Purdue University’s athletics department is one of only a handful at the Division I level that is entirely self-sustaining. The department does not receive any taxpayer dollars or Purdue student fees. Because of that, and to reflect the importance of this priority for the department, those who donate to Forging Ahead will receive additional John Purdue Club Priority Points, as follows:
The campaign will involve a comprehensive evaluation of multiple areas impacting departmental culture, including the investment by Purdue Athletics in a partnership with Profile, a behavioral assessment agency owned and operated in West Lafayette. Profile founder and CEO, Chad Brown, is a former Purdue Football student-athlete who also coached alongside legendary Purdue Football head coach Joe Tiller.
“Working with Chad over the years helped me realize that I needed to be more adaptable,” said L. Dick Buell Men’s Basketball Head Coach Matt Painter. “I needed to be more intentional about recruiting players who were not just the most talented guys in the country, but the best fit for Purdue Men’s Basketball. We now require every recruit to take Profile’s assessment to ensure we are achieving that goal and consistently rely on their report throughout their time in our program to hold ourselves accountable in meeting their needs as coaches. When you do that, guys want to stick around.
“Like Chad, I am a proud alum who wants nothing more than to see our Purdue Athletics programs excel. True to Purdue form, Profile has identified a way to put us at the forefront of using data analytics to succeed at a high level, and I want to see all 18 of our programs share in that experience.”
Boilermakers Beyond Borders is an international travel program for Purdue student-athletes and staff that is made possible under the John Purdue Club’s Forging Ahead campaign. The program allows Boilermaker student-athletes to give back and expand their world view through a mission trip benefitting local youth in an underdeveloped country. In May 2024, Purdue traveled to Costa Rica with a humanitarian group called Courts for Kids to build an athletics court for children. Purdue is proud to be the first in the Big Ten to partner with Courts for Kids!
Want to support Boilermakers Beyond Borders? Learn more and give to the Forging Ahead campaign today by clicking the button below. All gifts will be rewarded with double John Purdue Club Priority Points; however, gifts will not count toward John Purdue Club membership. Thank you for helping Purdue give back and share the joy of sports with underserved youth!
If you are interested in learning more about naming opportunities or additional ways to support Forging Ahead, please contact your Boilermaker Athletics Representative or email jpc@purdue.edu.
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.
