what does Rochelle see for the future of Ford? 

Do you have any predictions? You talked about sustainability just now, you mentioned a couple other things. Any predictions or things you want to share on the future of Ford, the auto industry? 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

I would just say keep your eyes open and start thinking of mobility beyond just a vehicle. Think of it as the different things a vehicle can provide. Think about the software, think about all the different options, and what things go with that? 

One of the things that’s really cool that we talked about is, Ford, we are doing a great deal with integrating with the battery integration and integrating all the different systems within the EV space, the electric vehicle space. And we have our Michigan Central Ford purchased a train station in Detroit, and they even have an area, a strip of street, that they’re doing testing on, and they have where a vehicle can drive over the sensors and charge. Right? So just different things. 

So think of these different things that are evolving, and they might already have been evolving around the world and coming to the US. But we are not eliminating vehicles, traditional vehicles. We’re not eliminating those, and so don’t have fear of that. But don’t be afraid of the future. Don’t be afraid of hybrids, don’t be afraid of electric vehicles and what they can bring. 

Kate Young: 

And finally, since Rochelle is an expert in the auto industry at this rate, I couldn’t leave the interview without asking her her favorite Ford car. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

I love a Mustang GT that purrs. I didn’t have to say that. I have a King Ranch expedition right now. Love, love, love, love that and the Navigator, and the Lincoln Navigator. They are very, very close to each other. 

Kate Young: 

I love it. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

And make that Mustang a convertible. 

Kate Young: 

Key. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

Yeah. 

Kate Young: 

Even in Michigan. 

Rochelle Dorn-Hayes: 

Even in Michigan. Can’t come out very often, but yeah, those two. 

Kate Young: 

Head over to our podcast YouTube page, youtube.com/@ThisIsPurdue, and hit that subscribe button to never miss an episode. Plus you can watch additional clips of our virtual interview with Rochelle. And as always, be sure to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

This Is Purdue is hosted and written by me, Kate Young. Our podcast videography is led by Ted Schellenberger. Our social media marketing is led by Maria Welch. Our podcast distribution strategy is led by Teresa Walker and Carly Eastman. Our podcast photography is led by John Underwood and Rebecca Robinos. Our podcast design for this episode was led by Cheryl Glotzbach. Our podcast team project manager is Rain Gu. Our podcast YouTube promotion is managed by Megan Huskins and Kirsten Bowman. Additional writing assistance is led by Sophie Ritz and Maura Klopfenstein and our This Is Purdue intern is Caroline Keim.  

Thanks for listening to This Is Purdue. For more information on this episode, visit our website at purdue.edu/podcast. There you can head over to your favorite podcast app to subscribe and leave us a review. And as always, boiler up. 

Kate Young:

Hi, I’m Kate Young and you’re listening to This Is Purdue, the official podcast for Purdue University. As a Purdue alum and Indiana native, I know firsthand about the family of students and professors who are in it together, persistently pursuing and relentlessly rethinking; who are the next game changers, difference makers, ceiling breakers, innovators? Who are these Boilermakers? Join me as we feature students, faculty and alumni taking small steps toward their giant leaps and inspiring others to do the same.

Welcome to our 100th episode of This Is Purdue. Over the past three years, we have featured more than 160 Boilermaker guests, produced 50 hours, 42 minutes, and 27 seconds of audio, received seven national awards and distinctions, ranked on Apple Podcasts Top Charts 32 times and created 207 YouTube videos. It has been so rewarding to look back at how far our team has come and experience the growth of this podcast community we have created. And when it comes to our 100th episode celebration, we knew we had to highlight something that’s been a constant in all 100 of our episodes, and that’s you, our loyal listeners. So in this episode, you’ll hear from both This Is Purdue listeners and a few of our podcast team members as we reflect and reminisce on some of our most exciting, emotional and just pure fun episodes. To kick off this 100th episode celebration, we’ll start with a question that many of our listeners are likely curious about.

Kristi Lee:

Hi, this is Kristi Lee from Indianapolis, Indiana, the proud mom of a Boilermaker, and as a listener of the podcast, I’ve always wondered, where do you find your guests?

Kate Young:

Kristi Lee, wow, I love that we have a celebrated radio host listening to our podcast, how special. So to kick off this special 100th episode celebration, we are going to answer Kristi’s question and our friend, Teresa Walker, one of our podcast producers is going to help me out here. Now, Teresa helps guide our team on strategic decisions, assists at our podcast shoots, and helps lead our podcast distribution efforts. So, Teresa, I think Kristi’s question here is probably the question I get asked the most. I’ve spoken to a lot of marketing and communications classes at Purdue. Anytime a student reaches out to me, anytime I’m having a conversation with family friends, that’s usually their top question is; how do you choose these guests? How do you find these stories? So I’m really excited to discuss this further with you.

Teresa Walker:

Yeah, I think it’s such a great question, because it’s such a crucial aspect of creating engaging content for our listeners and we have so many incredible Boilermakers to choose from. So you can imagine there is some strategy behind it, so I’m excited to share that with you. So as part of our department storytelling efforts, we provide a unique perspective on various topics, whether it’s research, student alumni achievements or initiatives led by the university, all through rich storytelling by our teams, and they’re told in different mediums, such as written stories and videos and even standalone podcast episodes like this one. So these stories are shared on The Persistent Pursuit, the premier destination for the best Boilermaker stories. That’s my shameless plug. And we keep a close eye on our engagement with those stories and videos and such and look for those promising indicators. So, we consider whether it’s a good fit for our podcast audience.

For example, we had stories of Heather Penney and Dr. Lau published on The Persistent Pursuit first and their stories were so captivating, evidence of high engagement, those are clicks on our website, as well as social engagement, and we decided to invite them for an in-depth podcast interviews. In addition, our university, it’s always evolving, we know that, and we want our podcast to reflect that. So when the university launches new initiatives or sets strategic priorities, we see it as an opportunity to bring in those key figures that are involved. I know you can think of several here, Kate. Most recently we just introduced the inaugural dean of the Daniels School of Business, Dean Bullard, and we know our listeners would be interested in hearing from him about the future of the school, so we were really excited to include him. With all that said, the team really strives to bring our listeners the most relevant and engaging content possible, and that’s how we do it.

Kate Young:

Thank you, Teresa, for walking us through that question from Kristi. I know our podcast team loves welcoming people like Dean Bullard to the Purdue community. Having that opportunity is really unique and our team is honored to help tell these Boilermaker stories.

Next up, we’re answering a listener question on something that Purdue has very close ties to. Can you guess which episode we’re reflecting on next?

Nick:

Hi, gang. My name is Nick. I work for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. I’m actually born and raised in Tippecanoe county and I’m a huge supporter of everything Purdue University does in and out of the classroom. I absolutely loved the interviews you all did highlighting Angela Ashmore and her involvement as an engineer, winning the Indy 500 back in 2022. I know from my personal experiences working in the IndyCar Paddock, I’ve always found it remarkably cool, not only how many Boilermakers are working on and engineering these race cars, but just how many female engineers, like Angela, have gravitated towards the sport. So, I’d love to know if you all at Purdue University have seen an uptick in interest in motorsports engineering in recent years. And I’d also love to know if those of you on the podcast who maybe weren’t racing fans before became one after meeting Angela, learning about her story and seeing the sport up close. Take care guys.

Kate Young:

Nick, I absolutely love this question and we so appreciate you sending this one our way. Angela’s episode is actually really one of my favorites, because there were just so many exciting behind the scenes elements with that. And then when her team won in 2022, we did a follow-up episode with her. That was really fun to get her perspective after she achieved her giant leap of winning the Indy 500. And today, to help me answer this question, I have Derek Schultz, Purdue’s Senior Strategic Communicator and Media Relations Specialist, and he is the point person for most of the university’s external communications, when it comes to Indianapolis initiatives. He also has a focus on promoting Purdue University in Indianapolis and the Daniels School of Business’ faculty, research and stories, pitching those to the media. He also has his own podcast, so I’m excited to have a fellow podcaster to chat with on this question

Derek Schultz:

At this point, Kate, who doesn’t have a podcast? It seems like everybody has one, but first and foremost, huge This Is Purdue fan. Not only a colleague, but a fellow podcaster, I’ve been trying to get on this show forever, so I’m so glad that all that badgering paid off. Now I don’t have to spam your inbox anymore asking when I’m going to be on This Is Purdue, so this is great.

Kate Young:

I love it. I love it. We’re happy to have you. So, Derek here is a huge sports fan. He’s super knowledgeable about all things IndyCar and Derek, I know you got to spend some time in the paddock for the 2023 Indianapolis 500 at IMS. And your role within Purdue University in Indianapolis, I think our listeners will be really interested to hear more about, because there’s an accredited motor sports engineering degree offered at Purdue in Indianapolis, and it’s the only degree like this in the entire country, and it teaches engineering with a focus on racing. So these students get this hands-on experience and direct connections to the industry in Indianapolis, AKA, the racing capital of the world.

Derek Schultz:

Yeah. When you think of Purdue, I think a lot of people think engineering. When those same people think of Indianapolis, I think the first thing that comes to mind is racing. So the marriage of those two, it’s just perfect. It makes sense. It’s not something that we have to force. Purdue University in Indianapolis, of course originally the brainchild of President Emeritus Daniels, but President Chiang has really taken the baton and made it a big university initiative along, with the aptly named Daniels School of Business, of course, which you mentioned, and Purdue Computes. It officially launches July 1st, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.

I think what we’ve seen here in the last year or so, as we’ve really hit the ground running to lift this university up, is a lot of interest in the motorsports program that you mentioned, Kate, in Indianapolis, which is the only accredited Motorsports Engineering undergraduate program in the entire country. It has fed students and graduates to racing series like IndyCar and IMSA and NHRA, where a lot of the teams are headquartered and then manufacturers as well. Dallara USA is right here in Speedway, Cummins, Allison Transmission is right across the street from the Speedway and all headquartered, at least their American operations, all headquartered right here in Indie. This past year alone for the Motorsports Engineering program, we’ve seen it get national coverage from outlets like Racer Magazine and Marshall Pruett, but also locally with WISH-TV, WTHR, all five television stations, in fact, have taken interest in the program. And we’re proud to highlight the work of Chris Finch, who’s been been really running point for that program for a long time, and his talented colleagues and students and graduates and marry them here under the Purdue umbrella, and then also connect that with everything that Todd Nelson and the folks in West Lafayette have done with Purdue Motorsports.

It’s a lot of exciting stuff. There’s so many success stories. You mentioned Angela Ashmore. Also on that team was Rebecca Hutton, who’s an Indianapolis graduate from the program. Just this past year, we’ve seen ME graduate from West Lafayette in Jonathan Hassler win the NASCAR Cup series title as the crew chief for Ryan Blaney. Josefine Eskildsen is a recent graduate of the Indianapolis program. She made two fuel strategy calls that won Bryan Herta Autosport races in the IMSA series. The Indy program alone, in 2022, in the 500 had members on 32 of the 33 car fields. So it’s incredible. You walk around that paddock and you don’t see golden black, because they’re all wearing their team outfits, of course, but you go around, if you just yell a boiler up like that, you’re going to get a hammer down right back, because somebody standing in that garage is going to be a Purdue student, either from the Indie program or the West Lafayette program.

So, it’s a crown jewel. I think of our offerings in Indianapolis, and we have other computer science and other engineering and science programs there in Indie, but that’s the one that has really drawn a lot of interest, because it’s 3.5 miles away from the world’s greatest racecourse, Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So we talk about putting students and graduates right in the heart of where they want to be in the future and connecting them with employers and building workforce right here in central Indiana and Indianapolis. And it makes a lot of sense for Purdue and Indianapolis to have a presence and adopt this program, which has done great things for a long, long time, and we’re looking forward to a really exciting future.

Kate Young:

And you know Derek, we had Angela Ashmore and Chip Ganassi Racing win in 2022, and then in 2023, most recently, we had two engineers on the team Penske, Josef Newgarden’s car who won the Indy 500. So that’s two for two. What do you think? Is Purdue lucky or what?

Derek Schultz:

Yeah, it’s definitely a good luck charm. In fact, word just getting around, because I’ve already got all the IndyCar teams, it’s January, they’re already flooding my inbox; “Hey, you got to get us on with Kate. You got to get us on with Kate.” So, they know, the people in the paddock know about the power of This Is Purdue, that’s for sure.

Kate Young:

I love it. Thank you for joining us, Derek. We appreciate it.

Derek Schultz:

No problem. Thanks so much.

Kate Young:

And to answer Nick’s second part of his question, after our interview with Angela and our experience working with Chip Ganassi Racing, I absolutely have become more of a fan of the IndyCar Series overall, and I’m always cheering from afar for Angela and the CGR team.

Speaking of Angela and her historic Indy 500 win, this Purdue School of Mechanical Engineering alumna recently made her mark on IndyCar history yet again. For the upcoming 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season, Angela will be the lead engineer on Marcus Armstrong’s number 11 Honda at Chip Ganassi Racing. She is the third woman to serve as a lead engineer for an IndyCar Series team. Congrats to Angela and good luck to her and the Chip Ganassi Racing team this season.

All right, our next question comes from one of our youngest podcast listeners. His name is Russell. Russell is the proud son of a Boilermaker mom and within his extended family, a big majority attended Purdue. This young man has a lot of black and gold in his blood. Now Russell has a question for Danny Milisavljevic, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy in Purdue University’s College of Science. If you haven’t checked out our 2023 research series episode with Danny yet, we’ll link that in the show notes for you. Danny shared more about his work on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and how this incredible tool has been a major key to his research. Plus, he discussed Scary Barbie, virtual reality field trips and a supernova explosion, Cassiopeia A, that was created by a stellar explosion 340 years ago from Earth’s perspective. Trust me, it’s a must listen. So, let’s hear what Russell wants to learn from one of our resident space experts here at Purdue.

Russell:

Hi, my name is Russell and I’m six years old. How many stars are in all the universes in one?

Danny Milisavljevic:

Russell asks, “How many stars are in the universe?” This is actually not an easy question to answer, because we can’t count them all. Most stars are too far away to see individually and many stars we can’t even see at all. We must estimate. Let’s begin, for instance, with the Milky Way for which we have a reasonable estimate, something like 100 billion stars. Next, we must multiply that number by the number of galaxies in the universe, which is something like a trillion. There are approximately 100 billion trillion stars in the universe. That’s 100 sextillion, not a number you use every day. One with 23 zeros after it. Try writing that out, it’ll take you a while. It’s a tremendous number and is why us astronomers are kept busy with work. Excellent question, Russell.

Kate Young:

Thank you so much to Danny and to our young listener, Russell. Boiler up. Our next question…

Kate Young:

A young listener, Russell. Boiler Up.

Our next question comes from a Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business alumna.

Katie:

Hi, this is Katie from Indy, Management and Accounting class of 2011. I loved your episodes with spacesuit engineer Amy Ross and flight director Ronak Dave. We’re big NASA fans here. We even named our dog Armstrong after Neil. My question is for you and the podcast team, Kate. I know a lot of your interviews are done in person, so can you talk us through how the virtual interview process works when you have guests like alumni working from the Johnson Space Center in Houston? Thanks.

Kate Young:

Katie, this is a great question. Thank you so much for asking. Please give Armstrong some extra pets for us, okay? But for this question, I’m joined by Thad Boone. He is one of our podcast video producers, and the entire team loves having Thad around because he can always make us laugh, he’s incredibly creative, and he just has this infectious energy that you’ll probably soon see or hear. So welcome, Thad.

Thad Boone:

Thanks for having me, Kate.

Kate Young:

I think, first of all, to answer the first part of Katie’s question, Purdue is truly lucky to have this really strong relationship with NASA that grants us the opportunity to speak with these incredible Boilermaker alums like Amy and like Ronak. So Thad, as you know, we do a lot of our interviews in person on Purdue’s campus, but it’s also important for us to lean in on these virtual interviews because some of our alumni don’t live in the Midwest anymore, maybe they don’t get to campus as often as they’d like to, and I know you’ve sat in as a producer while we’ve filmed some of these virtual interviews. So why do you think having a virtual interview strategy is important in this podcast space?

Thad Boone:

Well, Kate, I think just having video strategy in general whenever it comes to podcasts is a really great idea. We can chunk out certain clips or sound bites that I guess says that if we want to hit a certain presidential initiative or a strategic initiative, we can chunk that out and make it really easy for viewers to get ahold of as opposed to just scrubbing through a whole episode. If we put it on social media or YouTube, people might not be familiar with the podcast, they might not even know that Purdue has a podcast. Hopefully they do by now, but on the off chance that they don’t, these videos can, especially if they are in YouTube, might sneak into their recommendations, might pique their interest, and then just hook them from there, lead them to our Spotify.

And also, people are very visually geared and wired. There’s a lot of name association. I like to put a face to a name whenever, whether I’m reading a book or listening to a podcast. Hopefully we’re at the point now where if they see or hear Kate Young, they can connect those dots mentally and then come to This is Purdue. You get a lot of nuances with video that you lose with just audio. Different emotional beats. The one that comes to mind is the Shawn Taylor episode. Whenever you were talking to him about his experience and just his connection with Dr. Bell, in real time you see him start to go down an emotional path as he’s starting to remember and reminisce about Dr. Bell. You wouldn’t get that if it was just purely audio. So I think that is a really, really big plus just for video in general.

Kate Young:

Thad, I know Amy and Ronak were super special examples because of their ties to NASA. Any episode that has ties to NASA usually is pretty popular with our audience. But is there another virtual interview that has stuck out to you over the past three years?

Thad Boone:

The biggest one that comes to my mind just from a movie lover’s perspective is Stephen McKinley Henderson. He’s one of our alumni. That is a prime example of the benefit of doing virtual interviews. If we had him in person, I’d probably just hijack the interview and pepper him with questions about Dune or working with Ari Aster, Timothée Chalamet, you name it, so it was very good that we were in different time zones for that. But also, he’s a very successful and working actor, so as long as they have, and not just Stephen McKinley Henderson, but as long as a guest has access to wifi and a laptop or a phone even that has a webcam, we’re good to go. We’ve got them as long as their schedule permits it. Stephen McKinley Henderson was a lot of fun to be a part of.

Kate Young:

Thad is a huge movie buff, so he helped me prep for that interview a ton, and it was really cool because immediately after the interview, Thad went in and listened to it. That’s how into movies and how excited he was to have Stephen McKinley Henderson.

So another cool thing about that was actually when I interviewed him in the summer of 2023, he was shooting in Toronto for an upcoming Netflix show. So there was no way his schedule would allow him to get back to campus, set up an interview in West Lafayette. So that’s just another great example of the power of virtual interviews, is we were able to talk to this incredible alum who was just casually shooting for Netflix for his next big project, right?

Thad Boone:

Yeah, as one does. And it was also really interesting, too, because he was talking about upcoming projects, and he said that he was a part of a movie called Civil War that was on the cusp of being released. I think it’s released this April, but the trailer for that came out in December, so it was like, “Oh, hey, I know this. I know this guy, kind of.”

Kate Young:

Yeah, I felt really in the know when that trailer came out and I saw it. How cool.

We love utilizing virtual interviews as well as in-person interviews, and thank you, Thad, for talking us through that.

Thad Boone:

Yeah, thanks for having me, Kate.

Kate Young:

We have a few more virtual interviews coming up on This is Purdue this spring, so be sure to stay tuned for our episode with Ukari Figgs, Stephanie White, and Coach Carolyn Peck from the 1998-1999 Purdue Women’s Basketball championship-winning team as they reflect on the 25th anniversary of that big win.

Our next listener comment is actually from our Purdue Facebook channel. Remember, you can follow Purdue on Facebook and LinkedIn by searching Purdue University, and on X and Instagram at lifeatpurdue.

This is Purdue listener Angie is a proud Purdue graduate and received her degree in elementary education in 1988. Angie commented, “My favorite This is Purdue episode is the interview with Heather Penney and her story about 9/11. That was so powerful.”

Thank you for this comment, Angie. And to elaborate more on Heather Penney’s special episode, I’m joined by Ted Schellenberger. Ted is our lead videographer for This is Purdue. You know, the first time Ted and I worked together was actually at former Purdue president Mitch Daniels’s podcast shoot back in May of 2021. This shoot was our very first video shoot in person with a full video crew, and it’s really funny looking back now because we do this type of video production on a lot of our episodes, but back then, it was new to the podcast. And really, my favorite way to explain Ted’s role is that he’s just my right-hand man. He collaborates with me, we collaborate together for each podcast episode. It’s been just such a joy, Ted, watching you get as excited about the podcast as I do. And Ted even has built out some sets in his backyard to test certain things before an interview. He’s also been known to build some set pieces in his garage. So, Ted, welcome. We’re so excited to have you today to talk us through some of our video strategy, especially with Heather’s episode.

Ted Schellenberger:

Thanks for having me. I was really excited to help out with This is Purdue from the first time that you had mentioned it to me. I saw it as an awesome opportunity to get to meet some really interesting people and have them tell their stories in their own words, and it gave me an opportunity to do what I like to do most, which is record interviews with people, do all the lighting, and have lots of cameras. So that was really a good opportunity.

Kate Young:

So as Angie mentioned in her comment on Facebook, one of our most popular episodes of all time was Heather Penney, who’s a Purdue alumna and a fighter jet pilot, and she has her story with 9/11. So looking back at this episode, I remember being pretty nervous for this one. Heather’s been featured on national TV. We knew as a team it was going to be a really emotional story. We also knew Heather would be on campus. So we really wanted to take advantage of those strong in-person interview visuals for this episode. We’ve talked about virtual episodes and the purpose that they serve, but this one was going to be in person, and we knew we had to just nail this and make it the most perfect location for Heather’s story. So, Ted, give us a little bit of some context and background about Heather’s video shoot and how you chose that location.

Ted Schellenberger:

It was a big episode, and Heather has such a unique story. It was important to let her tell it. With Heather’s background as a pilot, it made sense to try to incorporate that into the interview location, so I took it upon myself to try to secure an airport hangar for us.

Kate Young:

And I remember walking in there that day. It’s just incredible. You’re in this huge airport hangar. There’s Purdue-themed logoed planes in there. Heather herself was so thrilled and maybe even a bit shocked at the setup and how just perfect it was. So, Ted, I know this was a really emotional interview. I remember our entire team was just in awe, absolute silence while she was sharing her story. How did you feel during it? Did you find yourself getting emotional? What were you thinking when you were hearing her story?

Ted Schellenberger:

Her story was one of the most interesting stories that I have heard. She has such a fascinating story, and it was incredible to be in the same room and to hear it from her instead of watching it on television. I have seen her on television on some of the 9/11 memorial times that she’s been on. It was so special to see her there in person. It was such a historically significant event, 9/11, and it was such a big national tragedy, but it also has significance on the whole world. I, living in Indiana, have never met anybody who was in New York at Ground Zero that day or in any of the locations that were so significantly impacted, so it was really interesting to hear her story. She and only one other person had that story to tell of being called up to go in the jets and do what they were doing that day. It was amazing.

Kate Young:

Absolutely. Absolutely. And Heather has such a commanding presence. It was just, I think, an experience that we can all say we’ll remember forever.

Ted Schellenberger:

Yes, Purdue is so lucky to have an incredible aviation program and an airport at the university. That really set the stage for this interview and featuring Heather’s story, and it was such a special experience.

Kate Young:

I agree. I’m glad you and I could experience it together. And it is such a unique Purdue feature for our campus, and the Purdue Flies initiative, that furthers our Purdue President Mung Chiang’s ABCD strategy, in which the A stands for airport. So it’s actually Purdue’s goal to provide the university students, staff, families, residents in the Greater Lafayette area even with this easier, faster connection to the world via O’Hare in Chicago. So we will link that press release in our show notes for everyone. But again, having that airport at Purdue and having this incredible aviation program is just something that’s, as we like to say, so Purdue. So, Ted, thank you so much for joining me again, and thank you for everything you and the whole video team has done to grow this podcast.

Ted Schellenberger:

Thank you. Thank you so much.

Kate Young:

Another listener comment we received on social media was from Aaron. Aaron is a 2023 Purdue Global graduate, and he’s a huge Boilermaker basketball fan. He said his favorite This is Purdue podcast episodes were the Matt Painter and Gene Keady episodes because he loves all things Purdue basketball. These two episodes were indeed among our most popular and most memorable as a podcast team, which leads me into our next listener question.

Trevor:

Hi, this is Trevor from Detroit. What is the coolest place that you have ever done an interview, and what made it so special?

Kate Young:

This is such a fun question, Trevor, and it’s something we discuss often with the Business Purdue team. This also ties in with Aaron’s comment because our interview with Purdue Men’s Basketball Head Coach Matt Painter was done in the fall of 2021, and we got to shoot this special conversation with Coach Painter right on Keady Court in Mackey Arena. Here’s a few clips from that episode.

Matt Painter:

Purdue has an unbelievable brand. If you’re just going to have a great basketball career and that’s all you’re going to have, then you’ve been shortchanged, but you’ve allowed yourself to be shortchanged. So we keep sending that message that this is a life decision. This is the opportunity to be on scholarship and be at Purdue, and have all these things is great, but now going forward, you should use this as a springboard, not just to have a great basketball career, but have a great life.

Kate Young:

Why Purdue? Why have you continued to stay here? You were a player here, you have a long history with Purdue basketball, but why here?

Matt Painter:

I think it’s the best place for me. I don’t think there’s a place out there better for me than Purdue University. I’m familiar with it, I understand it, I understand what’s important. Why would you want to go anyplace else? This is just the perfect fit for me.

Kate Young:

And in March of 2022, we had the opportunity to talk to former Purdue Men’s Basketball Head Coach Gene Keady in Mackey Arena, too.

Gene Keady:

You have a…

Kate Young:

Head coach Gene Keady in Mackey Arena, too.

Gene Keady:

You have a tremendous job. Are you a graduate?

Kate Young:

I am. I graduated in 2012.

Gene Keady:

Good, good, good. You get paid for this job?

Kate Young:

I get paid to do this. How cool is this?

Gene Keady:

Oh, wow. That’s like me getting paid to be a coach.

Kate Young:

Exactly. Dream job.

Gene Keady:

[inaudible 00:28:16] What’s your like to do and love to do?

Kate Young:

And when I asked Coach Keady about his favorite memory or story from his experience leading the Purdue Boilermakers men’s basketball team for 25 years.

Gene Keady:

There’s so many. I could write a book probably if somebody wanted to listen to it. But mainly that I was very into Purdue because they were academic oriented and my players get a degree from Purdue. You could probably get a really good job and that’s what I always insisted on. My players go to class, be on time and try your best. That was my three rules.

Kate Young:

Being in an empty Mackey Arena and talking to these two absolute legends is something I’ll never forget and I know our entire podcast team agrees. A few more memorable interview locations include episode number 40 when our podcast team visited a practice for Purdue’s All-American marching band. We got to experience the students perform tricks with Purdue’s big bass drum, also known as the world’s largest drum. Our team also had the chance to interview a few Boilermaker super fans during Purdue’s Homecoming in 2021. And we went to a Pizza Hut in Lebanon, Indiana to shoot an interview with Pizza Hut U.S. President David Graves.

And of course recording interviews at iconic places like Holloway Gymnasium with Purdue volleyball coach Dave Shondell, getting to know our head football coach Ryan Walters and shooting video at one of the team’s practices are also at the top of the list. Episode number 69 with Phil Cook was another amazing experience because our podcast team got to take a field trip to Culver Academies to check out Phil’s viral Chem-o-ween experiments firsthand inside his classroom lab. And speaking of Phil, our next listener question highlights this engaging episode.

Speaker 1:

Hi, I am Caroline from Spring Grove, Illinois and I am a current student in the College of Liberal Arts. In your episode with Phil Cook, you participated in several experiments with him and I was wondering what is it like to do episodes where you might be doing something outside of your comfort zone? How do you approach them and did you have a favorite experiment or learning moment when you were there with Phil?

Kate Young:

A quick refresher for our listeners. Phil is a senior science instructor at Culver Academies in Culver, Indiana and a social media superstar with millions of followers. He shares videos of his chemistry experiments on his social media channels with the goal of getting more kids interested in STEM disciplines. This was a special episode of this is Purdue that was released right around Halloween of 2022, hence the Chem-o-ween reference. I also got to assist Phil with these spooky experiments like the candy corn trick and the self-carving pumpkin. Oh, and Phil also lit my hand on fire. Here’s a little snippet from Phil’s episode to better paint the picture.

Is my hand wet enough?

Phil Cook:

Yes. Okay, go ahead, grab some. Perfect. Okay. Over here. I’ll fix it. I’ll fix it. Lock that elbow. Okay. Flat palm. Ready? Going to be over in a second. Tuck your thumb. One, two.

Kate Young:

Ah, it happened so fast. (laughing)

The amount of trust I had in Phil for this one, whew. So to answer your question, Caroline, yes, this job requires me to get out of my comfort zone quite often. I never thought having my hand lit on fire or being run over by Purdue’s big bass drum would be part of my job description as a podcast host. But hey, anything to make an episode more exciting, right?

I loved our entire day with Phil, but my favorite part of this experience was when our whole team got involved in one of those Chem-o-ween experiments and ate some of Phil’s liquid nitrogen marshmallows. It’s definitely a podcast shoot we will never forget. Okay, and while we’re still on the topic of cool locations for podcast shoots, I can’t not mention this episode from the summer of 2021.

Speaker 2:

Really? What?

Kate Young:

You won the old golden ticket!

Speaker 2:

Are you serious? [Cheers!]

Stephen:

Hi, my name is Stephen. I’m a 2021 Purdue engineering grad, and my question is, what was it like behind the scenes filming the Golden Ticket episode and coordinating travel all around the Midwest?

Kate Young:

Thank you for this question, Stephen. And this is an episode that I’m really excited to talk about and reminisce on. For this one. I’m joined by Ashlee Shroyer, social media manager for Purdue. Now, Ashley has been part of our podcast team since 2021. We actually started at Purdue around the same time, so we’ve been working together on the podcast social media strategy for about three years now. She’s not only a colleague but a great friend to me. Super excited to discuss the Old Golden Ticket. Welcome, Ashlee.

Ashlee Shroyer:

Hello. I’m so happy to be here to reminisce with you.

Kate Young:

Okay, Ashlee. So we have to go way back for this one. This is the summer of 2021. Purdue University came up with a really creative plan to encourage students to get vaccinated as part of our Protect Purdue initiative. So the Old Golden Ticket vaccination drawing was born. And the prize, the golden ticket, was $9,992, which is the equivalent of a year’s undergraduate tuition cost for an in-state Boilermaker.

So 10 lucky students were randomly selected and once our team received a list of those 10 students, we didn’t just call them up and tell them, “Oh, you’ve won.” No, no. Ashlee, you and I, we went on a Midwest road trip together along with a few of our other teammates and we got to award and surprise some of these 10 students in person. To this day, I think it’s one of my favorite experiences working for Purdue and it’s probably my core Purdue podcast memory to date.

Ashlee Shroyer:

I completely agree. What a great memory and an experience to be a part of gathering the 10 winners, figuring out how we could talk to them without spoiling this massive surprise was definitely a bit complex to say the least. And the other thing, Kate, if you remember, we had basically less than a week to pull this off. So we got to work immediately.

Kate Young:

Yes, it was a bit of a time crunch.

Ashlee Shroyer:

I remember our team went on the road trip. Of course, as Stephen mentioned, we surprised winners with visits to their house. This of course included the Boilermaker Special, Purdue Pete and our entire team. We had gold confetti that we popped as they opened the door. It was just truly such a fun celebration and every student was genuinely surprised and you could truly see that on their faces.

Our golden ticket reveals dominated our social media for that week. The actual reveals, we were posting them all over on all of our channels. The Boilermaker audience was speculating where we were going to deliver the next Old Golden Ticket and were celebrating in real time with us. Those that had won. We had the Boilermaker special of course, driving with us on the interstate. So I remember taking a photo of it from the car that we were in and posting it, where are we headed next? And it was just such a unique interactive experience for us. And then for our social audience as well.

Kate Young:

I remember meeting each of these student winners of course, but also their families. And one of the students who won Jeremiah, he was from Naperville, Illinois. His dad cooked our whole team lunch. It was just such a special memory that I’ll hold in my heart forever. And the parents getting involved in it was really half the fun. They wanted to surprise their student, their child as much as this Purdue team did. So it was just so much fun. And honestly, I love that I’m able to reflect back with you, Ashlee, because I’m remembering things that I had kind of forgotten about. This was a couple summers ago now.

Ashlee Shroyer:

Absolutely. You had said we actually FaceTimed Jeremiah’s grandfather in India because it was his birthday. So I mean when we say it was like a whole family experience, it truly was.

Kate Young:

It really was.

And I’m going to play a clip of some of this episode now because I want all of our listeners, our new listeners who maybe didn’t catch it back in 2021 to hear all of the different audio elements we had had behind the scenes audio of our team on the road. We had parents leaving me voicemails trying to coordinate these reveals and these surprises.

Kate Young:

So we headed off to surprise Alex Vusco, a mechanical engineering student from New Lenox, Illinois. I had left a few voicemails on Alex’s parents’ cell phones before I heard anything.

Speaker 3:

You guys were funny on the phone the way you tried to kind to tell us, but not really tell us. It was cute.

Kate Young:

We had to tip off Alex’s parents about this surprise, but they were excited to help us plan.

Dan Vusco:

Hey Kate, this is Dan Vusco [inaudible 00:38:24] when talk to Alex, we found out we could meet you Wednesday at 5:30. I think you guys can probably pick the location.

Kate Young:

So we had Alex’s girlfriend lead him out of his on-campus apartment thinking he would be grabbing a casual dinner with his parents.

Alex Vusco:

Serious?

Speaker 3:

Surprise. Come see your parents, tell us how you feel.

Alex Vusco:

I kind of don’t believe it. What are the odds guys, really?

Speaker 3:

You tell me.

Alex Vusco:

What are the odds?

Dan Vusco:

Well, you did it.

Speaker 3:

Congratulations.

Alex Vusco:

I don’t know how to react. I basically don’t know how to move my body right [inaudible 00:39:08] to react.

Ashlee Shroyer:

I think we’re due for another podcast road trip, Kate.

Kate Young:

I completely agree. Let’s make that happen.

Steven, thanks again for this question. It was a blast reminiscing on that special episode.

Our next listener question is actually a question for one of our This Is Purdue Podcast guests, Mark Lundstrom. Mark is the chief semiconductor officer at Purdue University and he was part of our 2023 research series.

Sam:

Hi, my name is Sam. I’m a student in first year engineering and I’m really interested in the semiconductor industry. So I have a question for Dr. Mark Lundstrom. I was wondering, in your episode you talked about how the demand for the STARS program is so high. And in my experience talking to my peers at Purdue, a lot of us want to be accepted into the Stars program, but the ability to handle that many students, it seems like isn’t there quite yet. So I was wondering what alternatives exist for me and students like me to do this summer who aren’t accepted into the STARS program.

Kate Young:

Sam, that’s a wonderful question and I’m so glad that we’re able to feature some of our Boilermaker student questions and comments on this special hundredth episode. So I’m here again with our producer, Teresa. And Mark’s episode, Teresa, as you know, will always be special to me and to our whole team because it was the very first episode of our research series that we launched in 2023. And of course also one of the hottest topics coming from Purdue, all eyes were on Purdue for this in 2023 was the semiconductor research and education. So Teresa, can you please read Mark’s answer for Sam?

Teresa Walker:

I would be happy to answer that on behalf of Professor Lundstrom. So Sam, here’s your answer.

Thank you for asking. What you should know is that we are working hard to double the number of slots in STARS for the coming summer. Still, I understand that the interest level is high. STARS is designed to get students started on a semiconductor track. If you are unable to do that with STARS, consider earning a college of engineering semiconductor certificate or one of the semiconductor concentrations in chemical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, or materials engineering. Also look for opportunities to join a semiconductor VIP team. We plan to have a call-out later this semester to make students aware of these opportunities.

Kate Young:

Thank you. And we know Mark and his team are working incredibly hard in this semiconductor space. So we really appreciate Mark taking the time to answer this question. And thanks again, Sam, for your question and best of luck on your Purdue journey.

This next question highlights another episode that was part of our 2023 research series. Amanda Deering, Associate Professor of Fresh Produce Food Safety, and Haley Oliver, 150th Anniversary Professor of Food Science, joined us for episode number 87 to discuss a challenge facing the entire world, food safety, security, and sustainability. This next listener has a question for both Amanda and Haley.

Speaker 5:

Hi, I’m Marty, Purdue Mom from Geneva, Illinois, and number one fan of This is Purdue.

When I listened to Kate Young’s podcast with professors Amanda Deering and Haley Oliver on the topic of food science at Purdue, the professors emphasized their work with students and I greatly appreciated that having watched my own daughter. If I could speak to them personally, I would ask them about the anticipated future research projects that are made possible because of their ability to work with so many colleagues in a multitude of specialties. I greatly appreciate Purdue for how it offers a combination of people to find a solution, and I thought their podcast really spoke directly to that.

Kate Young:

Marty, our number one podcast fan and no, Marty is not my mom. Okay, thank you so much for this question. I’m here again with our producer Teresa. Now Teresa, both Amanda and Haley responded to this question and spoiler alert, one of the answers has to do with hot sauce and I’m excited. I love spicy things. I love hot sauce. So can you read their answers for us?

Teresa Walker:

Of course. And I’m sure that’s leaving everybody wanting more information, right? Like, what? Hot sauce? Okay, so here we go.

So this is Amanda’s response. One of the projects we’re working on is looking at various post-harvest sanitizers that can be used to kill any human pathogenic bacteria like salmonella, for example, on the surface of cantaloupes. You may have seen in the news the current outbreak that has been associated with cantaloupe grown in Mexico that has caused illnesses and deaths in both the US and Canada. We grow a lot of cantaloupe in Indiana, so our growers are always wanting to know the latest and greatest post-harvest recommendations that they can do to ensure the cantaloupes they produce are as safe as possible. We have shared our results with our Indiana growers and they have started to use the combination of sanitizers that work the best to kill the pathogenic bacteria in their own packing houses. This kind of research is ongoing as we are always looking to do research that answers some of the questions that our growers have regarding food safety.

The other thing that Amanda’s excited about and I think we’re equally as excited about, and here you go, here’s the answer to the spicy question here. It’s not in her research, it’s a class that she co-taught with faculty and staff from both food science and horticulture. Students made their very own fermented hot sauce last semester.

Amanda shared the following. The students started out sampling peppers, grown at the Purdue Student Farm, did several test formulations, and then fermented and bottled their own hot sauce. It’s called Boilermaker Hot Sauce, and there is a gold and black edition. We worked with our Ag communication team who designed a label. And if you want to see more, the communication team documented their entire semester of making sauce from beginning to end, and they’re going to be selling that hot sauce at the Ag Alumni Fish Fry, as well as Spring Fest.

Kate Young:

Teresa, I feel like you missed your calling. You’re like Vanna White presenting this hot sauce. I loved it.

So I know Haley responded and joked with us that she couldn’t compete with Amanda’s hot sauce class necessarily, but let’s hear her response.

Teresa Walker:

Yeah, I think she cut herself short. This is actually very important work, but I’m going to first set the stage for you in regard to Haley’s response to her most recent work. Maybe our listeners, I know with you, Kate, do you remember a couple of years ago when the national headlines were all about shortages in baby formula? This started out as an issue of the formulas tainted with Cronobacter sakazakii. The crisis that ensued, the shutdown of a production plant responsible for producing the formula in large quantities causing a domino effect with a months long nationwide shortage and this resulted in the most substantial food security threat to the US in decades and it was a super scary time for parents caring for their infants. This incident motivated Haley to launch a research project to improve safety of low moisture food processing facilities.

So as a Boilermaker feeling the call to address this challenge, Haley and her research partner from Old Dominion University have secured funding from the US Department Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. And not to get too far in the weeds, if you’re interested in learning more about this research, we’ll include a link to the latest press release of her new project. But ultimately they’ll be working with industry stakeholders as they conduct their research, and we’ll be assessing what genes basically exploit that particular bacteria to help it survive and dry food products and search for ways to inactivate or kill it.

Kate Young:

Wow, that’s incredible. Thank you Teresa for breaking it all down for us. Really appreciate that. Thank you to our loyal listener, Marty for this wonderful question for Amanda and Haley. And of course, we so appreciate those food science experts taking the time to answer.

Our last listener question features a question for one of our members of the Purdue Cradle of Quarterbacks.

Speaker 6:

Hello, my name is Adam, proud Purdue alum and even prouder Purdue dad now. And my question is for Curtis Painter, with all the media that you’ve done over the years, what was it like working on this Purdue podcast? How cool was that?

Kate Young:

Thank you, Adam, for this question. So Teresa and I are back, and this time we’re discussing an episode that most Boilermakers are very passionate about. It has to do with our Purdue athletics world and community that we love so dearly.

So Teresa, I know you were at this Curtis Painter podcast shoot with our team and you know firsthand how special it is to interview these former stars. And then on top of it, Curtis went on to play in the NFL as a starting quarterback right in Indiana with the Indianapolis Colts. So that was extremely special for our team as well. He was so humble, so kind. And our athletic episodes are always popular with our listeners because we know how unique this Boilermakers’ spirit is. So Teresa, can you read Curtis’s answer for us, please?

Teresa Walker:

I would be honored to. So here’s Curtis’s answer. Purdue holds such a special place in my life and I love talking about my experiences there whenever I can. Being back in the spotlight for This is Purdue podcast interview with such a great opportunity to take a trip down memory lane and talk about and relive my time at Purdue and all of the great people I was surrounded by.

Back when I was doing interviews during my playing career, both collegiately and professionally, you always felt like members of the media were inquiring for a story, which they normally were, but that’s their job. What’s great about This is Purdue podcast is that Kate and the crew do such an awesome job of taking everyone’s individual experiences, putting them all together and highlighting the type of university Purdue really is, from athletics to academics, to campus life and so much more. I enjoyed my chance to be a very small part of a big story and a part of the true history of Purdue University.

Kate Young:

So was thoughtful and kind, and it was just such a joy to meet Curtis and interview him. And then a little fun fact that we recently discovered our YouTube short featuring Curtis Painter, he was teaching our listeners and viewers how to throw a perfect spiral, literally throwing the football, and we were getting some video of that. It is on the first page of Google when you search for throwing a spiral. And Teresa, you’re the one that filmed that. And it was just so exciting to search this and find this out from some of our other teammates who work closely on our social content and YouTube content.

Teresa Walker:

The biggest thing I remember from that is, first of all, having a ball thrown at me at my face, but also for Ted, somebody on our team tried to catch it. It was amazing. But I have that on my phone, so I will treasure that video forever. But Curtis, what he answered is him. I love that response and he hung with us the whole time, and it was a great day.

Kate Young:

So authentic and genuine. It’s a testament that he wanted to respond and he responded with such kind words. So thank you Adam for the question. And thank you again, Curtis.

We can’t thank our This is Purdue listeners enough for helping us grow this show over the past three years. This episode was a fun opportunity to reflect as a team and we wouldn’t be here today without all of you. From an encouraging Facebook comment to recommending an episode to a friend or family member to following us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, we truly appreciate you. Be sure to head over to our podcast YouTube page, YouTube.com/@ThisisPurdue and click on that subscribe button. And while you’re there, be sure to watch our fun celebratory videos for this 100th episode.

This is Purdue is hosted and written by me, Kate Young. Our podcast videography is led by Ted Schellenberger in collaboration with Bad Boom, John Garcia, Zach Mogenson and Ali Cheney. Production Assistance is done by Delaney Young and Carly Calcao. Our social media marketing is led by Maria Welch. Our podcast distribution strategy is led by Teresa Walker and Carly Eastman. Our podcast photography is led by John Underwood and Becky Robinos. Our podcast design is led by Caitlin Freeville. Our podcast team, project manager is Rain Goon. Our podcast YouTube promotion is managed by Megan Hoskins and Kirsten Bowman. Additional writing assistance is led by Sophie Ritz and Mara Klopfenstein. And our podcast intern is Caroline Kime.

Thanks for listening to This is Purdue. For more information on this episode, visit our website at purdue.edu/podcasts. There you can head over to your favorite podcast app to subscribe and leave us a review. And as always, boiler up.

Dean Jim Bullard:

This is Dean Bullard, and you are listening to This Is Purdue.

Kate Young:

Hi, I’m Kate Young, and you are listening to This Is Purdue, the official podcast for Purdue University. As a Purdue alum and Indiana native, I know firsthand about the family of students and professors who are in it together, persistently pursuing and relentlessly rethinking. Who are the next gamechangers, difference makers, ceiling breakers, innovators, who are these Boilermakers? Join me as we feature students, faculty, and alumni taking small steps toward their giant leaps and inspiring others to do the same.

Dean Jim Bullard:

I often say that technology ate business. Technology used to be out there. Of course, it has always been a big part of American capitalism, but it didn’t permeate the whole business world the way it does today. And today I think the notion that you can get your business degree and learn some basic business things and then just go out in whatever the business is, that it’s no big deal, that isn’t the world anymore. You have to understand the technology in order to manage the technology.

I just think we’re in a great position to succeed on this. Other business schools will say that they also want to do STEM-based business, but they won’t have nearly as much credibility as we have on this dimension.

Kate Young:

A new school, a new dean, a new era. In this episode of This Is Purdue, we’re talking to Jim Bullard, the Dr. Samuel R. Allen Dean of the Mitchell E. Daniels Jr. School of Business, special advisor to Purdue president Mung Chiang, and Distinguished Professor of Service in the Department of Economics. See, back in February of 2023, Purdue’s next big move in a decade-long series of major strategic investments honored a celebrated president who led transformational change at Purdue, Mitch Daniels. The goal of this reimagined Mitchell E. Daniels Jr. School of Business will prepare tomorrow’s leaders and entrepreneurs, grounding them in the hallmarks of a Purdue education, including STEM disciplines and business analytics. And Dean Bullard plays a major role in this next big move.

You’ll hear more about Dean Bullard’s career journey, from his time navigating obstacles like the Great Recession and Covid-19 pandemic as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, to accepting his new role with the Daniels School of Business. He also dives into his excitement for the future and how he plans to use his robust real-world business and economics experience to innovate DSB.

And as technology continues to intersect with the business world, Dean Bullard explains the position Purdue is in to become a leader in STEM-based business, and the importance of business and STEM working together. Also, we get to know Dean Bullard on a more personal level, as he discusses his enthusiasm to be part of a Big 10 university, what he likes to do in his free time, and his favorite movie. Quick hint here, this blockbuster movie features another This Is Purdue podcast guest and proud Purdue alum.

Thanks for joining us as we celebrate this new era of the Daniels School of Business by getting to know its new dean on This Is Purdue. Dean Bullard, thank you so much for joining us on the official university podcast, This Is Purdue. Let’s go back to the start. How did you find out about Purdue? What made you want to take this role here at Purdue?

Dean Jim Bullard:

Well, Purdue has a great reputation for many, many years. It’s a great university, and I appreciated Purdue recruiting me for a dean’s position. I’m not the traditional candidate, I’m not coming from another dean’s office somewhere, so I appreciated that. So much enthusiasm and passion around the new Daniels School of Business. So it’s irresistible.

Purdue’s a fantastic school for a long time. Number four in the nation in engineering, according to U.S. News. Larger than the top three schools combined. So really a technical powerhouse. We want to make the business school parallel with the engineering prowess of the university. So just a great opportunity.

Kate Young:

Dean Bullard received his doctorate in economics from Indiana University and holds bachelor of science degrees in economics and in quantitative methods and information systems from St. Cloud State University. He shares more about his academic background.

Dean Jim Bullard:

As an undergrad, I had a double major. One part of it was a degree called Quantitative Methods and Information Systems, which doesn’t sound too different from what’s going on on campus today with integrated business engineering and business analytics and other degrees that we have for undergrads. The other degree was bachelor of science for economics, and I loved economics right from the beginning and eventually went on to get my PhD. So it was a good match, and I definitely had the idea of taking thoughts from operations research, statistics, and applying those to economics, and that’s essentially what I did in my career, although there are lots of twists and turns.

Kate Young:

Prior to coming to Purdue, Dean Bullard was the longest-serving Federal Reserve Bank president in the country and spent the last 15 years as the president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Dean Bullard dives into the role of the Federal Reserve Bank in our nation’s economy and shares more about his previous role.

Dean Jim Bullard:

So the Federal Reserve is the central bank of the United States. It’s the leading central bank in the world because the United States is the leading economy in the world. It’s a decentralized central bank. So we have part of it in Washington D.C., part of it in New York and Wall Street, but part of it’s spread around the country, and St. Louis was in that part, the Main Street part of the Federal Reserve. And we like to play our role as being the representatives of Main Street in important monetary policy decisions that get made by the Federal Reserve.

So the Fed runs monetary policy, which is in common parlance, interest rates. We’re the guys that brought you the high interest rates that you’re paying today. And we also regulate banks and we also run parts of the payment system. And we also have a big research function, so there’s an academic side to the Fed, as well. There’s probably 800 PhD economists at the Fed if you count them all up. So it’s a big component. It’s like a big university in a way.

Kate Young:

Nice. And so walk us through your role there. What were your everyday duties? I’m sure every day was different there.

Dean Jim Bullard:

Yeah. I would say one third of the role is as a CEO of the bank and sort of day-to-day management activity for the bank and make sure you have a good team in place and that they’re pursuing the strategy of the bank. There is a board of directors at the bank, so it’s set up like a private corporation, nine member board of directors, excellent people that are willing to serve on that board.

And then a third of the job is to be a national and international policymaker. I think if you’re going to be on the open market committee, which is the main policymaking committee, you have to have a global perspective because everything you’re doing is affecting everybody all around the world. Other central banks follow the policy of the United States. And you also have to have a touch for Main Street, the businesses, ordinary businesses in smaller places around our district, the eighth Federal Reserve district, but elsewhere around the country. And so you want to get perspective on that whole gamut, from big to small.

And then another part of the job is to be a system executive because a lot of things that happen in the Federal Reserve happen at the system level, but a lot of those things, like a university here, are done by committee or done by consortiums of executives. So that has been taking an increasing amount of time in recent years. So that’s part of the job, as well.

Kate Young:

Dean Bullard is one of the nation’s foremost economists and respected scholar leaders. He’s well known for his longstanding leadership and innovative thinking as part of the Federal Open Market Committee and guiding the direction of US monetary policy. He was also ranked as the seventh most influential economist in the world in 2014, and as the president of a Federal Reserve Bank, Dean Bullard was charged with making tough decisions that have major implications for the economy. He explains the research that goes into navigating these decisions.

In your former role, you had to make these incredible difficult decisions. You just mentioned the high interest rates. How do you approach that task, making these decisions that impact so many people?

Dean Jim Bullard:

Well, we had a clear agenda at the St. Louis Fed anyway, that there’s a research side and fantastic ideas in economics, but they’re pretty complicated and they’re tied up with a lot of technical analysis. But you want to make that research somehow meet up with the actual policy decisions and get them to meet in the middle so that you get the very best policy that you can have.

I always said that if you want to put a person on Jupiter, you would want the very best engineering that you could get. You wouldn’t want just somebody scratching something out on the back of an envelope or something. So I think the same is true for US monetary policy. You want the best analysis that you can get, bring that to the table, and inform the policy choices that are being made. So we pushed hard in that direction. Not always welcome, but I think that’s important to get great policy for the country.

Kate Young:

And you were the president at the St. Louis Federal Reserve during times like the Great Recession, the Covid-19 pandemic. What was that like? How did you steer the direction throughout those challenges?

Dean Jim Bullard:

For the 2007, the 2009 period, which was a big financial crisis, that was a little bit different. That originated in the US, originated on Wall Street, not really the banking sector. It’s really the non-bank financial sector where that came from, investment banks at the time. That had a very different feel from the pandemic. The pandemic was a health crisis that came from outside the economy, but we had to deal with the economic ramifications of the health crisis. So two very different but very large disturbances for the US economy.

I thought the response to the pandemic in particular was very good. The initial response in March and April of 2020, I would say right in that period there could have been another financial crisis, but because of the fast action taken by both the Federal Reserve and the US Treasury, we ended up avoiding a financial crisis. So we only had one crisis, we just had a health crisis, which was bad enough by itself, but we didn’t pile a financial crisis on top of that. And I thought that was a big success story, kind of a dog that didn’t bark during that period.

Kate Young:

And everyone was scared during that time with the health crisis, but also with what was going on in the financial world, right?

Dean Jim Bullard:

Yeah, a very volatile period. But within about two or three months, it started to stabilize quite a bit.

Kate Young:

Dean Bullard was officially appointed as the inaugural dean of the Daniels School of Business in July of 2023, following an extensive international search. After he was hired, Dean Bullard said, quote, “Purdue is known around the world for forward-thinking innovation. I will work to foster that spirit, and I think I can bring some real world experience to pass on to the next generation of business leaders and innovators.”

And Purdue President Mung Chiang has said that, “Dean Bullard will be a transformational leader, as his track record has the perfect combination of national impact, scholarly excellence, and innovative leadership.”

Dean Bullard shares more on his recruitment for this role. President Chiang described your recruitment as a singular extraordinary moment for the future of the Daniels School of Business and the tech-driven free market economy. How did that make you feel when you heard that?

Dean Jim Bullard:

Well, I appreciate the support from President Chiang and he’s been a great friend and a great recruiter here, and I hope I can live up to the hype. But there is a lot of enthusiasm behind this project and we want to really reimagine the Daniels School of Business and we have lots of, I would say financial support, lots of intellectual support for all the elements that we’re trying to do. But it’s one thing, I think the top-level plan looks fantastic, but it’s another thing to actually get that down to actual granular level and make sure everything’s working well. So we’ve got a long ways to go on that, but it’s a fun journey.

Kate Young:

I asked Dean Bullard what he hopes to bring to the Daniels School of Business with his decades of in-depth real-world experience. He dives into managing the growth of the number of full-time employees at the St. Louis Fed during his time as president and why building a great culture is incredibly important to him.

Dean Jim Bullard:

I’m a little different choice as a dean. I do have experience as a CEO. We were successful at the St. Louis Fed in many ways. When I took over, we were headed toward maybe 750 FTEs. By the time we were done, we were at 1500. That’s because we grew businesses even within the bureaucracy of the Fed. We innovated in various ways inside the Federal Reserve system and we produced products that were useful within the system for the things that the Fed had to do.

So hopefully I can bring that kind of vision here. This is a similar situation, where the Daniels School is one part of the larger enterprise and the larger organization. So you want to think about ways that the Daniels School can do what we need to do to be really great, but also contribute to the campus as a whole. And I hope I can bring some of those ideas here.

We also worked a lot on culture at the St. Louis Fed, and by the time we got to 2016, 2017, 2018, we were the best place to work in the St. Louis area. Our efforts at building culture really paid off. The pandemic upset all that, but pre-pandemic we got to that point. Hopefully we can build that here. And I think when you have a lot of great culture, culture eats strategy, so I have lots of things eating other things, but culture eats strategy, and so you want to have a great culture and people feel a sense of belonging, being part of the project, and really contributing.

Kate Young:

Well, and the culture at Purdue is so special on its own.

Dean Jim Bullard:

No, certainly, and we want the DSB to be part of that.

Kate Young:

Weaving STEM throughout all areas of study is something that is uniquely Purdue, including at the Daniels School of Business, through programs like business analytics and information management or integrated business and engineering. So why does Dean Bullard think it’s so important for business students to have a deep understanding of STEM principles?

Dean Jim Bullard:

I often say that technology ate business, and I’m not sure that resonates with everybody, but that’s kind of the last 25 years, is that technology used to be out there. Of course, it has always been a big part of American capitalism, but it didn’t permeate the whole business world the way it does today. And today I think the notion that you can get your business degree and learn some basic business things and then just go out and whatever the business is, it’s no big deal, that isn’t the world anymore. You have to understand the technology in order to manage the technology. And so that’s what’s different today.

And I would characterize that as the world has come to Purdue. And you look at these Silicon Valley in particular, but really all business across the board just being dominated by technological developments. You have to understand some of the intricacies of that technology in order to be able to manage the people around it and to think about how to design your products so that your business will be successful. So I just think we’re in great position to succeed on this. Other business schools will say that they also want to do STEM-based business, but they won’t have nearly as much credibility as we have on this dimension. So I think we have a great chance of success.

Kate Young:

Through Dean Bullard’s work at the Fed, it’s clear that he is a big believer of a free market economy, which aligns very closely with the beliefs of Mitch Daniels, former Purdue president and namesake for the business school. I asked Dean Bullard why it was important to him that these concepts be reinforced with business leaders for generations to come.

Dean Jim Bullard:

One of our pillars, I’ve been calling it freedom and capitalism. I like the freedom part there too, because I think free to choose is part of the story. We all make choices in our economic lives and we don’t want the government coming in and telling us what we have to do. So I think that’s an important element of what we’re talking about. But I would just like to be able to get across to students the strength of market approaches to the economy. And for most purposes, markets do a great job of allocating resources. They attract the right amount, and the prices attract the right amount of supply to meet the demand that’s out there.

And most of the time, that works fine. There are situations where markets don’t work as well, and it’s fine to look at those and worry about those, but you don’t want to give the impression that that’s everything that’s going on. I think 99% of the time markets work just fine and you just let the market system do the work for you, and you don’t have to have elaborate debates about how to intervene in markets where it’s not really necessary.

So we’re working on that. One of the things that we have going right now is the Cornerstone for Business program. So there’s a Cornerstone program on Purdue’s campus already that was copied by 60 other campuses. That’s a sort of introduction to great literature and great communication, great writing. But this year, starting now, we’re doing the Cornerstone for Business program, which takes some of that same curriculum and converts it over to a more business focused Cornerstone program.

I’ve been saying that you take out Wuthering Heights and you put in Adam Smith, and that gives you kind of the flavor of what we’re beta testing this year. 650 students are doing that right now. Early reports seem to be very good on this. So I think this is one aspect, and we’ll adjust it as we go forward, but this is not something … I think it’ll be very successful and probably get copied by other business schools.

Kate Young:

Dean Bullard walks us through both his short-term and long-term goals for the reimagined Daniels School of Business.

Dean Jim Bullard:

I want to upgrade the academic prowess of the DSB. We’re already very good, but we do have a Dream Hires program on campus, and so we’ll use that to our advantage and bring in some great scholars at a senior level. So we’re looking forward to that. In academia, that’s a very slow moving process. We’ll stay at it and we’ll get some great hires.

I want to emphasize the STEM equals business connections and work with engineering and other parts of campus that want to partner with us and get great degrees out there that can kind of balance the ideas about learning about technology with knowing at least some business. A lot of the engineering students on campus want to start a business. Maybe they should know a little bit about how businesses work before they do that. I think that entrepreneurship is another area I’d like to build up and focus on.

We want to have a great student experience for everybody at the DSB, so we want to upgrade our support services, career placement, academic advising, camaraderie and club feel of being in the DSB. I think support to students that are struggling, all this kind of thing we want to be good at and make sure everyone’s having a great experience.

I think better business connections. We have great people that are helping us, but I think other business schools do more in this dimension than we do, and so we want to build that part of our program up. We’ve got a lot of great talent all around. Purdue actually produces many of the CEOs, one of the leading schools for producing CEOs of Fortune 500 firms. And I think that’s kind of indicative of our students doing better. And so we want those, to the extent possible, we want some of them to be coming back to campus, helping us teach the next generation of students. And then we had the Freedom of Capitalism part, which we’ll develop both with the Cornerstone for Business program, but other elements, as well, that we’ll work on.

Kate Young:

We had the president of Pizza Hut on the show.

Dean Jim Bullard:

Oh, great.

Kate Young:

Who’s a Daniels School of Business graduate.

Dean Jim Bullard:

Excellent.

Kate Young:

But you should get him to come in and speak to a class.

Dean Jim Bullard:

Absolutely.

Kate Young:

Are you a fan of Purdue basketball? Need something to help you get your Boiler fix before the next big game? Check out the Boiler Ball podcast to stay in the know and get inside stories all about the Purdue basketball program and beyond. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Dean Bullard was born in Wisconsin and grew up in Forest Lake, Minnesota, so he’s very familiar with the Midwest. He shares a bit more with us about his family life with his wife, Jane, and their two daughters.

Dean Jim Bullard:

I have two kids, two daughters, early thirties. One is in Denver and one is in Minneapolis.

Kate Young:

And they didn’t go to Big 10 schools?

Dean Jim Bullard:

They did not. They went to expensive private schools.

Kate Young:

Darn.

Dean Jim Bullard:

One went to Duke and one went to Rice.

Kate Young:

Oh, wow.

Dean Jim Bullard:

They both went to graduate school. One went to NYU and one went to Stanford.

Kate Young:

So Duke, you know the sports scene there is good too, I’m sure, right?

Dean Jim Bullard:

Oh, yeah. Yeah, I’ve heard Duke has an okay team. Not this year, though.

Kate Young:

Not as good as Purdue. So let’s get to know the personal side of Dean Bullard a little bit. We heard about your wife and your kids. What are your hobbies? What do you like to do outside of work?

Dean Jim Bullard:

Well, I like to bicycle, and I did bring a bike over here and I learned some of the trails around here during August and September. The recent couple of weeks, I haven’t been able to get out for a variety of reasons, but that’s one of the main things I like to do. I find it’s great exercise and de-stressing, but also the trails are very nice around here.

Kate Young:

Do you ever bike to work?

Dean Jim Bullard:

No, I haven’t done … Actually, toward the end of last spring for the first time I did a bike to work thing, but then I was reminded why I didn’t do that because it actually took quite a while. And we had a big group, and then the group just went in fits and starts, and so it just took too much time. So I think conceptually I would like to do that, but I think the reality is I have to bike on separate occasions.

Kate Young:

What else do you like to do? How do you spend time with your family, your wife?

Dean Jim Bullard:

Well, we like to hang out as a family. I mean, it’s a little more [inaudible 00:23:39]. And now we’re in different cities, but we do have a vacation house on the lake and we gather there sometimes. And so that’s fun.

Kate Young:

Before this interview, I watched a Daniels School of Business student interview on DSB’s Instagram page, @PurdueBusiness, and learned that Dean Bullard had a special affinity for the blockbuster hit movie Dune. And if you remember, This Is Purdue had the opportunity to interview Dune star and Purdue Theater alum Stephen McKinley Henderson back in the summer of 2023. I asked Dean Bullard about this movie.

We heard your favorite movie is Dune.

Dean Jim Bullard:

Yeah, I would say I like the new version of Dune. I watched with my daughter, I watched the older version of Dune from the eighties, and I don’t know if you’ve ever seen it, but I recommend against it. But it was a very complicated, it’s a famous story, but it was done in a complicated way. And what I remember from the eighties is when you walked into the theater, they gave you this paper list of all these terms because you weren’t going to be able to figure out from watching the movie everything that was going on and who was who. So they gave you this-

Kate Young:

So trying to read in the dark.

Dean Jim Bullard:

And it made no sense because you were reading in the dark and couldn’t tell what was going on. But this time they did a much better job from a screenwriting perspective so that they let the story unfold before you. And I thought they did a much better job. There’s a fantastic scene in there about they get to Arrakis, which is a desert planet, and they’re kind of exploring Arrakis, and then they have to make this rescue out in the desert. It was pretty good.

Kate Young:

We interviewed an actor who’s a Purdue theater alum who was in Dune.

Dean Jim Bullard:

Oh, really?

Kate Young:

So I’ll have to send it to you.

Dean Jim Bullard:

Oh, cool.

Kate Young:

So Dean Bullard mentioned previously in this episode that the offer to come to Purdue was irresistible, but how has he adjusted to this new role, going from a president of a Federal Reserve bank to a dean at a Big 10 university? Has anything surprised him about taking on this new role?

Dean Jim Bullard:

I don’t know. A lot of people ask me about surprises, but Jane and I love the Big 10. We know various schools in the Big 10, and we like the whole sports scene and the whole big campus scene. And so we feel very comfortable in this environment. We’ve lived in big cities, small cities, all good to us. So we’re happy to adjust to the different environment. And we know Indiana to some degree. We’ve also lived on the East Coast and other places in the Midwest. So it’s all been a very good adjustment for us.

Kate Young:

The Midwest is the best. And how does it feel for Dean Bullard to be surrounded by the energy and excitement of thousands of Purdue students every day?

Dean Jim Bullard:

Well, like I say, the Fed does have an academic angle to it, and you actually do. We had a student board of directors, and you have other situations where you’re talking to students, but not like being on campus. But it’s been fun. The energy is outstanding and the enthusiasm and passion is great to see.

Kate Young:

And speaking of fun and energy, have you been to any athletics games here at Purdue yet?

Dean Jim Bullard:

Oh, yeah. We’ve been to volleyball, I guess a couple times to volleyball, and then of course football. And that’s been great fun as well. And we’re looking forward to the basketball season. I’m sure we’ll do other sports as well.

Kate Young:

How has it been experiencing that Boilermaker spirit and community through those athletics games?

Dean Jim Bullard:

It’s great and we love Big 10 sports, so it’s been fantastic.

Kate Young:

I asked Dean Bullard what makes Purdue unique in his eyes and why he’s proud to now be a part of the Boilermaker family.

Dean Jim Bullard:

This is the premier technical university in the nation, and I think the excellence at scale idea is exactly the right one. You’re competing here with MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, but at this scale and getting bigger or has been getting bigger over time. So I think it’s just a real powerhouse on that dimension.

And technology has always been important, but never more important than it is today. And so I tell this to students, I don’t think it really comes across, but you’ve got seven companies that are 40% of the capitalization of the US and US stock market. So who are these companies? And they’re all big tech companies. And actually in the top 10, one of them is Indiana. Eli Lillym now moved into the top 10 in market capitalization, but that also is technology. It’s a different type. So it’s not all information technology, it’s all kinds of technological developments.

And I think if you hang around and just see the technological landscape, you can see this is just going to dominate for the next 25 years, 30 years, 50 years. There’s no sense in trying to close your eyes and pretend this isn’t happening. It is happening, and this is going to be the world of business going forward.

Kate Young:

And it’s great to see at Discovery Park, companies like Lilly keeping students that are going to Indiana schools in Indiana.

On Friday, December 8th, 2023, Purdue trustees approved to plan, finance, and construct a new 164,000 square foot building near the intersection of Mitch Daniels Boulevard and Sheetz Street on the West Lafayette campus to accommodate student enrollment growth across the university and strategic initiatives in the Daniels School of Business. This new facility will include flexible space in support of academic instruction and conferences, plus provide modern teaching and research labs. Construction is scheduled to begin in July 2024 and be completed in April 2027. So how does Dean Bullard think this new building and space on campus will contribute to his goals for the reimagined Daniel School of Business?

Dean Jim Bullard:

I have worked on the building projects since I’ve been on campus, and I do think we have a good plan and we’re trying to move that through the process here. I think space isn’t everything, but we do need space and we’re going to build something that’s student-focused, classroom-focused, student services-focused, and then use that as the newest space. And I think it will complement the other two buildings that we have, plus some modest funds for upgrading Krannert further from where it already is. If you’ve been in Krannert, some parts of it have been refurbished. Other parts still are awaiting refurbishment.

But I don’t mind old buildings, actually. The St. Louis Fed was over a hundred years old, but people loved being in the building because it had been redone and the space had been refurbished in various ways and they liked the quirkiness, actually, of the building. So I think we can get that here. We can have a refurbished Krannert with a new building next to it that provides the space that we need, especially for classrooms. There will be large classrooms as well, which will help the Daniels School, but it will also help other parts of campus that need these larger classrooms. That fits in with the university plan, making sure we have enough big 500 seat space, 250 seat space for some of the classes that we want to have.

So I think the location is also great. We’ll be able to oversee sort of the classic part of campus here, and I think that will help us for having events for let’s say fundraising or VIP guests and things like that. So I think it’ll be great on that too.

Kate Young:

I asked Dean Bullard what persistence means to him.

Dean Jim Bullard:

Any time you’re trying to manage a new situation or any situation, but you have to do a little bit every day. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. I think careful attention to detail and trying to think strategically every day. But as far as what you do every day it’s going to be small steps and you do need the bigger strategy, but you also need the implementation. So just stick with that and keep your vision in place every day is I guess a definition of persistence.

And I think also when you’re evaluating, it’s great to have metrics and everything, but things don’t necessarily improve as fast as you’d like, but if you stick with it over a long period of time, I have been very impressed that things really, do they change in the way that you’re trying to get them to change if you’re patient enough.

Kate Young:

The demand for a Purdue business education has never been higher. The Daniels School is expected to enroll 4,000 students in fall 2024, up more than 1600 students from five years ago, and applications were up 18% this fall from a year ago. So what does this mean for Dean Bullard and his next giant leap? What would you say your next giant leap is personally or professionally?

Dean Jim Bullard:

Well, I think I’ve already leapt, so I’m in the middle of my leap here, to take on this project and hopefully see it through to conclusion. It’s been a real adventure so far. There’s lots ahead, and I’m really looking forward to it now.

Kate Young:

Is there anything else you think is important to tell our listeners and viewers today?

Dean Jim Bullard:

Well, I love the podcast, and thanks for all your work on it. And I think it’s one way to have a great social media strategy, and so hopefully we’re getting the message out in a variety of ways that appeal to a variety of people that want to hear our message.

Kate Young:

Find our audience where they are.

Dean Jim Bullard:

Yeah, absolutely.

Kate Young:

Thank you, Dean Bullard, it was a pleasure.

Dean Jim Bullard:

Yeah, pleasure being here. Thanks for having me.

Kate Young:

Thank you.

Our This Is Purdue team loves introducing new Purdue faculty to our listeners, I hope you all enjoyed getting to know the inaugural dean of Purdue’s Daniels School of Business, and we can’t thank Dean Bullard enough for his time. Be sure to head over to our podcast YouTube page, YouTube.com/+thisispurdue to watch our full video interview with Dean Bullard. We also have a YouTube short with Dean Bullard explaining three economics concepts in 60 seconds. So check it out to hear more about high gas prices, inflation, and the debt ceiling.

Be sure to follow us on your favorite podcast platform, including YouTube, to never miss an episode. This is Purdue is hosted and written by me, Kate Young. At this podcast shoot with Dean Bullard, our podcast videography was led by Ted Shellenberger in collaboration with Thad Boone, Zach Mogensen, and Allie Chaney.

We also had production assistance from Carly Calcao and Carly Eastman. Our social media marketing is led by Maria Welch. Our podcast distribution strategy is led by Teresa Walker. Our podcast photography is led by John Underwood. Our podcast design is led by Caitlin Freeville. Our podcast team project manager is Rain Gu. Our podcast YouTube promotion is managed by Megan Hoskins and Kirsten Bowman. Additional writing assistance is led by Sophie Ritz and Mara Klopfenstein. And our podcast intern is Caroline Kime.

Thanks for listening to This Is Purdue. For more information on this episode, visit our website at purdue.edu/podcast. There you can head over to your favorite podcast app to subscribe and leave us a review. And as always, Boiler up.

Mark Lundstrom: 

This is Mark Lundstrom and you’re listening to This Is Purdue. 

Amanda Deering: 

This is Amanda Deering. 

Haley Oliver: 

And this is Haley Oliver. 

Amanda Deering and Haley Oliver: 

And you’re listening to This Is Purdue. 

Danny Milisavljevic: 

I’m Danny Milisavljevic, and you are listening to This Is Purdue. 

Michele Buzon: 

This is Michele Buzon, and you are listening to This Is Purdue. 

Kate Young: 

Hi, I’m Kate Young and you are listening to This Is Purdue, the official podcast for Purdue University. As a Purdue alum and Indiana native, I know firsthand about the family of students and professors who are in it together, persistently pursuing and relentlessly rethinking. Who are the next game changers, difference makers, ceiling breakers, innovators? Who are these Boilermakers? Join me as we feature students, faculty, and alumni taking small steps toward their giant leaps and inspiring others to do the same. 

In this episode of This Is Purdue, we’re celebrating five Boilermakers who are providing practical solutions to the world’s toughest challenges. Part two of our Greatest Hits of 2023 shines a light on the incredible research advancements as we reflect on our inaugural research series episodes our podcast team produced this year. You’ll hear special moments from our episodes with Purdue’s Chief Semiconductor Officer, Mark Lundstrom, Food Science professors, Amanda Deering and Haley Oliver, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy, and Principal Investigator of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Program, Danny Milisavljevic, and Bioarchaeologist and Professor of Anthropology, Michele Buzon. 

From semiconductors to food science to astronomy to bioarchaeology, these researchers shared more about the impact Purdue has had on their monumental developments in their respective fields. After all, Purdue wasn’t named one of U.S. News & World Report’s most innovative US universities for the last six years running for nothing. Boilermakers aren’t afraid to tackle challenges. 

We’ll kick this episode off with our first guest featured in our 2023 Purdue research series, Mark Lundstrom. Mark’s role at Purdue is unique. He’s not the CEO, not the CMO, not the COO. He’s Purdue’s CSO, Chief Semiconductor Officer. See, Mark and so many other Boilermakers are working to ensure our country is prepared to meet the ever-growing demands for semiconductors which are found in virtually all of our electronic devices. That’s right. If you are listening to this podcast on your smartphone or on your laptop or maybe in your car, all of these devices contain semiconductors or chips. And in case you haven’t heard earlier this year, Fast Company named Purdue University number 16 among the world’s most innovative companies, and number one in education for its advances in semiconductors and microelectronics. 

So, as the United States strives to reclaim a leading role in the global semiconductor industry, one university is leading the charge. Can you guess which one? I bet you can. Mark expands on semiconductors and why they’re so incredibly important. So walk us through what a semiconductor is. Why is this important? You’ve said that if we didn’t have semiconductors, we would be living life like it was the 1950s still. 

Mark Lundstrom: 

Well, so what is a semiconductor? So I think most people know what a metal is, right? A metal conducts electricity well, and an insulator doesn’t conduct electricity, like glass. And a semiconductor is somewhere in between. So you think, what’s the big deal? The big deal is that by introducing small amounts of other atoms in a semiconductor crystal, you can dramatically change its properties to make it more metallic or more semi-conducting. And that’s how we make electronic devices like the transistor, which is the basic building block of all electronics. 

It’s made everything possible that we think about today. These smartphones that we carry around, they’re chock-full of chips. There are a few thousand chips in every automobile. I mean, it’s hard to imagine life without semiconductors. 

Kate Young: 

Absolutely. And why are they so important? Why is this research that Purdue is doing so important? 

Mark Lundstrom: 

The CHIPS and Science Act really has three objectives. One is to bring more semiconductor manufacturing back to the US. Because the technology was invented here, but over the past few decades, we’ve outsourced more and more of the manufacturing, and we learned during COVID how vulnerable we are to chip shortages in our supply chains. So we won’t bring all of the manufacturing back here, but we need to bring a significant fraction back here. 

The other is that everything that we aim to do in terms of addressing all of the grand challenges we have will require more computing and more chips. Energy, clean environment, health, everything that’s going to rely on improved semiconductor technology. So we need to continue to advance semiconductor technology, regain our lead, and that’s what the CHIPS Act is all about. 

Kate Young: 

And how did Purdue become such a leading charge in semiconductor research and education? 

Mark Lundstrom: 

Well, we have a very long history in this space. We’re celebrating the 75th anniversary of the invention of the transistor this year, and that’s the basic building block of all electronic systems. A chip can contain as many as a hundred billion transistors these days, and it was invented 75 years ago at Bell Telephone Labs. 

But Purdue was a hotbed of semiconductor research before that. In the 1930s and 1940s, the techniques that Bell Labs learned to grow high-quality semiconductor crystals, they learned from Bell Labs. So we go back a long time. The most common transistor that is used these days is called a silicon MOSFET. That was demonstrated for the first time in 1959 at Bell Labs by a Purdue alum, Mohamed Atalla, a mechanical engineering alum. So we’ve been teaching semiconductor courses since the late 1960s. We’ve been a major supplier of talent to the semiconductor industry for decades. The research and innovation has been important. So every Tesla automobile has 48 silicon carbide-powered MOSFETs in it. That transistor was invented at Purdue, was demonstrated in the Scifres Lab inside the Birck Nanotechnology Center by Jim Cooper, a faculty member here. We have a very long history in semiconductors. 

Kate Young: 

If you listen to part one of our Greatest Hits of 2023 episode, you know we had the honor of featuring Purdue President, Mung Chiang, on the podcast this year. He said in that interview that Purdue is the most consequential public university in America. So what is Purdue’s semiconductor research and education doing to help support that statement? Here’s Mark. 

Mark Lundstrom: 

A university that wants to be the most consequential university in the nation should address the most consequential problem that the country currently faces. And that problem is the semiconductor challenge because it underlies everything else that we want to do. So I think the fact that we have made this not only an engineering priority, but a university priority, that we feel we have a responsibility to help the nation address this challenge, that’s what the most consequential university would do. 

Kate Young: 

What do you think would happen if Purdue wasn’t doing this research? 

Mark Lundstrom: 

Others would, right? Others would step up. We probably have one of the largest concentrations of semiconductor faculty of any university in the nation. And it’s more challenging to do this kind of work. You need expensive laboratory facilities like the Birck Nanotechnology Center. So it makes it difficult for many universities to really have a substantial presence in this field. We’re one of the few. 

Kate Young: 

Be sure to check out Mark’s full episode to hear more about how Purdue University’s Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering is helping to solve the semiconductor talent shortage, his experience having dinner with Neil Armstrong, and his passion for motorcycles. Just head over to purdue.edu/podcast or watch the interview on YouTube, youtube.com/@thisispurdue. 

Our next research series episode featured not one, but two, innovative Boilermakers. Amanda Deering, Associate Professor of Fresh Produce Food Safety, and Haley Oliver, the 150th Anniversary Professor of Food Science, joined us this year to discuss a challenge facing the entire world. Food safety, security, and sustainability. And really what’s more important than feeding the world. Here’s Amanda, diving into what food science really is, and Haley follows with more about food sustainability. 

Amanda Deering: 

What I love about food science, it’s chemistry, it’s engineering, it’s packaging. All this goes into making a food product. And so we are an interdisciplinary program, and we have to be, and that’s the cool part to me. My office is next door to a chemist and then the next door down is an engineer. I love that. And so it’s not like we’re all just working on the same thing, but we all have our specialized areas. And it all comes together then to help the food industry in general. 

Haley Oliver: 

And I think the piece of the discussion where food science is going to really play a role looking forward is in sustainability. We have increasing population. We have climate change. How are we going to produce enough food and efficiently? 

Food science is a major part of that discussion. We look at how much is lost, how much is wasted from primary production, manufacturing, and retail level. I try not to have my house be the place where fruit goes to die, but it’s a risk. But how do we prevent that? And food science is a big part of that discussion. 

Kate Young: 

So how is the research being done right here at Purdue University impacting the entire world? One example of how Amanda and Haley are- 

PART 1 OF 4 ENDS [00:10:04] 

Kate Young: 

… In the entire world. One example of how Amanda and Haley are spreading the word internationally is their work on building a food technology department at a university in Afghanistan. And Haley is the Director of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Safety, which was established with the goal to improve food safety in Nepal, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nigeria, Kenya, and Senegal. Amanda is also currently working on the PERU-Hub Project, part of a $15 million United States Agency for International Development Grant that involves helping farmers in Peru find alternatives to growing coca, the raw material for cocaine. Amanda and Haley share an example of how something as simple as a training course can drastically improve food safety practices. 

Amanda Deering: 

When we worked with a company in Chicago that was importing saffron from Afghanistan, and so they were rejecting about half of their shipments because they were all contaminated with human pathogens, so E. coli, salmonella, things like that. So what we did was actually go and train their workers, so it was their harvest crews and the people doing the processing, we trained them, just a training, on good agricultural practices and good manufacturing practices. In the following year, they didn’t reject one shipment. So it just goes to show that training goes a long way. And it’s not that people don’t want to do the right thing- 

Haley Oliver: 

Yeah, it’s awareness. 

Amanda Deering: 

Right. They’re not aware what the right thing is. 

Haley Oliver: 

As long as it’s economically viable. 

Amanda Deering: 

Yeah. 

Haley Oliver: 

Yes. 

Kate Young: 

Another interesting takeaway from their trainings in other countries such as Peru and Afghanistan include the importance of gender representation in food production. Amanda and Haley expand on this. 

Amanda Deering: 

We’ve really worked hard to include women in Indigenous populations with the trainings that we do. They are like sponges. They just want to learn. We’ve worked with a lot of chocolate manufacturers in that area, and it’s very interesting to see other developmental projects have been around there and help them get to where they are now. But it’s very interesting, they all produce exactly the same looking chocolate bar, the same recipe, the same packaging. So we’re working on the marketing side to help them make a fancier package so you can- 

Haley Oliver: 

How do you differentiate? 

Amanda Deering: 

Yeah, be different. And so I think that’s been the cool part, just working with that and literally just trying to figure out what are some new products we can make. So we have people working at Purdue in food science, how to turn passion fruit into something that’s not currently in their market. So we’ve been working with students to do passion fruit butter. What can they make that’s different and new that even the Peru people would support and purchase those products, or could it be for export? So both of those things have been probably the most interesting and fun part of that project. 

Haley Oliver: 

I’m glad… I forgot, as I do, as I age here, right? Gender, it’s a big part of the innovation lab as well. And why do we think about that? It’s because in many, many cultures, women make the decisions around food and even production or a big part of production. And so if they haven’t been included in the discussion or continuing education, you’re leaving out the labor force and deciders, and that’s not how you move the needle. 

Kate Young: 

I would’ve never thought about that. 

Amanda Deering: 

That’s how Afghanistan was too. When we started working there, we were training all men. Yet the men did not grow any of the food. They didn’t harvest any of- 

Haley Oliver: 

Or cook any of the food. 

Amanda Deering: 

The didn’t cook any of the food. 

Haley Oliver: 

They ate the food. 

Amanda Deering: 

Yeah, they ate the food, but yet that’s what we were training. And so during that project time, we increased the number of women, about 80%. We were doing then women only training, and that was when you could really have those discussions with women- 

Haley Oliver: 

Candid. 

Amanda Deering: 

Because if they were in a group with men that were present, they wouldn’t talk. They wouldn’t say anything. 

Kate Young: 

Sure. 

Amanda Deering: 

But when they were by themselves, they would ask questions, they’re involved, they’re engaged. And so that’s a huge part, targeting that right population. And in most countries, it’s surprising the amount that women do related to food. 

Kate Young: 

But what would happen if people like Amanda and Haley weren’t doing this research at Purdue? What if they weren’t visiting these various countries and doing these trainings? Well, it could result in truly worst case scenarios, people getting extremely sick and even dying. The two researchers discussed the Listeriosis outbreak of food poisoning across 28 US states, that resulted from contaminated cantaloupes in 2011. 33 people died, and 147 confirmed cases were reported in the aftermath. It was the worst foodborne illness outbreak in America, measured by the number of deaths, since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began tracking outbreaks in the 1970s. 

Amanda Deering: 

So we had the outbreak with the cantaloupe and salmonella that devastated the industry. And the industry basically as a whole said, we need someone at Purdue that does Purdue’s food safety. And that’s how my job came about. And so I’d like to think anyway that our growers in Indiana would have… They wouldn’t have that- 

Haley Oliver: 

They’d have more risk. 

Amanda Deering: 

Yeah. There’d be more risk and less support, because we’ll do anything with them. We come out and do farm visits. We work one-on-one with them. If there’s some research that they want, like looking at a new sanitizer treatment, we’ll do that research for them, do those experiments to see how well the sanitizer kills bacterial pathogens or not. We try to be everything to the industry that we can be. And so I guess I would like to think there’d be more risk if we weren’t doing what we do. 

Haley Oliver: 

When I was hired at Purdue in 2010, I was hired as a primary teaching appointment, which was a big leap actually for me, coming from a background of sequencing genomes. But being able to teach and have that knowledge transfer piece, I think over time that that was something that I could do at least moderately well. But our opportunities, so where does Purdue benefit maybe from what we do or how are we reducing risk? Because we do so much research for development or international development and have both a very domestic presence and experience of what is going on here in the Midwest, but also in some of the remote corners of the world, in economies that are up and coming. We can bring those experiences together. 

Learned experiences in Indiana agriculture is translatable to production in Cambodia. There is translation there, but what we can then do with those experiences to bring back to the classroom, I think makes us much more effective. So probably bottom line, the utility’s in the classroom of a true measurable difference, because that’s how we can really spend a lot of quality time with our clients as students, and share or affect how they think about food safety going forward. 

Kate Young: 

Check out this full episode to learn more about the global food system, the next big thing in food science, alternative proteins, and how Purdue’s College of Agriculture is setting up students for success, whether they want to go into farming or work for a global food corporation. And by the way, our podcast team set up this interview with Amanda and Haley in the College of Agriculture’s potting lab, surrounded by lush greenhouses, plants, fruits and veggies. So if you want to experience the full visuals, check out our full video interview on our, This Is Purdue YouTube page, youtube.com/@ThisIsPurdue. 

Our next episode from our 2023 research series was out of this world. We spoke with Danny Milisavljevic, Associate Professor of Physics and astronomy in Purdue University’s College of Science, in our third episode of this series. Because really, what’s a Purdue research series without an episode that highlights the extensive history of Purdue’s research and ties to space? Here’s a few things we covered in this episode. The most powerful telescope in the world, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, Cassiopeia A, a remnant of a supernova explosion in the Milky Way, located about 11,000 light years from Earth. A virtual reality field trip. Danny’s experience being interviewed by the Scott Pelley on CBS’s 60 Minutes, and Scary Barbie. Now, if you listened to this episode or maybe watched it on our, This Is Purdue YouTube channel, our podcast team shot this interview with Danny inside Purdue University’s Envision Center, located on campus in Stewart Center. 

The photo that Danny frequently references in this episode was the centerpiece of our shoot, a massive, colorful, vibrant photo of a supernova explosion, also known as Cassiopeia A, or Cas A for short. Cas A was created by a stellar explosion 340 years ago from Earth’s perspective. Danny shared more about his work on the James Webb Space Telescope and how this incredible tool has been a major key to his research. 

One of the most exciting things that you’re working on right now is the James Webb Space Telescope. Tell us more about this telescope. It’s the first of its kind, right? And how exciting that you’re directly working with it. 

Speaker 1: 

I don’t know how I can encapsulate that. I mean, right there behind us is a representation of power behind the James Webb Space Telescope. So it is the largest, most powerful telescope we’ve ever sent into space. And somehow I am among the first group of scientists that get to use this for their research. And it becomes particularly relevant for me in my understanding of stars and their life cycles, and how they come to dramatic ends. Because it’s sensitive to infrared light. Infrared light is sensitive to some of the material that we need to see in the exploded star to understand- 

PART 2 OF 4 ENDS [00:20:04] 

Danny: 

… material that we need to see in the exploded star to understand what happened, to tell its story. 

Kate Young: 

Okay, so this research is compelling, it’s alluring, it’s headline grabbing, but why is this research important to everyone on this Earth? See, supernovae like the one that formed Cas A are crucial for life as we know it. And Danny says, by understanding the process of exploding stars, we’re actually reading our own origin story. 

Danny: 

The big picture is that without this fundamental process in the universe, of a star ending its life in this catastrophic implosion, explosion, ejecting its debris, seeding space with heavy elements, these are the raw materials that make life possible. The auction we breathe, the iron in our blood, calcium in our teeth. All these are thanks to the production of heavy elements from supernova explosions. And James Webb, again, is sensitive to the infrared lights from which these stellar explosions emit and can be traced back to closest to where the explosion took place originally. 

Kate Young: 

Take us back to the first time you saw the images from the James Webb Space Telescope. What were you feeling? 

Danny: 

Wow. So there’s two parts of that story. One is when I first saw any image from James Webb, and I had no special privilege like anybody else. I saw them with the public, and these were the first batch of images when the telescope was just feeling itself out. They’re calibrating and aligning. It was a really rough trip up there, so they had to make sure that the mirrors were precisely aligned. In that first image, even though it was just of a bright star, it was spectacular in its clarity. And most importantly, one could download those data and then you play with filters, you can stretch, you can make things highlight, and all of a sudden you could see countless galaxies in the background. And for me, this was this transformational moment in the history of human civilization. We’re so familiar with our naked eye, looking up at the stars at night, and knowing that the universe is filled with them. 

But now with James Webb using infrared light, it was sense of it was seeing galaxies everywhere. There is no empty sky with James Webb because there are galaxies, billions and billions everywhere, so that was when the first image came out. The other momentous time is when I saw the first date of my own program. Now, what we see behind us here is after a lot of work, a lot of processing, a lot of arrangement, so like the panoramic filter on your phone where you can’t get everything in one shot, you have to pan it together, and there’s some software that stitches the frames. We don’t have that luxury. We had to do that all manually afterwards. What I saw was just a postage stamp area of the remnant, but when I saw it, two things. One, leading up to that moment was terror. Because unlike when I’m observing with a telescope at night, if I make a mistake, if I point it in the wrong location, fine, I adjust and re-expose. 

But the complexity of the instrument, it’s a million miles away. Each command is critical and conservative, so you have to make sure that it was pointed at the right spot, and you have to make sure that the exposure’s the right length. As I’m waiting for that file to download, I’m thinking, did I do everything right? Did we as a team make all the calculations correct? And then when it opened up and I finally figured out where I was looking, because again, it’s a small postage stamp amongst this enormous mosaic that we’re making, that was the excitement. That was the moment of we did it, that this is working as anticipated. There’s no way to properly describe that moment. Thankfully it was captured by my wife. It actually came up on the 60 Minutes segment. 

People don’t know this backstory, but it wasn’t 60 Minutes there watching me at the time. That was my wife laughing at me, recording video to share with her friends. Look, we were supposed to go out Saturday morning. Look what Dan’s doing. And I’m getting all excited about the data, and that’s what it ended up being. And footnote to that story, it was recorded on her phone. It’s at small scale. All of a sudden, when we watched that night on 60 Minutes, it’s on the big screen and you see all these details like some tortilla chip that had been left behind, and there is books and cords. We did not prepare this for international exposure. 

Kate Young: 

And I heard your dog might’ve made an appearance. 

Danny: 

Wilbur. Yeah, Wilbur is always there where something exciting is happening. And in this case, he could sense me getting excited and he associates that with his excitement, which is seeing some kind of rodent or animal running in the front yard, so that’s why he was looking outside the window at that time. 

Kate Young: 

Remember, you can actually watch Danny’s reaction, and his dog Wilbur’s reaction, on our podcast YouTube channel. All right, let’s take a little trip down memory lane, shall we? It’s July of 2023 and the highly anticipated movie Barbie was released by Warner Brothers. Since then, it’s become the highest grossing film of 2023 in the US and worldwide, and made director Greta Gerwig the only solo female director to have a movie reach the $1 billion mark. So what does this have to do with our research series? Well, Danny and his team had their own version of a Barbie summer too. Danny and I had the opportunity to discuss something that’s recently been making a lot of headlines. Barbie. Okay, okay, but not that Barbie. Scary Barbie. So it feels like the whole country knows that there’s a Barbie movie coming out, right? 

Danny: 

Yes. Yes. I’ll be there. 

Kate Young: 

So you and a team of researchers are also studying this, but I want you to tell us about it because it’s called Scary Barbie, and was the name picked on purpose to go along with this Barbie mania? I need to know. 

Danny: 

So, no. A crazy name for a crazy object. This was the result of a project we’ve been running here at Purdue for several years. What we’re doing is using sophisticated computer algorithms to be able to find unusual, interesting cosmic explosions, because they’re happening all the time. In fact, in the universe, there is a supernova that happens about once every second. So if you listen for it, maybe you can hear a supernova explosion. You can’t, but I always like to have that bit of dramatic elegance. Anyway, we have an algorithm that’s picking things. And at some point, the system identified this anomaly, and something was different about it from the get-go. Because there are so many candidates for these cosmic explosions, they get identification numbers that are automatically generated and they’re very boring. This one was ZTF20ABRBEIE, which is a mouthful and that’s not fun. 

But one night, one of our graduate students, Danielle Dickinson, was late night and she looked at it cockeyed. She’s like, “It looks like Barbie,” so the name stuck then. That’s why we were calling it Barbie. I started calling it Scary Barbie when I fully appreciated just how energetic and explosive it was, so we were looking for supernovae. This event, once we identified the distance, and that’s always one of the biggest hurdles in astronomy, I see something, but how far away it is? But at some point we were able to measure the distance, and this made it not like a supernova explosion, but something that was a thousand times more energetic than a supernova. And I don’t know if these numbers really reverberate with people, but for an astronomer, that scares me. Already, a supernova explosion is scary in energy. Think of the sun. Over its entire lifetime, 10 billion years, you take that energy, you multiply it by a hundred, and that’s what a supernova makes in one second. Now we have scary Barbie that’s a thousand times more energetic than that. Terrifying, scary. That’s where the name came from. 

Once we follow the trail of evidence, ultimately we realize that the only mechanism we know that can produce something of that energy is the supermassive black hole we find at the centers of galaxies. People may be familiar with the mystique of a black hole, this singularity from which not even light can escape. Well, there are very large ones at the centers of just about all galaxies, including the Milky Way, and they can be up to and larger than a billion times the mass of the sun. Here’s these large numbers again. But black holes are basically the most efficient method of taking matter, stuff. I don’t want to think about us falling into a black hole, but taking matter and converting it into an energy. That’s why we ultimately favored the scenario that this wasn’t a supernova explosion, but a supermassive black hole that was tearing apart a star that was falling in nearby. 

Kate Young: 

So what would happen if Purdue wasn’t leading this research, if Danny wasn’t the principal investigator of the James Webb Space Telescope Program? 

Danny: 

If we at Purdue weren’t leading this, I could easily name off dozens of other scientists at other institutions that would want to take the lead. This is the best example we have of a star that’s exploded in our own galaxy, the Milky Way. This must be studied, and this is why it was selected as one of the first targets for Webb. 

PART 3 OF 4 ENDS [00:30:04] 

Speaker 2: 

… and this is why I was selected as one of the first targets for Web. It’d also be sad if Purdue didn’t have it because we wouldn’t be able to brag that we’re the only Indiana institution as being a principal investigator on a Web program, so that’s cool. 

Kate Young: 

This episode is a super visual one. For example, you can watch our virtual reality field trip in Purdue’s Envision Center firsthand. Just head over to our YouTube page, youtube.com/@thisispurdue, to check it all out. Trust me, you don’t want to miss it. 

Our final 2023 research series episode featured Michele Buzon, Professor of Anthropology at Purdue University’s College of Liberal Arts. As a bioarchaeologist, Michele’s examination of skeletal remains can help us better understand the lives of everyday people who lived thousands of years ago. Michele’s research brings many different people and disciplines together as she and her team look to better understand the past, from relationship-building with the local community in Sudan to analyzing finds, so let’s dig in. What exactly is bioarchaeology? Michele explains. 

Michele Buzon: 

Bioarchaeology is the excavation and analysis of human skeletal remains from archeological sites. And in looking at human skeletal remains, we can learn about health and disease, daily activities, injuries, diet, these sorts of things in people of the past. And what’s really important about bioarchaeology is that it is the window into the past for most people who existed because while historical records do exist, they don’t exist for everyone. And when they do exist, they’re written by a select few. And so this is really our glimpse at people in the past, too, who have no voice otherwise. 

Kate Young: 

Michele and her team spent a few months each year along the banks of the Nile River Valley in Tombos, Sudan, exploring what life was like in ancient Nubia more than 3000 years ago and why that still matters today. See, Michele is conducting her research on Nubian burial sites, dated all the way back to 1500 BCE, to better understand the relationship between the Nubians and Egyptians during the New Kingdom Empire. Michele and her longtime collaborator, Stuart Tyson Smith, have worked on digs that uncovered an ancient horse burial found more than five feet underground in a tomb, with some of its chestnut-colored fur still intact. And over the years, Michele and her team have unearthed hundreds of artifacts, including pottery, tools, carvings, and dishes. Michele shared what her biggest aha moment has been in her more than 20 years of research in Tombos so far. 

Michele Buzon: 

It’s definitely related to those sorts of discoveries about what the Nubians were doing when the Egyptians had occupied their land. We expected that everybody would take on these Egyptian cultural features and go along with the Egyptians, but that’s not true. They were asserting their independence, their identities, and showing that their Nubian culture, their Nubian identity, was there all along and never disappeared. 

Kate Young: 

And as for the most challenging part of her research so far in her career, well, when she ran into a roadblock, she pivoted and persisted like a true boilermaker. 

Michele Buzon: 

So we never really know what we’re going to find in the ground. We write draft proposals, we come up with ideas, but until we start actually excavating, it’s a surprise. So we had started working on these pyramid tombs at Tombos. They are very deep. They’re several meters deep into the ground, and when we started excavating them, we found that they were actually being affected by groundwater. So the remains inside, the soil inside, was actually quite damp, which means the preservation of materials wasn’t very good, and it made it difficult to work on these tombs. That’s pretty disappointing when you think the thing that you’re starting to work on isn’t going to work out. So what we realized is that there were small subsidiary graves, these pits around the big tombs, which we only started finding when we were clearing around the large tombs. And what came of those pits was that this is where the children were being buried, where some of the younger individuals were being buried. 

We hadn’t found many children at Tombos over a few different seasons of excavations, and so this was actually a really great discovery that the children were being buried in these types of graves and that we could increase the sample of that segment of the population and learn about the children. The children are really key in understanding health in a community and also understanding society. So one of my graduate students who finished her PhD a few years ago, Katie Whitmore, she worked on the children and health and found some really interesting things. So for instance, individuals around the time of puberty, so early teens, were the ones who had a lot of issues in terms of health. This is a time period where they’re leaving their families, they’re starting their own families, they have more work opportunities. And so by increasing this sample of younger individuals, we were actually able to learn more about society and what people were experiencing 

Kate Young: 

And what would happen if this boilermaker and her team weren’t doing this innovative research? 

Michele Buzon: 

Anthropology is a field that not that many people know about, and we have worked hard to introduce it to the public, to introduce it to younger kids, by visiting their schools, by going to community events like Boo at the Zoo and other sorts of things to try to introduce anthropology to people. When I went to undergraduate, I was interested in history. I was also interested in health. My father is a retired physician. And I was also interested in different cultures. My father is an immigrant from the Philippines. And so going to school, I didn’t realize that that was something that I could all do together. And when I took my first anthropology class, it was an aha moment of learning that I can combine all of these interests into something that I could pursue a career in. And I’m fortunate at Purdue that we do have colleagues in these different areas where we combine culture and religion and philosophy, as well as society and different aspects of human life, to create the best solutions for our problems today. 

So in anthropology, we are working in our teaching and our research and our engagement with different partners across campus in engineering and technology and health and many other areas to show people as a public university with a service mission, as a land-grant university, that understanding humans in a holistic way is the best way to address our challenges. I feel like I’ve made an impact in terms of bioarchaeology in Sudan, and certainly I have a lot of wonderful colleagues who are working there as well. But I feel like with my collaborators, Stuart Tyson Smith at UC, Santa Barbara, Mohamed Farouk, my Sudanese collaborator, that we have shown researchers how to do this in a very interdisciplinary and collaborative way where we are taking information from all of these different disciplines and from different specialties, and doing it together rather than having it separate. And so I feel like we have made an impact in terms of how to holistically look at the past through different approaches. 

Kate Young: 

And why does this research matter to every single one of us on this planet? 

Michele Buzon: 

As an anthropology professor, I of course will say that it’s important for everybody, but understanding humans is important. It’s important for engineering solutions. It’s important for healthcare professionals. For anybody working and understanding humans, you need to realize that people vary in different ways. And in order to find the best care, the best solutions, it’s important to be able to recognize those differences. 

Kate Young: 

If you’d like to check out our full video interview with Michele, head over to our podcast YouTube page, youtube.com/@thisispurdue, or listen wherever you get your podcasts. In the full episode, Michele shares more about her digs, the relationship between the Egyptians and Nubians, and the Sudanese culture. I hope you all enjoyed reflecting on these research series episodes. Stay tuned for 2024 as we are continuing this series with new boilermaker researchers who are providing practical solutions to the world’s toughest challenges. And we want to hear from you. What was your favorite This is Purdue episode from the past year? Share a review on Apple Podcasts or tag us on social media @lifeatpurdue, and use the hashtag #thisispurdue, and you could be featured in an upcoming episode. 

This is Purdue is hosted and written by me, Kate Young, and I want to give a shout-out to every Purdue team member who was part of the podcast this past year. Our podcast videography is led by Ted Schellenberger, in collaboration with John Garcia, Thad Boone, Zach Mogensen, Alli Chaney, Matt Kerkhoff, and Jonathan Hoard. Our social media marketing is led by Maria Welch and Ashley Shroyer. Our podcast distribution strategy is led by Teresa Walker and Carly Eastman. Our podcast photography is led by John Underwood and Rebecca Robinos. Our podcast design is led by Caitlin Freeville. Our podcast team Project Management is led by Rain Gu and Emily Jeselaitis. Our production assistant is led by Dalani Young. Our podcast YouTube promotion is managed by Megan Hoskins and Kirsten Bowman. Additional writing assistance is led by Joel Meredith. Podcast research is led by Sophie Ritz, and our This is Purdue intern is Carolyn Keim. Thanks for listening to This is Purdue. For more information on this episode, visit our website at purdue.edu/podcasts. There, you can head over to your favorite podcast app to subscribe and leave us a review. And as always, boiler up. 

Kate Young: 

Hi, I’m Kate Young and you are listening to This Is Purdue, the official podcast for Purdue University. As a Purdue alum and Indiana native, I know firsthand about the family of students and professors who are in it together, persistently pursuing and relentlessly rethinking. Who are the next game changers, difference makers, ceiling breakers, innovators? Who are these Boilermakers? Join me as we feature students, faculty and alumni taking small steps toward their giant leaps, and inspiring others to do the same. 

Wow, it’s hard to believe 2023 is coming to an end. It feels like just yesterday the podcast team was working on our greatest hits of 2022 episode. Now, we’re highlighting some of our most popular episodes of 2023 to ring in the new year. Part one of our two-part greatest hits episodes focuses on some of the incredible Boilermaker persistence featured on This Is Purdue during the past year. Please join us for this journey as we reflect on six of This Is Purdue’s most listened to episodes of 2023. 

Let’s start with a truly special episode that we actually kicked off the year with, our very own Purdue University President Mung Chiang. On January 1st, 2023, president Chiang, who previously served as the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering, and Executive Vice President for strategic initiatives at Purdue, took over for former Purdue President Mitch Daniels. We hit a number of topics in this interview, including the day he found out he would become the next president of Purdue, his family life and hobbies, and the best spot in West Lafayette to grab his favorite sweet treat, ice cream. Spoiler alert, president Chiang has a passion for ice cream. 

We also discussed the meaning behind that special Boilermaker persistence and humility, and why the college experience should be both transformative and fun. Throughout the year, this episode served as a wonderful chance for all of our podcast listeners and viewers to get to know our president on a more personal level. President Chiang reflects back on the moment he was announced as the 13th president of Purdue University. Okay, so I want to take you back to a day that was probably a big day, a big moment for you when you were announced president of Purdue University. What were you feeling? 

Mung Chiang: 

Excited, grateful, and very honored. It truly is the most humbling and the highest honor that anyone I think in academia could imagine, because Purdue is not any other university. This is a special place, and because after the board of trustees’ unanimous vote, it just dawned on me the kind of responsibility that not just myself, but the whole team will continue to bear in order to advance this place. For 153 years now, coming 154 years, this place, generations of Boilermakers starting here, on the Wabash, and going all the way out to the surface of the moon. So many Boilermakers have been ever grateful, ever true to this special place, yourself included for doing this podcast now with us. 

Each generation must carry on, as we would say, one brick higher. Because it’s already so high, the next brick higher is going to be even more challenging, but I’m so confident that together we will be able to excel at scale, and together we’ll be innovating continuously into the future, even when there are substantial changes coming our way, as always, one could argue to American higher education landscape. 

Kate Young: 

Is there a particular moment from that day that you remember best? 

Mung Chiang: 

Well, I tell you that I went home and told my children. My wife and I have three lovely children, and our eldest, the daughter, she insisted that it was a beautiful mistake. 

Kate Young: 

She didn’t have any faith in her dad? 

Mung Chiang: 

Well, you have to ask her that, but I’m just so glad that the board of trustees did not have to listen to her, unlike me. 

Kate Young: 

She was not part of the vote. 

Mung Chiang: 

No. But our middle one, he was relieved and excited that we’re going to stay in Indiana, and the younger one, she was only six at that time, just turned seven, and I think she on that day decided that daddy’s cool again. 

Kate Young: 

That’s the goals, right? 

Mung Chiang: 

Well, yes, that is. That’s the pinnacle of excellence as a father. 

Kate Young: 

President Chiang’s family is actually the first to live in Westwood Manor, home of our Purdue University presidents, with young kids. I asked President Chiang to share a bit more about his family and how they feel about this new life chapter. 

Mung Chiang: 

We will be living in Westwood. That is such a incredible blessing and a privilege. It is a university property. We happened to be given the honor to reside in this university property, and I was told, I need to check with the historians for accuracy, but I was told that this is the first time that Westwood in past 50 years, as presidential residents of this university, is going to have young children. There’s going to be a 7-year-old, and then a 9, 10-year-old, and a 15-year-old. It’ll be interesting to see if they cause a lot of property damage. It’ll be, I think, a lot of fun to live in the community as a family, to serve the community. My wife, Kei, she is an outstanding real doctor. She is an internal medicine physician, and absolutely the smarter one between the two of us, and a much better human being as well. 

Kate Young: 

Don’t worry, I’ll send this to her. 

Mung Chiang: 

Yes. Well, honey, if you are listening to this podcast, I just did state the fact that you are the much better human being between the two of us. Well, you’ve got to be nice to the boss. She is looking forward to this role as [inaudible 00:06:25] called the First Lady of Purdue, and being in Westwood, not only living there, but opening up the Westwood as a place for community engagement. She looks forward to, as a physician, serving and helping the local community, but also as part of our Boilermaker family, to engage with many different neighbors. She’s clearly excited about it. 

As to the three, just mentioned that, very different reactions to the news, but one thing I made it clear to them now is that now you’ve got to behave even inside the house. 

Kate Young: 

Everyone’s watching. 

Mung Chiang: 

Ah, folks will be watching and they’re going to tell me. No, I hope that they will enjoy it and live their normal, regular life as kids growing up, but also recognizing what a special privilege it is to be there. They’re already all very much, [inaudible 00:07:22] has been for years now, big Boilermaker fans. My son for example, once said something funny. I was bragging about Purdue’s ranking. We’re most innovative. We are a top 10 public university. Engineering is ranked top five, and in fact the largest ever to be in some ranking in the top five in the country. Then he pat my back and said, “Dad, it’s okay. Don’t be sad.” I said, “What do you mean don’t be sad? We’re in final four, and there are like 300 of them out there.” He says, “Yes, might be number four, but in my heart, Purdue is number one.” That’s what he said. I said, “Well, there you go. That’s a Boilermaker.” 

Kate Young: 

Yes. When it comes to the word persistence, many of our This Is Purdue guests have all different types of creative and profound answers to what that specific word means to them. Here’s what it means to our Purdue University president. 

Mung Chiang: 

I’m sure there are dictionary definitions, and Wikipedia. I should ask Siri. Siri, what does persistence mean? I would give perhaps a somewhat unusual definition, a short one. Persistence to me means chasing after the infinite with what is merely finite. 

Kate Young: 

Expand on that a little. 

Mung Chiang: 

I know, that confuses me too. A lot of what we pursue as a university of knowledge, the creation of new knowledge and the broad dissemination, and I really mean broad,= for a place like Purdue, dissemination of knowledge. That is an infinite pursuit. It shall never end. There’s always something new we can do. Anytime Boilermakers are tempted by complacency, we always have chosen to aim even higher, to touch the surface of the moon. Yet we only have finite amount of time. Finite, whether it’s big or small, finite amount of resources. How do we pursue dreams that are infinitely far with what is merely finite? That I think is persistence. 

Kate Young: 

Okay, so I mentioned President Chiang has a special affinity to ice cream. Here’s his go-to dessert favorite on Purdue campus. 

Mung Chiang: 

I just preface my answer by saying that there are many different wonderful places, and to each person there’s a particular favorite spot and particular flavor. There’s no right or wrong here. Now, having said that, I do like the Gray coffee House. 

Kate Young: 

Greyhouse? 

Mung Chiang: 

Greyhouse. Now, you say, “But that’s a coffee house.” They do have gelato. Ah, see? Now we’re talking of something I’m revealing about our community. They have a gelato counter to the side, and my favorite is what they call affogato. Somebody gave me a lesson some years ago that is apparently Italian, that says you are drowning gelato, a flavor of your choice, with espresso. Now, the nice thing about that, if you’re talking about chemistry now, we’re talking about usually espresso, you want some sugar, you want some cream, and you want to cool it down a bit. Well, you’ve got all three in the ice cream already, so you don’t have to add anything, and you’re drowning gelato with espresso. I usually would pick a gelato, because you’ve got to do the pairing, right? 

Kate Young: 

Right, yes. What’s the flavor? 

Mung Chiang: 

Without espresso, the flavor could be, say I like dark chocolate. But that doesn’t quite work for my taste buds. It might work for yours with affogato. I usually go with very plain one, say vanilla. Fruity ones doesn’t work. Sorbetto doesn’t work. Say, a vanilla bean gelato drowned by a double espresso. That’s going to get you going for the rest of the day. 

Kate Young: 

We can’t thank President Chiang enough for spending time with us on our official university podcast, and sharing more about his family and what Purdue University and this Boilermaker community means to him. Remember, you can listen to the entire episode if you go to purdue.edu/podcast, or you can watch our full video interview with President Chiang on our podcast YouTube channel, youtube.com/@ThisisPurdue. 

Next up is an incredibly unique story that is sure to give you goosebumps. What you are about to hear is like a story straight out of a movie, but it’s the story of a real life Boilermaker. Our podcast team had the opportunity to interview former DC Air National Guard Fighter Pilot and Purdue College of Liberal Arts alumna, Heather Penney, inside a Purdue airport hangar. When she was just 26 years old, heather embarked on a flight on September 11th, 2001 that would ultimately change her life. You’ll hear a piece of her story here soon, but first, Heather shared her gratitude for her time as a student at Purdue, where her passion for flying blossomed further, and her experience training to become one of the nation’s first female fighter pilots. 

See, in 1996, the DC Air National Guard invited Heather and nine other pilots to interview out of a field of more than 300 applicants. From there, they selected only two, and one of those two was Heather Penney. Heather went on to train to become one of the first American women to fly the F-16, and her training class’ only woman. Heather shared her 9/11 story with us during this interview. She reflects on the events of that historic day. 

Heather Penney: 

That morning on September 11th was like every other American that morning. It was totally ordinary and everyday. I woke up, put my flight suit on, I ate my Cheerios, I kissed my dog goodbye, and I drove off to work. There was nothing special about that day. But I do remember on the east coast in DC, and it was in New York as well, how crystal blue the sky was. Not a cloud, no haze. It was deep and blue as far as you could see. 

Kate Young: 

No idea what was about to happen. 

Heather Penney: 

No one had any idea what was going to happen. 

Kate Young: 

Tell me about when you got that call. What were you feeling? How did that obviously change your life? 

Heather Penney: 

We were in a scheduling meeting. I was not scheduled to fly that day, although I desperately hoped that I would have, because I loved flying. I was a young wingman. It was my job to fly, fly, fly. But I’m in a scheduling meeting. One of our enlisted troops, David “Chunks” Callahan just comes walking in and says, “An aircraft hit the World Trade Center.” We all got up and we walked to the squadron bar where our television was, and that’s where we saw the images that everyone else saw, of the towers burning, and the replay footage of the airliners hitting the towers. 

We knew we had to get airborne, and we knew we had to protect, but the problem for us was that as the DC National Guard, we didn’t have the chain of command that could authorize us to launch. The other problem is that because we were not on an alert unit, the United States after the fall of the Soviet Union had just cut the Air Force in half literally, and dropped all of our alert units. We didn’t have any missiles. We had no live ordinance on board, so we had two problems. We had to get the authorization to launch, and we had to get live weapons on the aircraft. 

Kate Young: 

Did anyone ever think it was an accident maybe that someone flew into the World Trade Center? You guys knew? 

Heather Penney: 

When Chunk said the first time, “Hey, an airplane flew into the World Trade Center,” we looked at each other, and we’re like, “How does that happen?” We thought it was a light aircraft just flying up and down the Hudson, and took a wrong turn, and bounced off a building. We didn’t take it seriously until he came back the second time and said it was on purpose. That was when we saw the images. It was very clear this could not be an accident. It was very clear that our nation was under attack. 

Kate Young: 

How did they choose who was going to go up there? How were you chosen to do that? 

Heather Penney: 

In the squadron that morning, we had a very skeleton crew because we had just come back from a long deployment, and as a guard unit, most of our pilots were part-timers, so they’re airline pilots. They were off on their jobs. As a matter of fact, we only had enough personnel in the squadron to send a three ship. We normally send eight ships off to train that morning. 

Marc Sasseville was our director of operations. He was our senior leadership within the squadron that morning, and he was not going to let anyone else lead that mission because when the call came, we knew it was going to be a suicide mission if we were successful. He has a gorgeous wife and wonderful, adorable children, but he was not going to lead from behind. I would love to think that he picked me because I was a good wingman, but I think honestly he probably picked me because I had no family. I didn’t have a spouse, I didn’t have any children. All I had was my dog. I think that was why he chose me, because he told “Raisin” Dan Kane and Brandon Rasmussen, his call center was “Igor”, and they both had families, they were to wait until they had missiles on board. I believe that’s why Sass selected me. 

Kate Young: 

How did you feel when he selected you? What was going through your mind? 

Heather Penney: 

I did not want to get left behind. None of us did. 

Kate Young: 

Everyone was eager to go? 

Heather Penney: 

Everyone was eager to protect and defend. That is our oath. That’s why we exist. I was grateful that he selected me. 

Kate Young: 

What did it feel like getting in that plane that day? 

Heather Penney: 

Can I say this? 

Kate Young: 

Yeah. 

Heather Penney: 

“Don’t f*** it up.” If anything mattered at that moment in time, it was getting it right. I wasn’t trained for this. We don’t train to do suicide missions. I had never been taught how to scramble an airplane, and since then obviously I have, because we now have an alert unit, but the airplanes weren’t ready. They weren’t hot cocked, so we had to make up our procedures on the fly. I was taxiing, my radar wasn’t awake, my missiles weren’t awake. I didn’t have a navigation platform. I wasn’t even strapped into the jet, so I couldn’t have ejected. I didn’t even have my seat belts on. But all that mattered was that we got out there as soon as we could and that we found the airliner that we believed was inbound. Unfortunately, the passengers on flight 93 had already taken control of the airliner, and had already crashed it. 

Kate Young: 

What was going through your mind when you knew that it was a plane crash, and you couldn’t do anything more about it? 

Heather Penney: 

We didn’t find out that flight 93 had been downed. Sass took us out, I don’t know how far, because I didn’t have navigations, but probably a little over 100 miles. We went out to the northwest over the Pennsylvania countryside. We didn’t see any smoke, which is surprising because we should have, but I don’t recall seeing any smoke, and then turned us around, because we had sanitized the airspace. 

We couldn’t afford to go any further out, because if we were even just a little bit off on our axis, we could have allowed the airliner to flank us and we didn’t know that it was down. Once we had sanitized the airspace from the direction that we believed the airliner was coming from, Sass took us back to DC to fly the combat air patrol. Then we set up a combat air patrol with the counter rotating cap centered over Reagan National, and then the quits from Langley. Some F-16s who were flying alert from Langley showed up. They capped up at 18,000 feet and they had missiles, so then my anxiety started to go down. Igor and Raisin got airborne, and so then we switched up the cap from there. Potomac approach was phenomenal. 

This is just an amazing story of how ordinary people rise to extraordinary circumstances, stealing that quote from Admiral Halsey, “Bull” Halsey from World War II. Potomac Approach is air traffic control, and their normal job is to separate airliners and put them all on little highways to take them down for safe landing. Now, here Sass and Raisin are asking air traffic control to bring aircraft together, and start talking fighter pilot language, and using military speak, and they pivoted and did that immediately. They were so mentally agile, and then they started calling out tracks and telling us who they were and where they were going. They helped make sense of what was a confusing airspace, and they were just utterly fantastic. How people pitched in and began to make it all work, even though none of it was planned, it was all ad hoc, but people just did what needed to be done. 

Kate Young: 

I’m sure after hearing this, it wouldn’t surprise you that our entire podcast team was in absolute awe of Heather and her story. It was so silent in that airport hangar, you could hear a pin drop. We were all mesmerized and we can’t thank Heather enough for sharing her story on This Is Purdue. To end our conversation, I asked why this brave, relentless, heroic Purdue alumna was proud to be a Boilermaker. 

Heather Penney: 

Why wouldn’t I be proud to be a Boilermaker? All the things that we’ve talked about, what a Boilermaker means, what Purdue means, everything that we stand for, the excellence, the research, the innovation, the creativity and the thought. Also, if you look at just how Purdue is trying to make education affordable to the broader population, and keeping the costs down, that to me is an important piece of the legacy as well, is just that pragmatic view of how we can take education, make it available and accessible to people so that they can grow in their own lives and their own future. 

There’s so much about Purdue that is meaningful to me, not just because of the legacy and the heritage that we’ve come from, but what they’ve done since I’ve graduated and the direction that Purdue is going. It’s exciting to be able to call this my alma mater, and exciting to be here, being honored by Purdue, by the College of Liberal Arts as a distinguished alumna, and exciting to see where the university is going. You go out and you meet these kids and you go, “Man, they’re going to go do great things for this world.” 

Kate Young: 

Heather shared so much more in this episode about her Boilermaker experience, her call sign, “Lucky,” and her feature as part of the Big 10 Networks Trailblazer series, and you truly don’t want to miss out on watching this airport hangar interview experience with Heather. Head over to our podcast YouTube page, youtube.com/@ThisIsPurdue, to see the full video interview. 

Our next episode features something we can all relate to, food. David Graves, President of Pizza Hut US, is a Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business alum. Okay, this was one of my favorite episodes of the year because our podcast team got to take a little field trip. The team went to meet David in his element, right inside a Pizza Hut in Lebanon, Indiana. Not only did we get to chat with the president of Pizza Hut US, we also got to watch him in action, helping to make his favorite pizza back in the kitchen. Here’s David on how he got involved in the food and restaurant industry. Plus, you’ll hear the behind the scenes details of Pizza Hut’s history and David’s favorite pies. 

David Graves: 

I think everybody loves food. I love food. We’re in a restaurant. Think about, I’m blessed to sell pizza. When you talk to people, I tell people, “Hey, I sell pizza.” I have 11-year-old daughter, and her friends come over and they think that I work at pizza is the coolest thing, and we talk about new pizzas that could come out. Everybody loves food, and I’m no different. I love cooking. I have a bad habit of collecting cookbooks and reading them like real books. I think my wife would like me to have a few less cookbooks. 

Really for me, I had been at Proctor and Gamble for a while. I was starting to think about doing something different, and this opportunity came up back in the Midwest at KFC, which is this iconic brand that I had grown up with and it was like this opportunity to go reimagine this brand. I just thought, “That sounds cool. That’s really fun, and I love food. Let’s go for it.” That’s how I ended up coming into the restaurant industry. 

What I’ll say that I don’t think I appreciated fully at the time is, the restaurant industry, everybody loves food. Lots of people that come into the restaurant industry, they love food, but it’s really a people industry. You have this incredible opportunity to impact people, both through giving them delicious food, and connecting people through the joy of food, but also building careers and developing people. When you talk to people that are in the restaurant industry and they’ve been there for a long time, the thing that you’ll find is, the thing that keeps people there is really the people. It’s a people industry, and frankly, that’s what makes it a lot of fun because you can connect with people, impact people, and build incredible relationships. 

Kate Young: 

David’s right. Most people love food, including me. I love the connection you feel going to a restaurant to catch up with friends, or having a fancy date night to celebrate something big. Most people out there love pizza. There’s usually so many memories tied to pizza too, when you really think about it. Childhood birthday parties, going out for a good report card, late nights in college, and then much earlier nights in adulthood when you simply just don’t feel like cooking. As I mentioned previously in this episode, our This Is Purdue podcast team had the chance to go behind the scenes in this Lebanon Pizza Hut kitchen with David himself. 

David Graves: 

Should we go back and check these things out? 

Speaker 6: 

Yeah. We got a large [inaudible 00:25:02] of half cheese, half [inaudible 00:25:03] just come out on top. We’ve got a large hand-tossed Hawaiian down here for- 

David Graves: 

That’s yours. 

Speaker 6: 

There you go. 

David Graves: 

Pineapple belongs on pizza. That’s what- 

Speaker 6: 

I agree. I’m a connoisseur. 

Kate Young: 

I agree. 

Speaker 6: 

I would’ve agreed. If it would’ve had barbecue it would’ve been better. 

David Graves: 

Oh, there’s a Big New Yorker coming out. 

Speaker 6: 

We put out a big New Yorker out there for you. Why not do that? Then I heard this one is your personal favorite, with the pepperoni, the jalapeno, and lots of cheese for you. 

David Graves: 

Look at it when it comes to Kurt [inaudible 00:25:28]. See, this is why you’ve got to get it right out of the oven. You see, it’s bubbling. 

Kate Young: 

Oh my goodness. A little background on Pizza Hut. In 1958, two brothers borrowed $600 from their mom to open a pizza place in Wichita, Kansas. They named it Pizza Hut because their sign only had room for eight letters. Today, this iconic pizza brand has more than 16,000 restaurants and 350,000 team members in more than 100 countries. 

David had the team try a few different pies, including the 16-inch New York style pizza, the Big New Yorker, which recently returned to their menu after its initial launch 24 years ago. From thin crust, to hand tossed, to the iconic pan crust, to new innovations like their Pizza Hut Melts, a cheesy, crispy melt loaded with toppings and paired with a dipping sauce, our team had the chance to sample quite a bit. By the way, we were eating these delicious creations at around 10:00 AM, but nobody seemed to mind. 

Speaker 7: 

[inaudible 00:26:28] on the way. We got a Pepsi product, so Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, lemonade [inaudible 00:26:35], and the peach sweet tea, and a coffee, and a wine and beer. [inaudible 00:26:37]. 

David Graves: 

It’s 10:20 in the morning. This is probably the earliest you’ve ever eaten pizza. 

Kate Young: 

Amazing. 

David Graves: 

I’m going to try this one too, because this is, we just launched this yesterday. 

Kate Young: 

Oh, is this the New Yorker? 

Speaker 7: 

This is your water for you, okay? 

Kate Young: 

Thank you so much. 

Speaker 7: 

You’re welcome. 

David Graves: 

People are loving it, but I haven’t been home, so I haven’t tried one from a store yet. 

Kate Young: 

Look at how big that piece is. Now, all of it was delicious, but when I had a bite of that simple classic cheese pan pizza, the memories came flooding back. Does anyone remember Pizza Huts Book It program from elementary school? I sure do. The Book It program is the nation’s longest running corporate supported literacy program and impacts more than 14 million students each year. What’s the crust difference between when we’re looking at all these? 

David Graves: 

This is a hand tossed, hand stretched, hand tossed dough. Thin crust is obviously a really thin, crispy crust. This is stretched by hand to the size. This is a 16-inch pizza that they stretched, and then that’s pan dough. Pan dough is proofed dough that raises, so they put it in a proofer, it raises overnight, and then that’s how you get this big, big pan dough. 

Kate Young: 

This reminds me of childhood. 

David Graves: 

Yeah, this is the iconic Pizza Hut Pizza, but what people don’t know is that, that and personal pan pizzas right through Book It, but the thin crust is the original pizza that started. The very first Pizza Hut in Wichita that the Carney brothers started on was the thin crust pizza. 

Kate Young: 

Why is this Purdue alum proud to be a Boilermaker? 

David Graves: 

It’s an incredible place that prepares incredible leaders. You look at the types of things that have been accomplished by Boilermakers all over the world. To be able to be a part of that community is really a privilege. 

Kate Young: 

Be sure to check out this full video interview on YouTube to see our interview with David right inside Pizza Hut. Plus, he dives into how Purdue prepared him to work on global brands such as Pampers, Pantene, and KFC, his favorite advertising and marketing initiatives over the years, including working with actor Craig Robinson of The Office, and using Pizza Hut’s brand nostalgia to bring its marketing into today’s modern age. You don’t want to miss it. 

Next up is our now annual Indianapolis 500 themed episode. You may remember our interview back in May of 2022 with Purdue Mechanical engineering alumna, Angela Ashmore. This Boilermaker made history as the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500 as a member of the winning car’s crew, after driver Marcus Ericsson won the 106th running of the Indy 500 in the Chip Ganassi racing number eight Huski Chocolate Honda. This year for 2023, we knew we had to interview another Purdue alum who was involved in the Indy car circuit, and we actually had the opportunity to interview two alums, Mike Koenigs and Matt Kuebel. 

Okay, can I just put this out there? I truly think this podcast is good luck because, you guessed it. The Indy car team Mike and Matt work for, the legendary team Penske, won the 2023 Indy 500 with their driver Josef Newgarden. This Is Purdue is two for two here. Matt, who graduated in 2022 with his mechanical engineering degree, and Mike, an aeronautical and astronomical engineering alum who graduated in 2003, discussed their Purdue College of Engineering journeys and what it’s like working for one of the most well-known iconic teams in motor sports. These two Boilermakers worked on all three team Penske Indy car entries that competed in the 2023 Indie 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Josef Newgarden, Will Power, and Scott McLaughlin. Here’s Matt, who is a design engineer for Team Penske on the emphasis placed on the Indy 500. 

Matt Kuebel: 

I do know that it means a lot to a lot of people to win the 500. It is just such a special thing, and for it to be in Indiana, the historic factor of the 500, just the worldwide well-known aspect of it. You could talk to anybody from in the motor sport world, not even US, but they know about the Indy 500. They will know who wins the Indy 500. To be on a team that has a chance to win the Indy 500, it makes me feel very, very … It makes me feel really good. I definitely wouldn’t have got here if I wouldn’t have chosen to go to Purdue. 

Kate Young: 

Here’s Indy car veteran and Team Penske aerodynamicist Mike, explaining why the Indy 500 is the pinnacle of professional motor sports races. 

Mike Koenigs: 

Indie 500 is a special race, in of it is how hard it is to win, and how many people try. The amount of effort and work that goes into it is pretty intense. One, we are successful, and I’ve been successful handful of times. It is pretty special in terms of which driver wins it, because we know them personally, and you know that a lot of them have been striving for long term in their careers. It’s basically, especially here, it can be a career pinnacle achievement. It’s special for everyone, but here it has that little bit more of a significance, and just knowing the amount of work that all the guys do. 

I don’t know other teams are, but we have a fair amount of interaction with mechanics, and the truck drivers, and all the support staff, and everything that goes into the car, from the people in the car shop to our painters. From that standpoint, every day you see how much work everyone puts into it, and it is a truly collective effort. From that standpoint, it is really satisfying. Sometimes, you may be completely exhausted as we watch the race with all the effort you put into it, and you may not have the right perspective in what you’ve done or whatever and feel satisfied, but you are always satisfied for everybody else, and you’re always happy for everybody else as well. 

It is a large amount of celebration for it, and personally, it’s been a pretty high pinnacle of achievement for me, and to be happy to be part of so many wins. But then at the same time, like I was saying, we essentially turn the page Monday, and start focusing on next year, and try to figure out what we didn’t do right this year and try to improve upon that, and what we did right, we try to magnify or amplify for the next year. 

Kate Young: 

Be sure to go back and check out the full episode so you can hear more from these Boilermaker Indy car engineers. You’ll hear more about the persistence, grit, and attention to detail required to be part of a winning Indy 500, team and how their Purdue education set them up for success in the professional motor sports world. Stay tuned for who we interview in 2024 because, you never know. We just may feature someone from the Indy 500 winning team for a third year in a row. 

Our next episode features a woman whose Boilermaker pride shines every day. Tiffini Grimes is a proud Purdue alumna, and Purdue’s deputy athletics director and senior woman administrator. In this interview, Tiffany shared more about her career journey, as she made her way from law school and then worked in athletics departments for universities like Georgia Institute of Technology, Penn State University, University of Alabama, and finally back home to Purdue. Tiffini, who was named part of Sports Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2022, and part of The Athletic’s College Sports 40 Under 40 list, shares advice on what she would say to other women who are pursuing careers in fields that are still traditionally male-dominated. 

Tiffini Grimes: 

I don’t think it should be a barrier. Sometimes I wonder, we talked about this at the Purdue Women’s Network breakfast, and I wonder at times if the barrier is in our own mind. Part of it, and again, I credit my parents because I didn’t even know that that should slow me down. Not that I haven’t faced it, not that I haven’t seen it as plain as day, but in my mind, I think, “That’s a you problem. That’s not a me problem.” I can sit at the table, I’m going to be just as prepared as my male counterparts. I’m going to be just as cerebral. I’m going to be just as innovative, and in some cases, probably more. 

You have to make sure you come to the table with substance and credibility. Anyone who thinks that, “I shouldn’t be there because I’m a woman,” that’s a them problem. That’s not on me. That’s how my family taught me to think. I also think that plays into not taking no for an answer. It really plays into a competitive mindset and a championship spirit. You lose a game. That doesn’t define who you are. That means we work harder, we find another way, we don’t get complacent. I use all of those thoughts and that perspective to forge me ahead. 

What I will say, is that I take the responsibility with great honor. Just because I feel that it’s not a barrier, doesn’t mean that the next woman does, or that that individual is at a space in her career where she could say something about it if it became too much of a barrier. Making sure that I’m always checking in on the women in our department, and finding and trying to identify opportunities for them to develop and grow is something that I take very, very seriously. 

I will say this, what I have found in the past seven years is that actually being a woman is my superpower. There is not one table that I feel like I don’t belong at anymore. Part of that is the confidence that Purdue instilled in me, and my family instilled in me, but when I sit in these spaces, what I realize is that there are things that I can say to our male coaches, and staff members, and our male student athletes that my male counterparts just can’t. 

Kate Young: 

Another theme Tiffini touched on was the balance between Purdue’s world-class academics and excellent athletics culture. 

Tiffini Grimes: 

We play sports for the day that we can, and this is a talent that a lot of young people, we have over 500 student athletes. It’s a talent that they have and they’re able to utilize their talent to obtain what I believe to be the best education in the country, in the world, for that matter. Then, when the ball stops bouncing, when you’re not on the track anymore, when you’re not taking a lap in the pool, what do you stand with? I think a Purdue degree is a pretty great thing to have, to forge you ahead the next 40, 60, 70 years of your life. 

Kate Young: 

As for being back at Purdue, surrounded by the Boilermaker spirit, Tiffini shares her thoughts on why Purdue is such a special place. 

Tiffini Grimes: 

The people. It boils down to the people. Never before have I seen or worked at an institution where the line for students is two hours backed up before gates open. Never before have I worked at an institution where you aren’t trying to strategize with marketing on how to get your students to stay for four quarters. It’s just the Purdue way, and our students and our supporters are kind and good fans. A lot of sportsmanship at Purdue, a lot of class at Purdue, but we’re going to be unapologetic about cheering on our team. We’re not going to disrespect yours, but we’ll cheer for ours louder than you ever imagined. I think that’s what makes it really special. 

I’ll add to that, it’s also a special place when you see alums that are bringing their families back for the first time and introducing their children into a place where they had so many amazing memories as a student. I also think it’s great when we gain new fans that have no prior affinity or connection to the institution, but athletics has this ability to be, for lack of a better phrase, the front porch of the institution. Every time the black and old gold is on display, in whatever sport it is, that’s a national audience. If our number one ranked men’s basketball team can introduce Purdue to some young person who’s looking for a top national university, then that’s a lot of pride. That’s a lot of pride and a great responsibility that I think we have. We feel honored to hold. 

Kate Young: 

Check out Tiffini’s full episode by visiting purdue.edu/podcast to hear more. She discusses the deep pride she feels in pursuing her next giant leap at her alma mater, why working with Purdue’s student athletes on their experiences both on and off the field is so special to her, and much more. 

Bruce Barker: 

(Singing) Love you, boilermakers. 

Kate Young: 

Finally, you didn’t think we could have an episode of our greatest hits without including Purdue’s Piano Man, did you? Our Bruce Barker episode came out in October, and it was an extra special episode for a few reasons. One, the podcast team was able to go onsite and interview Bruce in his element at the Neon Cactus. Two, our team also got to attend his live show later that night, and three, this Boilermaker legend is retiring at the end of 2023. We had the chance to celebrate his career and the impact he’s made on so many Boilermakers over the past 30 years. 

Now, if you haven’t been to one of Bruce’s shows before, or maybe it’s just been a while and you need a refresher, this Purdue alum plays the piano and sings popular songs from pop to country to rock and roll. But these aren’t your average throwback songs. See, many of them have a Bruce Barker twist. Like “Wagon Wheel”, for example. There’s an addition that show goers like to add to the course. 

Bruce Barker: 

(Singing). Who’s loving it? (Singing) I think they’re singing about your date there, Kate. 

Kate Young: 

Yes, you heard that right. I just got very publicly shamed by the piano man himself for marrying an IU Hoosier. Yeah, I guess I deserve it. Then there’s the late Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville.” 

Bruce Barker: 

(Singing) We’re all clapping. We’re clapping and singing. (Singing) Whose fault is it? (singing) 

Kate Young: 

Another one of Jimmy’s songs, “Come Monday.” 

Bruce Barker: 

(singing) 

Kate Young: 

In this episode, Bruce reflects on the time he realized his shows at the Neon Cactus were becoming quite popular. 

Bruce Barker: 

It used to be like the first night when I made 17 bucks. You hoped that people would just keep trying you out, but there became a time when you get here at 7:00, and the lines are already formed, and you’re like, “They’re not here because of the drink specials or they want to run to the dance floor.” What an amazing, and I know you don’t know me very well, but I hope that I come across as humble because I’ve always just been so thankful and appreciative that a thousand people on a Thursday plan their night around me. What an amazing, amazing gift and blessing. 

Kate Young: 

Bruce also shared his thanks to his beloved fans as he reflects on retiring at the end of this year. 

Bruce Barker: 

Again, there’s no way to say thank you enough. There’s no words, but I hope that I have conveyed to them just how much I’m thankful, and I am a Boilermaker. I bleed gold and black. I will die a Boilermaker, and I’m so blessed to be a Boilermaker, so I really can’t say thank you enough to them for accepting me and giving me the best job ever. 

Kate Young: 

Be sure to check out this full episode wherever you get your podcast, to hear more about Bruce learning to play the piano for the first time, his Varsity Glee Club experience, favorite moments performing at the Cactus throughout the years and so much more. 

I hope you all enjoyed reflecting on some of our favorite moments from the past year as much as our podcast team did. Now, be sure to tune into part two of our greatest hits of 2023 on Thursday, December 21st. That episode will highlight our inaugural research series, so you’ll hear snippets from each of the four research series episodes. We want to hear from you. What was your favorite This Is Purdue episode from the past year? Share a review on Apple Podcasts, or tag us on social media, @LifeatPurdue, and use the hashtag #ThisIsPurdue, and you could be featured in an upcoming episode. 

This Is Purdue is hosted and written by me, Kate Young. I want to give a special shout out to every Purdue team member who was a part of the podcast throughout this past year. Our podcast videography is led by Ted Shellenberger in collaboration with John Garcia, Thad Boone, Zach Mogenson, Alli Chaney, Matt Kerkhoff, and Jonathan Hord. 

Our social media marketing is led by Maria Welch and Ashley Schroyer. Our podcast distribution strategy is led by Teresa Walker and Carly Eastman. Our podcast photography is led by John Underwood and Rebecca Robinos. Our podcast design is led by Caitlin Freville. Our podcast team project management is led by Rain Gu and Emily Jesulaitis. Our production assistants is led by Dalani Young. Our podcast YouTube promotion is managed by Megan Hoskins and Kirsten Bauman. Additional writing assistance is led by Joel Meredith. Podcast research is led by Sophie Ritz, and our This Is Purdue intern is Carolyn [inaudible 00:45:49]. 

Thanks for listening to This Is Purdue. For more information on this episode, visit our website at purdue.edu/podcast. There, you can head over to your favorite podcast app to subscribe and leave us a review. And as always, boiler up. 

Kate Young:

Hi, I’m Kate Young and you’re listening to This Is Purdue, the official podcast for Purdue University. As a Purdue alum and Indiana native, I know firsthand about the family of students and professors who are in it together, persistently pursuing and relentlessly rethinking who are the next game changers, difference makers, ceiling breakers, innovators? Who are these boilermakers? Join me as we feature students, faculty and alumni, taking small steps toward their giant leaps and inspiring others to do the same.

Professor Kim:

I’ll always have this short phrase or expression, be part of the solution, not the problem. I almost don’t have to give that advice because that’s also the nature of the Purdue students and graduates. Company after companies say that they really like to recruit our students and hire them because that’s actually what happens. They inevitably are part of the solution rather than creating problems and headaches for their companies. They are doers, they get things done, they accomplish things and companies just love them.

Kate Young:

In this episode of This Is Purdue, we’re talking to Sangtae Kim, the Jay and Cynthia Ihlenfeld head of Chemical Engineering and distinguished professor. Professor Kim dives into his family background, including what it was like growing up in a family of educators, his career at Eli Lilly and what led him back to academia to take on the role of leading Purdue university’s Davidson School of Chemical Engineering. Professor Kim also discusses the significance of the growing number of women majoring in chemical engineering and Purdue students’ solutions-oriented mentality. Plus he shares what it means to him to be guiding and mentoring those walking the same shoes that he once did and his admiration for Purdue’s excellence at scale. Professor Kim kicks things off by sharing more about his childhood academic background and journey to Purdue University.

Professor Kim:

I was born in Korea, but at a young age, age seven, I immigrated to Montreal, Canada. My father was pursuing his PhD in mathematics at McGill University. Both my parents are mathematicians, so from a very early age I had an interest in mathematics as well as physics and chemistry and the various disciplines. Also, there are a number of people in my family who are professors. My father’s younger brother was also a professor. My mother used to teach high school mathematics in Korea, so we come from a family of educators. I knew I wanted to be a professor, but I didn’t know exactly which area. But then in high school, I really liked my chemistry course and my high school chemistry teacher introduced me to the field of chemical engineering and encouraged me to study that in college. That’s how I became a chemical engineer. I was also encouraged by my high school teacher to look at some of the top universities in the US.

So from grade 11, which is where high school ends in Montreal, I came to the California Institute of Technology, more commonly known as Caltech, and I did my undergraduate there in the mid-seventies, ’75 to ’79, and then I went on to do a PhD at Princeton University and finished there in early 1983. And then in the first part of my career I went to the University of Wisconsin Madison in the Department of Chemical Engineering and I was there for about 15 years. Then somewhat unexpectedly, I was recruited away to an executive position by the pharmaceutical industry, initially at Park Davis Pharmaceuticals in Ann Arbor, Michigan and then Eli Lilly in Indianapolis. And that’s what brought me closer to Purdue. And in 2003 I had the opportunity to come back to academia and with the opportunity at Purdue, both the mechanical engineering and chemical engineering, and I was the inaugural Fetterson distinguished professor of mechanical engineering and distinguished professor of chemical engineering in 2003.

Kate Young:

Professor Kim dives further into his career at Eli Lilly and why he decided to come back into the world of academia.

Professor Kim:

So in the six years I was in the pharmaceutical industry, I did not work as a chemical engineer. I was actually the executive in charge of research IT at a time when the pharmaceutical world was undergoing a very significant transformation because of the sequencing of the human genome. The so-called genomic revolution was happening at the same time as the IT revolution with the emergence of the internet and the whole idea of distributed computing and distributed information databases connected by the corporate intranet, which would be like the internet inside a company. And so I was in that world helping lead that transformation. After six years of that, the transition was pretty much complete. I looked back to having the exciting life of research in academia and also applying these ideas that I had seen in the pharmaceutical world. Upon my return to academia, Purdue had a very big initiative at the intersection of information technology and engineering, and that was the goal of the Fetterson professorship. And so I saw that as the great opportunity to take what I had learned in industry and apply them again in the academic world.

Kate Young:

Professor Kim highlights a few mentors who helped steer his education and career path.

Professor Kim:

Definitely Mr. Brown, my high school chemistry teacher, I would consider him my first mentor beyond my immediate family. He had an interesting history. He originally came from Jamaica and he always regretted not taking the opportunity to go to Caltech when he was a young man. And so I think when he saw students in his class who he thought would benefit from that opportunity, he would encourage us to look beyond our immediate neighborhood and the region near the school and look at great universities elsewhere. And so without Mr. Brown, I probably would not have gone on to Caltech and probably would not have been a chemical engineer. And then once in academia, as I mentioned, I chose Wisconsin because of its reputation. So there is a professor who just passed away in the year 2020, Professor Bob Bird. He goes by his nickname Bob, Robert was his actual name.

So Bob Bird was one of the legendary figures in the world of chemical engineering. Along with two co-authors, he created a landmark textbook known as Transport Phenomena, which brought that subject into the field of chemical engineering in the early 1960s. And I was recruited to Wisconsin to inherit that legacy as the original trio of Bird, Stewart, and Lightfoot were approaching retirement age. And then as I mentioned, the unexpected transition into the pharmaceutical world because of the IT and genomic revolution. I had an amazing three years at Park Davis Pharmaceuticals. It was one of the most successful periods in the history of that company, but in the year 2000, the company was acquired by Pfizer and I thought, well, that was an exciting three years and now I’ll just go back to the university world. But Dr. August Watanabe, usually goes by the name of Gus Watanabe, who was president of Lilly Research, convinced me to come to Eli Lilly after my three years at Park Davis, the actual challenge of joining Lilly at the time, in the year 2000, Lilly had unexpectedly lost a patent protection on Prozac.

And so I saw Lilly as an opportunity to see a different set of challenges. At Park Davis, the company was doing so well because of the launch of one of the greatest products in the history of the pharmaceutical world, namely Atorvastatin, also known as Lipitor. I think that eventually reached peak sales of about 14 billion a year. So the company was obviously going to do very, very well and was using that money to build up a world-class research organization. Lilly was in some sense the opposite challenge. Lilly already had a world-class research organization, largely built on the success of Prozac. Unexpectedly, the patent was lost three years before the expected expiration, and I think at that time Prozac was making about four billion dollars a year, almost all of that toward the end of the product life falls into the bottom line. Basically, the company was going to lose about 12 billion of expected revenues, much of which would be of course funding the research operations and research programs.

And so the challenge at Lilly was how do you keep a great organization through a very lean time, almost like a winter of hibernation until spring comes back. It took about three years to navigate that, and by the end of that three years, it was clear that we had done that successfully. And to this day, of course, Lilly is a very successful and independent company. When I was recruited, that was presented as a challenge. Dr. Watanabe said, “This company wants to stay independent, it’s important to Indiana, and of course all the people there.” The company really felt the answer was innovation, not cost savings through mergers and so on. And so really wanted to execute on that vision, and that’s the reason why I stayed on in the pharmaceutical industry and came to Lilly because that was something I could align with.

Kate Young:

As we heard earlier in this episode, professor Kim completed his undergrad at Caltech and went on to get his PhD from Princeton. I asked him what makes Purdue unique in his eyes after having experiences at these prestigious top tier universities?

Professor Kim:

Well, interesting thing about my career is that all of my education, both at undergraduate and graduate level, was in the small private universities. The undergraduate class at Caltech, every year there’s about 200 students, so the total undergraduate population is only 800. Purdue of course is a land grant university and both the University of Wisconsin and Purdue are land grant universities. And I think I was initially attracted to Wisconsin because of the reputation of the chemical engineering department there. But after I arrived and got infused with the culture and goals and aspirations of a land grant university, I think that was really my calling. So my entire academic career has been at the land grant universities, and of course Purdue right now, I believe we are the best and really the model of the original vision of the Morale Act.

Kate Young:

The Morale Act, also known as the Land-Grant Act Professor Kim just mentioned offered states an opportunity to sell plots of federal land in order to increase US agricultural and engineering expertise. Proceeds from these land sales would help fund the creation of universities that emphasized these subjects, as well as military tactics and classical studies. And Purdue University is Indiana’s sole land grant institution. Land grant universities are problem solvers and they were designed to give working class Americans their first chance at a college education. And you’ll hear more from Professor Kim on the boilermaker problem solving mentality and why companies recruit Purdue students for this very reason later on in the episode. Professor Kim shares one of his earliest memories from Purdue, which involved then Purdue President Martin Jischke.

Professor Kim:

One of my earliest memories of Purdue is one of my favorite memories because it really aligns with my thoughts about creating a world-class organization for education and research and so on. And it’s the president of Purdue who was here when I was recruited, and that’s Martin Jischke. Martin Jischke was also an engineer. I think his original field was aerospace engineering. I remember one of the faculty members asking him in one of the Q and A sessions, what are the metrics that you use to evaluate faculty and to create incentives for people to do better and become better and so on. He had a surprising answer. He told us that he doesn’t like to use metrics, and specifically he does not like to tell people what the metrics are, because his experience with engineers is once you tell them what the metrics are, they will game the system to get those metrics up.

And so you have to be very careful and strategic in setting a course for excellence. I think this is a very common theme nowadays, but he was way ahead of his time in his wisdom and understanding this. Today, the world of higher education is replete with stories of less than optimal behavior on the part of faculty and students or dysfunctional behavior because it’s all about number of papers and citations and this, but the thing you really want is impact. And so usually these numbers do align, which is why they became the metrics. But if you use them without thinking through the actual end game or the actual impact that you want to have, then you can end up in a situation with great metrics but not the impact.

Kate Young:

I asked Professor Kim how he thinks the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering has changed throughout the years.

Professor Kim:

One of the things that’s definitely changed, and I can’t take the full credit for it, was actually started by my predecessors two heads before myself. The idea that the main challenges and opportunities in chemical engineering are now really societal transformation. For example, the transformation of our energy infrastructure from fossil fuels to renewable energies. This is a very difficult technological transition. I predict it’ll take about 50 to 100 years to execute on that transformation and doing it in a way that leaves our civilization intact and without a lot of suffering. It’s not something that a single professor can do on their own. It takes teams of many different specialties, and beyond chemical engineering, collaboration with other disciplines in other fields.

And so I think the biggest change that I’ve seen in the past decade is our ability of our faculty to form these winning teams. Because typically the federal government programs to support such research are on the order of 40 to 100 million dollars type awards as opposed to, say, hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars for a single faculty member. So there’s a specific set of strategies that work very well to make sure that our proposals from our teams at Purdue have better than equal chance of winning. We want to be competitive and win more than our share of those awards. And I think the past decade in our field, in our department, in our school, the record shows that we’ve been very successful and certainly much higher than simple statistics of the number of entries and proposals.

Kate Young:

Are you a fan of Purdue basketball? Need something to help you get your Boiler fix before the next big game? Check out the Boiler Ball podcast to stay in the know and get inside stories all about the Purdue basketball program and beyond. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Professor Kim says his favorite course to teach is the Junior Fluid Mechanics course, which is actually his original research area. He expands on why it’s rewarding to be a professor surrounded by eager young students, and how the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering has grown throughout the years.

Professor Kim:

It was the same area that I was recruited to teach at Wisconsin back in the early 1980s. At Purdue, I teach this chemical engineering course, the Fluids course. It’s the fall semester of the junior year, and we offer this course both semesters, but it’s the fall semester that is the larger class, typically over 100 students. The spring class are the co-op students and other students are off cycle, and that class might be less than a third in number. And so by teaching the course in the fall, I get to meet 75% of our undergraduates in person through the course, and I encourage them to come and see me, not just for help with the class, but to just talk about their career and what they want to do beyond Purdue and so on. And so both in terms of the topic and the way I teach it, but also the opportunities to interact with the students.

So we have almost 600 undergraduates in our program and the fact that three quarters of them have had a course with me. I have an email from a student who took the course three years ago asking for a letter of reference. He’s actually working in industry, but thinking of going on to grad school. And since I know who he is and I have my notes of my interactions with him, I’m more than happy to provide a reference. And so that’s why I like to teach this class because it gives me the day-to-Day contact with the students.

Kate Young:

What’s it like seeing them learn this chemical engineering and these courses? Through their eyes, you’re kind of seeing that?

Professor Kim:

Well, the immediate economic impact, because I like to remind our younger faculty that if you step back and look at the big picture, when they come into our program as sophomores, the value of their time, so for example, if they have a part-time job in the local stores or restaurants and so on, it’s basically around minimum wage or a bit better than that. So we’re talking about someone whose time is valued at 10 to $15 an hour. The range of starting salaries for chemical engineering graduates only three years later is somewhere in the 80 to 100,000 dollars per year. That’s their starting salary. And so if you change that to an hourly basis and roughly that’s about $50 an hour, so the value of their time has gone up by a factor of four or five in just three years. That is the value just in simple economic terms.

Now, of course, there are other factors that are beyond that, but just that alone, and then you multiply that by the 150 to 200 students that we graduate every year, and this is just the start for these young people, they’re going to do even much better than that in a few years. And so the economic impact, and the other curious thing right now is that starting about four or five years ago, the number of chemical engineering students actually declined significantly around the nation, somewhere around 30 to 50% decline at many universities. So Purdue, with our significant increasing engineering numbers, even though the percentage that go on to chemical engineering has shrunk, the total number of engineers has grown so much that the two factors compensate for each other, and so the number of students actually has increased slightly.

And so we’re now one of the biggest, if not the biggest chemical engineering programs in the nation at a time when industry has a lot of need, and there are a lot of positions and openings for chemical engineering graduates. We have large companies coming and telling us that chemical engineering is the only discipline in which they’re not able to meet their recruiting targets. And so we are in a really enviable position having one of the largest, if not the largest program. And so all these companies are now coming to Purdue if they’re looking for chemical engineers.

Kate Young:

Another significant growth metric that Professor Kim has seen throughout his more than two decades at Purdue, the increase in the number of women majoring in chemical engineering.

Professor Kim:

Well, I think first of all, and especially for people listening, I want them to know some amazing numbers and statistics. Because we say something so often that we start believing it must be true, but every year time marches on and things change. So it may surprise you to hear that the percentage of women in chemical engineering in our undergraduate students is 40%. So we’re not talking about 5% or 10%. It’s almost half. 40%. Now, it’s been like that for quite a number of years actually. And so women came into chemical engineering in significant numbers starting in the 1970s. And by the 1980s, certainly by the early 1990s, we were around one third or higher, and some programs even obtained 50/50.

Now, after having large numbers of women in our program, you might think, okay, in many engineering disciplines, yes, in the undergraduate population there are more women. But because of the legacy of having fewer women, if you look at the higher level positions, whether it’s in industry or whether it’s the upper levels of the university, like the higher rank, full professors or chair professors and so on, that the numbers certainly would be smaller. But after having women for so many years and large numbers in chemical engineering, you’re starting to see even at the highest levels of achievement, the fraction of women is no longer token one or 2% or 5%.

So just to give you one statistic, the National Academy of Engineering announced the 2023 elections of the new members of the National Academy of Engineers. This is the highest honor that the engineering community can bestow an engineer both in industry and in academia. And by the rules of the academy, fewer than 1% of the engineers can be members, and it’s based on a number of criteria and achievements and so on. So it turns out there are two chemical engineering alums in this class of 2023, and both are women.

So we’re not talking about even 40%. We’re talking two out of two, 100%. And I think that’s a message for especially young women who are thinking of engineering that the numbers obviously speak for itself. So definitely I cannot speak for the other branches of engineering since I don’t work in those areas, but certainly in chemical engineering, women who come into chemical engineering, they can look at our success and there’s no shortage of role models, there’s no shortage of success stories, and I think this is the reason why the numbers are basically approaching 50/50.

Kate Young:

Professor Kim has lived in multiple countries and on both the east and west coast in the United States. So why does he continue to stay in Indiana in this Boilermaker community?

Professor Kim:

So I think in general, I am very happy in the Midwest, even though all of my early childhood and education was on the coast in all my jobs, whether academic or industry have been in the Midwest. I’m very comfortable in the Midwest. I think the Midwest has the friendliest of people. I think people are more polite. Life is just better in the Midwest. I actually have two homes. I have an apartment in West Lafayette, but I also have my home in Indianapolis, same place as when I worked at Eli Lilly. And especially now with our big move into Indianapolis presence for Purdue, you hear stories about, well, faculty say, “Well, I don’t want to commute to Indianapolis to teach a class and so on.” Well, I’ve been commuting from Indianapolis to Purdue for the better part of 20 years. And so if I am involved in meetings in Indianapolis or teaching in Indianapolis, that actually means a shorter commute for me.

Kate Young:

I asked Professor Kim what his favorite part of being a Boilermaker professor is, and I loved his answer for this one.

Professor Kim:

I think the role of an educator and including professor, every day, you’re meeting young people and it also keeps you young. So I actually got my first job as a professor, my offer letter when I was only 23. I started pretty early, and then one day you wake up and you’re no longer in your 20s. That was a long time ago. I’m actually approaching mid-60s now, and so it’s been more than 40 years. But inside me, I am still the same person I was at 23 and interacting with all these young faculty, and they no longer mistake me for a student. But it’s great working with young people and helping them launch successful careers and so on.

Kate Young:

Remember when we discussed land grant universities earlier in this episode? Professor Kim touches on the Purdue culture, which is full of problem solvers. And the advice that he gives, or really the advice he doesn’t have to give Boilermaker students.

Professor Kim:

I’ll always have this short phrase or expression, be part of the solution, not the problem. I almost don’t have to give that advice because that’s also the nature of the Purdue students and graduates. Company after companies say that they really like to recruit our students and hire them because that’s actually what happens. They inevitably are part of the solution rather than creating problems and headaches for their companies. They are doers, they get things done, they accomplish things, and companies just love them. And I think that’s definitely our future as well.

Kate Young:

I asked Professor Kim why he’s proud to be a Boilermaker.

Professor Kim:

Our president, Mung Chang, he coined the phrase, the pinnacle of excellence at scale. For me, that is something that rings especially true because I did my undergraduate at Caltech, which is a great example of excellence at very, very small scale. So if you cherry-pick 200 students only every year, you can create a system where you get very, very good students, exceptional students. They even have the Big Bang Theory comedy about that culture, right?

Kate Young:

Yes.

Professor Kim:

So clearly excellence, but at a very small scale. At the other end of the spectrum, there are large land grant universities where the main philosophy is access. And so obviously the excellence cannot occur when you have such large numbers or so it’s usually believed. But Purdue is this simultaneous combination of scale and excellence. I think for several years in a row now, we’ve been ranked as one of the top five college of engineering, and yet among those top five highly ranked colleges of engineering, we are the only one in the top 10 in terms of size. So if you consider simultaneously the scale in which we operate and the excellence, that’s pretty rare, and I think I’m very proud of Purdue’s distinction in that regard.

Kate Young:

Professor Kim ends our conversation with his admiration for Purdue Global. Purdue University’s accredited and affordable online solution designed for the working adult with life experience and often some college credit, but no degree.

Professor Kim:

When we think of Purdue, obviously we think of our historic campus here in West Lafayette. I think, and even though we will continue to excel and do our best, I think what we have done in terms of adult education and giving people a second chance, I think that is the strength of the United States. In many countries in the world, you are steered on a certain path at a very young age. If you don’t get to the right pre-K or the right kindergarten or the right elementary school, you’re doomed and your fate is sealed. But this nation is a nation of multiple chances and people who persevere can do whatever they want. And so you think about the large numbers of people who didn’t have, for whatever reason, didn’t have the opportunity to get a college degree.

And I think Purdue Global is probably one of the boldest things that have happened in the world of land grant universities in the past decade, maybe in the past half a century. And it is an experiment that’s ongoing, but already we’re starting to see exceptional stories of young people and adults, mid-career people whose lives have been transformed by that additional chance to get that college degree. And I think we should be very proud of that. And in the future, I think the original Purdue, the land grant University, with its original mission and this new challenge of incorporating more adults into the higher education world, we will find new ways and new paths to greatness.

Kate Young:

That’s incredible. And by the way, if you haven’t listened to our incredible This Is Purdue episode with Purdue Global Chancellor Frank Dooley yet, I recommend checking that out to learn more about Purdue Global. We can’t thank Professor Kim enough for his time in sharing those stories with us. Head over to our podcast YouTube page, youtube.com/@thisispurdue to watch our video clips from his interview. And remember, follow us on your favorite podcast platform, including YouTube to never miss an episode.

This Is Purdue is hosted and written by me, Kate Young. At this special podcast shoot during the annual President’s Council weekend in Naples, Florida, our podcast team consisted of Ted Shellenberger, Jon Garcia, Becky Rubinos, and Trevor Peters. Our social media marketing is led by Ashley Shroyer and Maria Welch. Our podcast distribution is led by Theresa Walker and Carly Eastman. Our podcast design is led by Caitlin Freeville.

Our podcast team project manager is Rain Gu. Our podcast YouTube promotion is managed by Megan Hoskins and Kirsten Bowman. Additional writing assistance is led by Joel Meredith, and podcast research is led by Sophie Ritz. Thanks for listening to This Is Purdue. For more information on this episode, visit our website at purdue.edu/podcasts. There you can head over to your favorite podcast app to subscribe and leave us a review. And as always, boiler up.

Kate Young: 

Hi, I’m Kate Young and you are listening to This is Purdue, the official podcast for Purdue University. As a Purdue alum and Indiana Native, I know firsthand about the family of students and professors who are in it together persistently pursuing and relentlessly rethinking. Who are the next game changers, difference makers, ceiling breakers, innovators, who are these boilermakers? Join me as we feature students, faculty, and alumni taking small steps toward their giant leaps and inspiring others to do the same. 

Monica Keyes: 

I often describe it as, it’s the dance that brings me. If there had not been a Purdue, there wouldn’t have been a Leroy Keyes, and there certainly wouldn’t have been a Monica, Courtland, and Colin Keyes. So Purdue means a great deal to us, ever faithful, ever true, it’s our own Purdue. 

Speaker 3: 

This man is a champion, he is one of the most versatile and exciting players to come on the college football scene in many years. Number 23 is Leroy Keyes, the All-American everything from Purdue, Keyes has boosted the Boilermakers to the top of the national ranking. On the next two plays, Leroy Keyes gets the kind of blocking that coaches and runners dream about. Another Purdue touchdown is just icing on the cake as the Boilermakers with a fantastic Leroy Keyes leading the way chalk up a lob side at 43 to six victory over Northwestern to remain at the top of the college football ranking. 

Kate Young: 

In this episode of This is Purdue, we’re talking to Monica Keyes, wife of the late Purdue football icon, Leroy Keyes. Now, even if you aren’t a Purdue Athletic super fan, I’m guessing you’ve heard the name Leroy Keyes before. See, Leroy wasn’t just celebrated as one of the best Boilermaker athletes of all time, he was celebrated for his character and who he was as a person. His outreach stretched far and wide, and his family, friends and the organizations that knew him best remember him as a great football player, of course, but an even greater person. 

And if you are a long time This is Purdue listener, you know Leroy has been mentioned in a few of our previous episodes, so we were incredibly grateful for the opportunity to speak to his wife Monica at the annual President’s Council weekend in Naples, Florida. Monica shares more about how she and Leroy met in her hometown of Philadelphia as Leroy was playing in the NFL for the Eagles, why their family moved back to West Lafayette, how she became a Boilermaker herself after getting her master’s in nursing at Purdue, and how Leroy’s legacy continues to live on today. Monica kicks off our conversation with the story of how she met her beloved late husband, and this story involves a church bowling league. 

Monica Keyes: 

Leroy and I met in Philadelphia, as many of your listeners will know or recall, Leroy was a third round draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles. His home was Newport News, Virginia and when he went to Philadelphia, he decided to make that his home. When I met Leroy, I had joined his bowling league, he had been bowling for years as a league bowler, I knew nothing about him and a senior citizen from my church asked me, “would you be willing to bowl?” 

So I started bowling and Leroy and I, the first night of league bowling we’re wearing the same color shirt, I can’t recall the colors verbatim, but let’s say it was orange the first Monday night. The following Monday night, he had on a magenta shirt, I had on a magenta shirt. The following Monday night, he had on a chartreuce, really an unusual color for a man, but he had that on and so did I. And so we created a conversation for he and I and then he’s, of course, asking me now, “well, how’s your average?” And different things like that, so we’re talking each week around this same outfit. 

The fourth week, he was late and because I’m looking for my twin, if you will, in the bowling alley, and I said, “why are you late?” And he says, “I’m late for bowling tonight because I was in a golf outing.” So he was the first African-American male that I knew that golfed with the regularity that he golfed and he was just so confident in who he was and what he was sharing with me. So that’s where we met, was in the bowling alley, and then it was a very competitive, fun, I was learning how to bowl, but a very good learner and was doing very well with my team. And so he and I began to have little small wagers, “I’ll bet you a Coke,” and that’s how our relationship grew. The senior citizen, when we announced that we were going to get married, she said, “I knew you all were in love before you all did,” and it was the cutest thing. 

Kate Young: 

She gets the credit there. 

Monica Keyes: 

She gets the credit. Yes, Chris Tucker, what a sweet lady. 

Kate Young: 

Big kudos to Chris Tucker for that introduction. After playing four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, Leroy played one season with the Kansas City Chiefs before retiring from his professional football career due to injuries. Following his time in the NFL, he served as a desegregation specialist for the City of Philadelphia School District for 16 years and then he had an opportunity to come back home to Purdue. In 1995, Leroy and Monica made the move to West Lafayette after he received an offer as a running backs coach under then head football coach Jim Colletto. 

Monica Keyes: 

We made that move back in 1995, Leroy was given an opportunity by former athletic director Morgan Burke to come back to the university, his beloved alma mater, where he would be able to coach the running backs. As most listeners would recall, Leroy was a stellar running back as well as a defensive back, and so to have the privilege to work with these student athletes, I would rank that, next to marrying me, the highlight of his life. No, he really truly loved these student athletes, and so when Morgan offered him the opportunity, it was a wonderful experience. 

He coached, his first year, Mike Alstott, who was one to actually break his record. So he had longstanding records from the mid-sixties right on up to 1995 and that was a joy for him, he was thrilled for Mike because Mike was doing something and bringing some real positive energy and attention to the university. And so he was really proud of him that he was the young man that broke his record, they certainly had a nice friendship even beyond Mike’s undergraduate career. 

Kate Young: 

And so you weren’t from Indiana? 

Monica Keyes: 

No, ma’am, I am absolutely 100% a Philadelphian, would not have moved, probably left the Philadelphia area had it not been for Leroy, but what a wonderful decision it was for us to move here. 

Kate Young: 

What did it feel like moving into this community not knowing that much about Purdue, right? 

Monica Keyes: 

No, I didn’t, in fact, when I first met Leroy as we’re getting to know one another, he’s wearing a Purdue sweatshirt one day and I’m like, “Purdue, what is that?” So he said, “that’s my alma mater.” I said, “well, is it an Ivy League school?” So I fell in just like so many people around the country not realizing that it’s quite an awesome Big 10 school, a great place to be educated and a great place to be from, so it’s really cool. 

Kate Young: 

Monica reminisces on the first time she ventured to Indiana with Leroy. 

Monica Keyes: 

The first memory that I have with Leroy was actually my first time coming to Indiana, which would’ve been in, I want to say it was probably ’94, excuse me, it would’ve been in fall of ’94. And when we came, I had never been to a Big 10 school, I went to a historical back college, Hampton Institute, and it was also a land grant college like Purdue University. So when I got here and could see all that was going on at Purdue, 1869, I believe is the year that Purdue began, 1868 is when Hampton opened and I remember thinking, this is where you went to school, how awesome. But just the campus, the reception that we received, the honor that it was being bestowed upon him as a hall of fame inaugural inductee, it was quite an experience and very different than what we had experienced in Philadelphia. 

He had been, as I said before, a number three draft pick to the Eagles. And unfortunately, Leroy had an achilles tendon injury that kept him from having quite the career that he had here in college. So the way we were sometimes received in Philadelphia is very different than coming home to a place where you’ve left quite a footprint. For me to see that was one of the first big happy experiences that I certainly had here on Purdue’s campus. But many events, many occasions, Purdue family and community has been good for us and was good for us, a great place for us to raise our children, many opportunities that I’m not too sure we would’ve had we stayed in Philadelphia and raised our family. 

Kate Young: 

As you heard, Monica was a bit skeptical about this huge move and rightfully so as she was a Philadelphian at heart. But Monica’s persistence led her to her next giant leap in her career at the time, going back to school to become a nurse practitioner and joined Leroy as a Boilermaker. 

Monica Keyes: 

After coming here, they have a school of nursing here, and so I inquired about an opportunity in master’s level work to see if there was something for me to do, and at that time, they did not have a master’s program. A few years later, I would say 2001 or ’02, the then head of the department, Julie Novak, had partnered with Purdue Northwest to bring a nurse practitioner program to campus. And so fortunately, I was able to join that first cohort and so I finished in 2005 as an adult nurse practitioner, so it was a wonderful thing. 

Kate Young: 

Congrats, that’s awesome. 

Monica Keyes: 

Thank you. And so the experience was awesome, it’s different to go back to graduate school as a wife and a mom of two toddlers, which made studying very interesting, I studied a lot in the middle of the night or very, very early morning. And fortunately, and at the time, I might not have seen it as such a fortunate thing that Leroy was not coaching directly anymore, his affiliation with the athletic department was super important, but thank goodness he wasn’t coaching because the discipline of coaching seems to require 12 to 16 hours a day, the amount of energy that the coaches are putting in to make sure that their teams are prepared and their opponents are studied so well. It’s probably a very fortunate thing for us as a family, my husband helped me a great deal with the babies and the children as they were growing up, it was awesome. 

Kate Young: 

Are you a fan of Purdue basketball? Make sure to check out the BoilerBall Podcast, whether it’s interviews with current or former players, catching up with the current team or hearing from big names in the world of college basketball, the BoilerBall Podcast has you covered, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. 

Following his time as a running back’s coach, Leroy served as an administrative assistant for the Purdue Football Program under Joe Tiller from 1997 to 1999, and then was a member of the John Purdue Club staff until his retirement in 2011. I asked Monica what it means to her and her family that she had stayed in the Purdue community and continued to live in the West Lafayette area even after Leroy retired from the university. 

Monica Keyes: 

It’s funny, when we first came, I thought, we’ll work here for a few years and then he’ll take another coaching job and we’ll keep moving along and coaching and hopefully get to where the person that coached the running back’s before where he did ended up going to the NFL and having a very long coaching career in the NFL. And so this was what I was thinking, that this would be how it would play out for us, so maybe three or five years, and that’s not what happened at all. 

And I do call this home, and it’s surprising to me that I did because initially, I didn’t really want it to be home. But my family moved here, my mother and father came to help us with the children and they were both retired and felt like this would be a great place to be. And then shortly thereafter, my brother moved here and then my sister moved here, so my brother is married to a Virginia Booth Womack who is the director of minority engineering, and then my sister, as I said, came. And so I don’t have family close family in Philadelphia anymore, I have a few cousins like that, so this is home. 

Kate Young: 

That’s special, you made your own family community within the Purdue community. 

Monica Keyes: 

Absolutely. I practice nursing here in town, my fourth season, I actually sold real estate in town for about 10 years, and that was a wonderful time period for me. And so because of that, I established quite a few relationships on my own, I have a good friend, Joy Matson, who is a line eye alum who is very faithful in her support of Purdue universities, libraries, the vet school, and also Purdue Athletics. But she and I became friends and she likes to tell people, “I am a friend of Monica’s, not because of Leroy, I met her first.” And so I have tried to establish a bit of a relationship here in that community, I think it’s pretty good. 

Kate Young: 

Monica shares more about her family, her two bonus children, Raymond and Jacqueline and two sons Colin and Courtland, she said her grandson, Perez, Jacqueline’s son is following in his grandpa Leroy’s footsteps and is very involved with athletics. I asked Monica if Colin and Courtland followed in their dad’s footsteps and played football? 

Monica Keyes: 

My first nursing job was at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in downtown Philadelphia and I worked on a trauma unit. Working on that unit, I saw an awful lot of head injuries and I also saw a lot of fractures, so hip and below fractures and so that was my patient population. And as a result, I found it very difficult to encourage my sons to participate in football. I was willing for them to participate in sports, and so our sons did play some intramural basketball, my oldest son played a little bit of football, but that was more on the middle school level, and that was very challenging for me for him to do that, but they enjoy athletics and they enjoyed it with their dad. So they did watch basketball, did watch football, Leroy being a golfer, and my son, the oldest boy getting his golf club the year he’s born, his very first golf club, he and his father and his younger brother Courtland and Colin began to golf regularly with their dad. 

Sports were a key part of the Keyes household, absolutely. In fact, Colin got his father interested in, of all things, auto racing, so NASCAR as well as Grand Prix, so it was very, very interesting to live in our home and athletics be so important, sports be so important. 

Kate Young: 

One of your sons is a golf pro now? 

Monica Keyes: 

Yes. So our oldest son Courtland is living in Savannah, Georgia, and he’s working as an assistant golf pro, and he’s having a good time enjoying exactly what he’s doing. One of Leroy’s last road trips was with Court to interview down south looking for an opportunity like this, he was very involved with our children, our family, just wanting to see their lives take flight. And so he attended or traveled with Court while he looked for a job down south, and fortunately, he lived long enough to realize his son doing that, and so that was a thrill for our family. 

Kate Young: 

And speaking of golf, Monica shares more about a golf story that morphed into a decades long friendship between Leroy and a local physician. 

Monica Keyes: 

When I had Courtland, this is in 1997, my husband had had a eye surgery August of ’96. And so we had Cortland May of ’97, and a gentleman that I met in the hospital in 1996, Leroy, he had a giant retinal tear, so he had to have eye surgery and it was a physician, he asked me, “what are you doing here?” I worked at the hospital, so we had seen each other in passing, I said, “well, my husband’s in the operating room, they’re trying to salvage his vision.” And he says, “is there anything I can do for you?” I said, “absolutely, do you play golf?” He says, “yes, I do.” I said, “well, if you play golf and he can see, would you golf with him?” And he started golfing with Leroy as soon as Leroy was able the following season, which started in March of ’98, they started golfing together and have forged an awesome friendship. 

Kate Young: 

Monica said this doctor and his wife attend John Purdue clubs, Mollenkopf-Keyes golf outing in Naples each year, thanks to this friendship and connection with Leroy that was formed on a golf course. She explains more about this annual golf outing and what it meant to Leroy. 

Monica Keyes: 

It’s been a wonderful community that supports the Mollenkopf-Keyes outing. We’ve come for years, when they added Leroy’s name, it certainly was very exciting for us and I think exciting for the community at large. Those that had worked with Leroy on campus, those that had experienced Leroy, perhaps in an alumni club or other golf outings, having an opportunity to golf with him here in Naples in February was a short treat. And so many people requested to play with him, that it was a pleasure for him, he truly enjoyed getting to meet the alums and so many of the donors, so many of the professors and folks that would be down here at this time of year, he really enjoyed that. 

Kate Young: 

Would he get competitive or did he? 

Monica Keyes: 

He is a competitor, he did not have a non-competitive bone in his body. He definitely wanted his teams to do well, they wanted his, since it’s a best ball format, you want to use typically somebody’s shot for everything, whether it’s pudding or driving or coming out of the fairway, so he wanted to make sure everyone had an opportunity to do those things. And so often, that was the difficult part to finesse because of the varying skill levels, but he enjoyed it tremendously. 

This is a special place for us, so to be able to come to Naples is very, very special. The golf outing, the comradery, the 19th whole story, all of that is a great pleasure for him and was a great pleasure for him. And so it’s just spilled over to myself and the boys as well, our children, it’s become a family tradition. 

Kate Young: 

When it came to football, Leroy was nicknamed the Golden Mr. Do Everything, he was a two-time consensus All-American running back and one of the greatest football players in Purdue history. As a freshman, Leroy helped Purdue beat USC in the 1967 Rose Bowl, he was also a two-time Heisman Trophy candidate. Back in 1967, Sports Illustrated acknowledged Leroy’s talent saying he “dominated” the Big 10 conference during his junior season and led the nation in points by scoring as a runner, receiver, passer, and kicker. Sports Illustrated also referenced the give the ball to Leroy cheer heard at Ross-Ade Stadium whenever something special was needed. 

In 1990, Leroy was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and in 1994, he was named an inaugural member of the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame. But who was Leroy off the football field? Monica shares more about Leroy’s commitment and passion when it came to fighting for civil rights. A lot of people know Leroy as a football legend, but there were a lot of things people probably didn’t know or didn’t realize. And when it comes to his involvement with Purdue after football, that community building that he had, what does that mean to you as you reflect back? 

Monica Keyes: 

Leroy enjoyed Purdue, Purdue was a home for him. So when we came back in 1995, this was like coming home, the community was very welcoming to us, he was very welcoming and receptive to receive what the community had to offer, the students, whether in football or basketball, or not only football or basketball, but he had an association with the student, the wrestlers, the volleyball team, the women’s basketball coaches and teams. He had a very special way of being able to relate to each individual and to help each one of those student athletes or persons that he came in contact feel incredibly special. He had a way, his smile certainly made all of us feel welcome, and that consistency is one of the things that made our lives so wonderful here. But I think it also made the community feel comfortable with him. 

And so he would speak at elementary schools, junior high, to the high school level trying to motivate the students to not only do well in their sports life, but to do very well in their academics. He felt that being prepared was critical, and to have someone like him to be a mentor for so many in the community was awesome. He, of course, grew up in the segregated South, Leroy’s first opportunity at actually teaming or playing an opponent that was non African-American was when he was a freshman here at Purdue University. So for all of his life, he played sports in Newport News, North Newport News in a segregated space, which was a wonderful place for him because the community there loved him so. But he saw this opportunity coming here to Purdue and returning to Purdue as an opportunity to bring light to the problems related to race to heighten everyone’s awareness and to be an advocate for change, an advocate for unity. 

And so that was one of the things that he certainly worked with. So when he was a student, he, Eric McCaskill, Roger Blaylock, there were several students on campus when Leroy came to campus that were interested in a place for African-Americans to study. They wanted to see more African-Americans, they wanted to see more professors that looked like them, so they marched together to try to see some of those things happen. And there’s certainly a story that’s in the archives called Black Purdue, and if anyone has the opportunity to look at that, they would get a great deal of history around how the Black Cultural Center came about and how the university tried to hear their concerns in the sixties. 

That was when I would say Leroy’s advocacy in activism really did come to light, his leadership lending his celebrity to such a cause. And he was very committed to that cause, he wanted to see lots of good opportunities for not only athletes, but for the academic students as well. 

Kate Young: 

Monica also shares more about the balance of academics and athletics that Leroy valued so much. And I know Purdue, we talk a lot about the balance of the rigorous academics and then this amazing athletics program that we have, what did that mean to him as a student athlete and then coming back to help coach these student athletes? 

Monica Keyes: 

He enjoyed his experience as a student athlete at Purdue, he talked about his trip to the Rose Bowl, Purdue’s initial trip to the Rose Bowl, and just the things that he was able to do, places they were able to go. He talked about a monastery is where they spent the night before the game, so that was a very special and unique experience for him, and of course, competing there against USC was another awesome experience. And then playing with a quarterback like Bob Greasy, he and Bob had a great friendship and they even here have shared great times here at the Mollenkopf-Keyes golf outing where they would certainly have a little side wager of just, “I got you this time, or you got me.” But both of them were great golfers and certainly enjoyed the banter that could happen between the two of them. 

But Leroy’s experiences as an undergrad were very valuable and they certainly launched his life when you think about going to the NFL. So coming back to the university for him, the teams were doing okay following his teams were finishing in the top 15 of the AP polls and when he joined this team, they were not right. And so one of the things he really wanted to see happen was a resurrection of Purdue’s presence in the Big 10, he was very, very much interested in seeing this program be incredibly successful. And I think if he were here today, I think he would be incredibly proud of this past season’s student athletes and how well football did and has done over the past few years, I think he’d be very, very proud. But he was always proud to be a Boilermaker and he would encourage anyone that had committed to the university as a scholarship athlete to be ready and to hold that commitment, you’ve given your word, follow through and graduate. 

Kate Young: 

And what does this Boilermaker’s spirit continue to mean to Monica and her family? 

Monica Keyes: 

For me, it means everything, just to see the student sections, the enthusiasm that Ross-Ade and both Mackay have at this point. A sellout of the women’s game, my husband would’ve been on cloud nine to see women’s sports accomplish that kind of a sellout and in record time. And of course, coach Katie Gearlds was a young student athlete when Leroy was working in administration and just one of those exciting players that he felt so strong and passionate about. So to see Katie having this kind of success as a head coach would just get him totally excited, he just would be thrilled. 

When I’m in Mackay watching coach Painter and this year’s team, all of the excitement and enthusiasm, it’s outstanding and it’s something that is good for our students athletes, but it’s great for our students that are on the other side of campus. I look at the band and all of the creativity, but just imagine there’s so much energy around Purdue Athletics and it’s good, our student athletes are absolutely the best because they are very humble. But that’s part of the Purdue spirit, I think that starts at your leadership and comes down from there. 

Kate Young: 

By the way, we have This is Purdue episodes featuring both of those Purdue Athletics icons and leaders that Monica just mentioned, so be sure to check those out. And speaking of past This is Purdue episodes, we interviewed former Purdue football players, Mike Phipps and Don Kiepert a few years ago, these two were not only teammates of Leroy’s, but also great friends with this Boilermaker legend. I interviewed Don Kiepert and Mike Phipps last year, I have to send you that episode, it’s fantastic, but there’s a whole section of them talking about Leroy. 

Monica Keyes: 

Well, I would say that you just mentioned two of Leroy’s faves, these were teammates that have been lifelong friends. They were gentlemen that I met over the course of these 20 odd years and just genuine men, these men are brothers, it’s a brotherhood. And they didn’t even call each other Mike and Leroy, it was number 15 and 23, and that’s how they greeted one another. And of course, you heard in that interview or in your podcast that Don was the backup quarterback to Mike Phipps and what kind of friendship they have today even in such a competitive space. But that speaks to the integrity of these men, the persistence within these men, incredible relationships, Leroy was happy to be a part of this fraternity. 

Kate Young: 

They really focused on not who he was as an athlete, about his character, and so that was really special. 

Monica Keyes: 

Leroy had a natural leadership ability, but he also had the inability to follow, for example, following Mike being the field captain, the quarterback on that field. For them to have such a long-lasting friendship, it was incredible. 

Kate Young: 

Really, it’s over 50 years. 

Monica Keyes: 

Absolutely. He had it with both of them, with Bob and with Mike, so that’s really very, very special. But there’s other teammates as well, I wish I could call everyone’s name, my memory is different than Leroy’s was, he could tell me about the 18th hole at X, Y, Z track, my memory isn’t quite the same. But his classmates and teammates meant the world, those long-lasting relationships. 

Kate Young: 

Well, you can tell that he meant the world to them too when you talk to them. And speaking of people and relationships, Monica shares who she thinks of when she thinks of Purdue University. 

Monica Keyes: 

When I think of Purdue University, quite naturally right up here has to be a legend like a John Wooden in basketball that we’re in that space. A Neil Armstrong, Drew Priest, I’m looking at Roosevelt Colvin, a student athlete that Leroy had established a relationship with and here he’s having his daughter, his son. 

Kate Young: 

Yes. 

Monica Keyes: 

This is great family, and so I have a huge sense of that here on campus. So not necessarily one individual, but just the many awesome people that have come through the portals, there are so many stories and so many positive stories. 

Kate Young: 

And Monica touches on what persistence means to her and what it meant to Leroy. What does persistence mean to you? You went back to school as a mom, as a wife, like you said, I’m sure that wasn’t easy or studying late at night, what does that word persistence mean to you? 

Monica Keyes: 

One of the things Leroy talked about with us a lot, our family, was preparation and opportunity and then performance. What that meant to him was that if you are going to be a part of something, you’ve got to prepare for it and you’ve got to be ready, so if that meant practice or if that meant study, whatever that meant, you need to be practicing and preparing waiting for the opportunity. 

His opportunity to get on the field as a sophomore was quite by chance because the coach actually was calling in the gentleman that was standing next to him to go in when they were playing up at Notre Dame and he didn’t go, he pushed Leroy and Leroy went out on the field and returned a fumble- 

Kate Young: 

My goodness. 

Monica Keyes: 

… For a touchdown, and from that, his career took off. Had he not been prepared and that opportunity presented itself, he probably wouldn’t have been able to perform. So the persistence in whatever that vision or whatever that dream is, and even though you’re going to hit bumps on the road and you’re going to have some adversity, there’s going to be slow periods and maybe periods of time where you’re not even recognized. But all of that time is building your character, reaffirming your commitment, empowering or pushing that dream. 

And so in terms of persistence, I see that in my oldest son and his quest to become a golf pro. I see that with my youngest son, his name means victory for the people, and Colin is very much dedicated to healthcare. I always thought it would actually be as a provider since that’s what I did, but he has chosen a different path and he’s working with the hospital system in Minnesota just on lean things, bringing new ideas, fresh ideas from a public health perspective into the arena of healthcare. So persistence is critical, it’s a key component to our success and our character. 

Kate Young: 

And finally, what does Purdue mean to Monica and her family of Boilermakers? 

Monica Keyes: 

I often describe it as, it’s the dance that brings me. If there had not been a Purdue, there wouldn’t have been a Leroy Keyes, and there certainly wouldn’t have been a Monica, Courtland, and Colin Keyes. So Purdue means a great deal to us, ever faithful, ever true, it’s our own Purdue. We have a great loyalty to the university and owe them a debt of gratitude for how our lives have been able to sing as a result of having spent years here, not only as an undergrad and me as a graduate student and my sons just from being around to the community, it’s been a good thing. 

Kate Young: 

Absolutely. Is there anything I missed? Anything else you want to tell our listeners? 

Monica Keyes: 

Boiler up. 

Kate Young: 

It was an absolute pleasure. 

Monica Keyes: 

Thank you. 

Kate Young: 

We can’t thank Monica enough for sharing her incredible stories with us. Head over to our podcast YouTube page, youtube.com/@thisispurdue to watch our video clips from Monica’s interview in Naples. And remember, follow us on your favorite podcast platform including YouTube to never miss an episode. This is Purdue is hosted and written by me, Kate Young, at this special podcast shoot during the annual President’s Council weekend in Naples, Florida, our podcast team consisted of Ted Shellenberger, John Garcia, Becky Rubinos, and Trevor Peters. Our social media marketing is led by Ashlee Shroyer and Maria Welch. Our podcast design is led by Caitlin Freville, our podcast team project manager is Emily Jesulaitis. Our podcast YouTube promotion is managed by Megan Hoskins and Kirsten Bauman. Additional writing assistance is led by Joel Meredith and podcast research is led by Sophie Ritz. 

Thanks for listening to This is Purdue, for more information on this episode, visit our website @purdue.edu/podcast, there you can head over to your favorite podcast app to subscribe and leave us a review. And as always, boiler up.