WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue University announced a landmark $25 million commitment from the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation on Monday, marking a major milestone in the university’s “Victories & Heroes” capital campaign.
Purdue President Mung Chiang unveiled the gift during a President’s Council luncheon in Naples, Florida, detailing how the funds will be divided across three of the university’s most critical strategic initiatives:
- Mitch Daniels School of Business: $12.9 million
- Purdue University in Indianapolis: $10.2 million
- One Health Initiative: $1.9 million
Chiang stated. “This monumental gift will accelerate and amplify progress across three of the four strategic pillars.”
A primary focus of the investment is the expansion of the White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) to the Indianapolis campus starting in Fall 2026.
The program, which recently ranked No. 3 nationally and No. 7 globally in the 2025 Shanghai Rankings, aims to leverage Indianapolis’s growing tourism infrastructure to provide students with direct industry partnerships and workforce development.
Ceridwyn King, Associate Dean for Indianapolis noted the funds would specifically target scholarships, faculty recruitment, and new programming.
The $12.9 million allocation for the Mitch Daniels School of Business will ensure the continuity of the Brush Creek Frontier Summit. This annual conference brings together global thought leaders to discuss the intersections of business, public policy, and ethics.
The White Family Foundation has a storied history with the business school, previously establishing the Bruce White Undergraduate Institute and the Dean V. White Real Estate Finance Program.
The foundation’s partnership was deeply influenced by the late Bruce White, a 1975 Purdue alumnus and former trustee who founded White Lodging. White, who passed away in 2023, was a staunch advocate for hands-on learning, a vision reflected in the foundation’s previous investments in the university’s Union Club Hotel.
The $25 million gift is the latest success for the Victories & Heroes: Your Campaign for Purdue, a multi-year fundraising effort designed to solidify the university’s standing as a global leader in research and professional education.
