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Statement of Integrity and Volunteer Conduct

The Purdue for Life Foundation supports and adheres to Purdue University’s statement of integrity and volunteer conduct and expectations. Please review and then fill out the form below. All alumni leaders are required to uphold these standards.

STATEMENT OF INTEGRITY

At Purdue, integrity is indispensable to our mission. We act with honesty and adhere to the highest standards of moral and ethical values and principles through our personal and professional behavior. We demonstrate our understanding of these values and principles and uphold them in every action and decision. Trust and trustworthiness go hand in hand with how we conduct ourselves as we sustain a culture that is based upon ethical conduct. We expect our actions to be consistent with our words and our words to be consistent with our intentions. We accept our responsibilities, share leadership in a democratic spirit, and subject ourselves to the highest standards of public trust. We hold ourselves accountable for our words and our actions.

We champion freedom of expression. To ensure our integrity, we safeguard academic freedom, open inquiry, and debate in the best interests of education, enrichment, and our personal and professional development. We embrace human and intellectual diversity and inclusiveness. We uphold the highest standards of fairness, act as responsible citizens, respect equality and the rights of others, and treat all individuals with dignity.

To fulfill our goals as a learning community, we insist that the objectives of student learning are not compromised. We treat all students equitably, and our evaluations of learning achievements are impartial based on demonstrated academic performance. As students, we understand that learning is the most important goal, and we embrace ethical values and principles and reject academic dishonesty in all our learning endeavors. In the realm of new discoveries, we place the highest value upon truth and accuracy. We acknowledge the contributions of others. We place a higher value on expanding and sharing knowledge than on recognition or ownership.

We work diligently, drawing from the strong work ethic of our state of Indiana, and are committed to always acting in the best interests of the university. We pledge to make wise use of our resources and to be good stewards of financial, capital, and human resources. We operate within the letter and spirit of the law and prescribed policies and strive to avoid impropriety or conflict of interest.

As members of the Purdue community, we demonstrate unyielding and uncompromised integrity in support of the highest standards of excellence for the university. As individuals, we all contribute to this Purdue standard of integrity as an exemplary model for all universities.

VOLUNTEER CONDUCT

Volunteers are a critical part of the Purdue community. Participation in alumni clubs, networks, service projects, or any other alumni event requires individuals to act with integrity and respect for others. All alumni share a responsibility for Purdue’s public relations—especially at the community level. Readiness to help with charitable, educational, and civic activities brings credit to Purdue’s reputation.

As a volunteer (or club/network participant), I agree to support the mission of the Purdue for Life Foundation and contribute to a collegial, positive, and inclusive environment that does not discriminate on any basis.

COMMUNICATIONS

All correspondence is a reflection of the Purdue for Life Foundation. Volunteers serving in any leadership capacity must make every effort to respond promptly and courteously to all proper requests for information and complaints.

All communications, written or otherwise, shall be conducted in a respectful manner. Inappropriate communication by email or in any public forum about the Purdue for Life Foundation, its volunteers, staff, stakeholders, or any fellow alumni will not be tolerated.

PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

When handling financial and personal information about alumni, participants in alumni activities, or others with whom the Purdue for Life Foundation has dealings, observe the following principles:

  • Collect, use, and retain only the personal information necessary for alumni club/ network business
  • Retain information only for as long as necessary or as required by law
  • Protect the physical security of this information
  • Use personal information only for the purposes for which it was originally obtained
  • Do not share or sell information obtained through a club/network or volunteer activity under any circumstances

VIOLATIONS OF CODE OF CONDUCT

Officers of any club/network will resolve issues in a professional and respectful manner. Volunteers or participants in club/network activities may be asked to leave an event or other public forum if their conduct is outside the expectations outlined in this document and may be precluded from participation in the future.

Statement of Integrity

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Keagan’s story

I’m walking with Grandparents University tour group near the steps of Hovde Hall. It’s a Thursday morning in July, and the only students around are between the ages of 7 and 14. I catch a snippet of a conversation between a grandmother and her grandson as she details the pranks she pulled with her friends around this area.

I smile because just a few months ago I was doing the same thing.

Grandparents University (GPU) is a two-day event where grandparents and their grandchildren embrace Purdue and all it has to offer.

Participants choose a specific major to study and attend a class taught by Boilermaker experts. The majors aren’t exactly like the ones we have here at Purdue, but they do get to do cool activities like creating hot sauce, designing monsters, flying drones, and cooking in a Purdue kitchen. It’s a great opportunity to see wisdom and curiosity combined in the classroom, as grandparents and their grandchildren collaborate on these projects. They’re equally willing to learn from the instructors —and from each other—while creating lasting memories.

They might not know it yet, but this Purdue experience at such a young age will help with their college decision in a few years.

My mother started working at Purdue when she was pregnant with me, so I’ve been familiar with the university my whole life. Many of my childhood memories are associated with different parts of campus, and these memories played a big part in my decision to attend Purdue. I was going to a place that I knew—a place I already considered a home away from home. In the same way, when these children make their college decisions, they will already have built connections with Purdue through Grandparents University.

It will also help they already have a Purdue degree!

At the end of GPU, the kids graduate just like regular students by walking across the stage of Elliott Hall of Music. They even have their own caps to decorate and keep—which is great because robe rentals would be a nightmare.

I had been to nine commencement ceremonies before my own in May, so I’m well-versed in Purdue graduations. Nevertheless, it was still fun to watch this one.

These children had learned so much more than what was taught in their major. They learned more about their grandparents and strengthened their connection with them. They learned about the university and what’s in store for them when they (hopefully) become Boilermakers. And at the Block Party, they befriended students they had never met before and hung out on Memorial Mall—just like regular college students.

It was almost exactly what I experienced throughout my college career. Yes, I got my degree and now  have a job as was intended on this life path. But I also made lifelong friendships and went outside my comfort zone in ways that helped me grow as an individual.

Purdue shaped me and continues to shape me. I credit a lot of my growth as a person and a professional to my college career here, and a lot of what I know to the professors and instructors I had throughout my education.

Through Grandparents University, you have the opportunity to provide the same transformative experience for future Boilermakers. You can be the Purdue instructor that inspires a path that lasts a lifetime.

Patsy J. Mellott

BS College of Health and Human Sciences, 1969
Fishers, IN

Patsy earned a bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition in business from Purdue in 1969, in addition to an MBA in food marketing from Michigan State University in 1970. She retired from Kraft Foods in 2006 after 36 years in corporate food marketing and marketing communications management.

A community volunteer, Patsy serves on the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana Advisory Board and the Purdue College of Health and Human Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council, in addition to the President’s Council Advisory Board. She is a former member of the Health and Human Sciences Alumni Board. Patsy held several offices from 2006 through 2013, including president and treasurer. She serves her community’s Discover Indianapolis Club in Fishers, holding several leadership roles for over 10 years.

Patsy has received several honors, including the Purdue University Nutrition Science Department Hall of Fame recipient in 2009 and the Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016. She also received the college’s Gold and Black Award in 2016, an honor reserved for donors who have moved the college forward by committing exceptional financial resources.

In addition to endowing two scholarships, the Patsy J. Mellott Scholarship and Patsy J. Mellott HHS Scholarship, she established the Patsy J. Mellott Teaching Innovation Award in the College of Health and Human Sciences in 2013. In 2015, she endowed the Patsy J. Mellott Women’s Tennis Coach Performance Award. She is a lead donor in the Christine M. Ladisch Faculty Leadership Award and the Purdue Women’s Network Virginia C. Meredith Scholarship for the College of Health and Human Sciences.