Taking the theme “We Are Purdue,” the eighth annual Purdue Day of Giving surged past last year’s $42.2 million total to raise $52.5 million, through 25,219 gifts, toward the small steps and giant leaps that make Purdue University an engine of innovation and impact.

The Purdue University Board of Trustees recently ratified faculty and staff appointments and approved a new degree program, a merger, organizational name changes, posthumous degrees, resolutions of appreciation, and namings.