Purdue Alumni Association // President’s Council // John Purdue Club

Championing future leaders

January 8, 2020
Impact

High-achieving business students are being offered transformational opportunities, thanks to the generosity of Krannert alumnus and Dean’s Advisory Council member Marshall Larsen (master’s degree in industrial administration ’77) and his wife, Susan.

The pair were on campus in the fall for the unveiling of the newly named Larsen Leaders Academy, formerly known as the Krannert Leaders Academy, which has a record-high 130 undergraduates participating this year. “We were so impressed meeting the students,” says Susan. “We’re proud to see Krannert graduating young leaders with so much maturity that are ready to make a difference in the world.”

Academy students can take upper-division courses upon admission and have the option to take part in a residential learning community. They can also engage with alumni and other prospective mentors in special networking events, and—because of the Larsens’ support—all academy students are now eligible for a $1,000 scholarship to be used for an educational experience of their choice.

“Attending a conference or studying abroad are popular options,” says academy director Sharlee Lyons. “Just in the last year, we’ve had an academy student present a paper at Oxford University and another attend the Quinnipiac financial conference in New York.”

After earning an engineering degree from West Point and serving six years in the Army, Marshall graduated from Purdue and began a 35-year career at Goodrich Corporation, where he eventually served as CEO, president, and chairman. “I don’t know that I would have been CEO without having gone to Purdue,” says Marshall. “Because of my Krannert degree, I got visibility and I wasn’t starting at the bottom.”

The Larsens are committed to supporting Purdue in graduating top leaders. “Putting undergraduates into leadership positions while they’re on campus makes all the difference,” says Marshall. “It sets them apart when they go into the world.”

Krannert is attracting higher-caliber students through the Larsen Leaders Academy, and that is helping to elevate the school. “The academy is the dream of Krannert professor Dr. Charlene Sullivan. She is the visionary,” says Lyons. “Because of the Larsens, the dream is coming true.”

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.

Championing future leaders

Keagan’s story

Patsy J. Mellott