Purdue University Northwest sets single-day giving record

Donors demonstrate overwhelming support of PNW Day of Giving

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) received a record $1,058,979 in contributions during Wednesday’s (4/25) fifth annual Purdue Northwest Day of Giving, shattering the previous year’s total by more than $100,000 for the 24-hour, social media-driven giving campaign.

This year’s total was the tenth highest from among 60 various participating groups across the entire Purdue system, resulting in additional “bonus money” awarded to Purdue Northwest.

Some 607 donor gifts to PNW contributed to a single-day giving total of $37.6 million across the entire Purdue system—an amazing fourth consecutive year for most dollars raised in a college/university single-day campaign.

Highlighting the PNW impact

“The success of this year’s Purdue Northwest Day of Giving is a strong example of collective impact,” said Chancellor Thomas L. Keon. “The generous gifts made by our graduates, faculty, staff, students, and friends make a clear statement about the value that PNW represents to the community.”

“It was an exciting day to highlight the university’s strengths as an engine for economic development, innovation, and academic excellence,” said Keon.

Gifts to PNW, as designated by the donors, will be used to support student scholarships, academic programs, athletics and other strategic initiatives.

Donor generosity

“I want to thank each and every person who donated to this year’s Purdue Northwest Day of Giving,” said Regina Biddings-Muro, vice chancellor of Institutional Advancement. “Student scholarships, academic programs, as well as our new Bioscience Innovation Building project, all received significant gifts. It is deeply meaningful to see contributions, many from first-time donors, to benefit students and the university community for many years into the future.”

Biddings-Muro said many PNW alumni and generous supporters of Purdue Northwest contributed to the success of Purdue Northwest Day of Giving. Significant gifts announced throughout the day included:

• Stewart and Kathryn McMillan offered a challenge gift of $300,000 in support of a new student engineering design studio at PNW’s School of Engineering.
• Lakeshore Public Media offered PNW’s College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences $25,000 in airtime and advertising support to renew the 26-episode “Roundtable Perspective” program another season.
• Environmental and life science student research in PNW’s College of Engineering and Sciences was given a $25,500 boost through the generosity of Carol Abshire.
• Duneland Health Council of Michigan City made a gift of $30,000 to the PNW College of Nursing to fund scholarships to students from La Porte County.

Purdue Northwest Day of Giving

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) invited alumni, faculty, staff, parents, students and friends of the University to take part in the Purdue Northwest Day of Giving, a 24-hour opportunity to give to PNW and to support student scholarships, academic programs, athletics and more. Donations were made online from 11 p.m. CDT (12 a.m. EDT) Tuesday, April 24 through 10:59 p.m. CDT (11:59 p.m. EDT) on Wednesday, April 25. More information can be found at PNW.edu/dayofgiving.