WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WISH) — Purdue University has received a $25 million commitment from the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation to support three major strategic initiatives, university officials announced Monday in a news release. University President Mung Chiang said the gift will fund Purdue’s comprehensive urban expansion in Indianapolis, $10.2 million; its One Health initiative, $1.9 million; and the Mitch Daniels School of Business, $12.9 million. The commitment is part of the university’s Victories Heroes: Your Campaign for Purdue. Chiang made the announcement during a President’s Council luncheon at the Purdue for Life Foundation Annual Week in Naples, Florida. “Since launching the public phase in 2025, our ongoing campaign for the future victories and heroes of Purdue students and faculty has been even more successful than we anticipated, and this monumental gift will accelerate and amplify progress across three of the four strategic pillars,” Chiang said in a statement. The foundation’s longstanding support of Purdue was led in part by the late Bruce White, a Purdue graduate, founder and chairman of White Lodging and former member of Purdue’s Board of Trustees. White, who died in January 2023, was also an inaugural inductee into Purdue’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Hall of Fame. A significant portion of the gift will support Purdue’s expansion of the White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management to Indianapolis beginning in fall 2026. University officials said the move is designed to strengthen industry partnerships and support workforce development as hospitality and tourism infrastructure grows in the capital city. The program recently rose to No. 3 nationally and No. 7 globally in the ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects in 2025, reflecting increased interest from prospective students for both West Lafayette and Indianapolis locations. “This foundational investment in HTM in Indianapolis certainly sets us up for success,” said Ceridwyn King, associate dean for Indianapolis and strategic initiatives for the College of Health and Human Sciences and White Lodging Services Head of Hospitality and Tourism Management. King said the funding will support scholarships, faculty recruitment and programming for the new location. In addition to hospitality and urban expansion efforts, the contribution will provide ongoing support for the Brush Creek Frontier Summit, an annual thought leadership conference at the Daniels School focused on business, policy and ethics. The White Family Foundation has made several major commitments to Purdue in recent years, including support to establish the Bruce White Undergraduate Institute within the Daniels School, create the Dean V. White Real Estate Finance Program and rename the White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. The foundation has also invested in renovations to the Union Club Hotel to enhance hands-on learning opportunities for students. Bill Hanna, executive director of the foundation, said the partnership aims to cultivate “innovative and relevant world-class education” while preparing future leaders in hospitality and business. ...read more read less