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Chris, Andrew, Forrest, and Michelle White

Liberal arts alumni empower internships, political science students

Purdue College of Liberal Arts alumni Chris and Michelle White are giving back to the college that played such a transformative role in their busy, successful lives together. Based in Minnesota, Chris is the Vice President of Manufacturing for Sleep Number Corporation, and Michelle has worked in the financial industry for over twenty years, in compliance roles for several registered investment advisers and broker dealers. She is also active in the Daughters of the American Revolution and recently became a founding member of the reconstituted Women for Purdue giving society.

In 2017, they made their first-ever gift to Purdue in support of a then-new Job-Ready Internship Program Gift Fund. Liberal arts students who receive internship offers can apply for awards that currently provide up to $2,000 per student for lodging, travel, and other expenses as they pursue meaningful internships where they can utilize their communication, problem-solving, and analytical skills in real-world situations. 

Chris and Michelle grew up in working-class families and had to rely on loans, scholarships, and work to pay for tuition and living expenses. “At times, it was a struggle, so we appreciated all the assistance we received,” says Chris. “With the Job-Ready program, we were surprised that some students could not accept internships because they were either unpaid or did not cover housing. We decided to help students have the opportunity to pursue internships that they would have otherwise not been able to accept.”

Thanks to the program, more than 90 Purdue students have been able to accept career-launching internships with organizations and institutions such as the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the United Nations, the Office of U.S. Senator Todd Young, the U.S. House of Representatives, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art-Chicago.

In 2018, the couple also made a five-year pledge commitment to establish the Chris and Michelle White Scholarship in Political Science Endowment, which will be matched 1:1 by the Mary Findling Liberal Arts Scholarship Challenge Match. The scholarship is need-based for out-of-state students enrolled in CLA’s Department of Political Science.

“Thanks to Purdue, I gained the confidence to explore the world and never stop questioning,” says Chris. For Michelle, the liberal arts motto rings true: “Thanks to Purdue, I learned to ‘think broadly and lead boldly.’”

Through their giving, the Whites hope to provide real-world opportunities that prepare Purdue liberal arts students for their own inspired careers and bold leadership.

More impact stories
Greg and Becky Rein
A fascination with flight
October 7, 2021

The late Gregory Rein had a lifelong fascination with flight that led to a successful career as a pilot, and he wanted future Purdue students to have the same experience.

Purdue for Life Foundation
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John Purdue Club

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.