Roaring Ahead
In 2021-2022, Purdue University Northwest celebrated our proud history—and ‘Roaring Ahead' toward an even-better future.
Chancellor Keon awarded Sagamore of the Wabash
As PNW supported student scholarships at the 5.75 Roaring Ahead Scholarship Gala, PNW Chancellor Thomas L. Keon received the prestigious Sagamore of the Wabash award while being recognized for his 10 years of transformational leadership in Northwest Indiana.
Purdue University Northwest honored David A. Roberts as first PNW Alumni Hall of Fame inductee
Purdue University Northwest (PNW) has selected David A. Roberts, ’74, as the first honoree to the university’s new PNW Alumni Hall of Fame.
Part of Purdue University Northwest’s “Roaring Ahead” 5•75 anniversary celebration.
Marking Milestones
2021-2022 marked the fifth anniversary of the establishment of Purdue Northwest and the 75th anniversaries of our legacy institutions, Purdue Calumet and Purdue North Central.
We celebrated with a yearlong tribute, “Roaring Ahead,” that focused on the many ways Purdue Northwest transforms students’ lives and our metropolitan region, driving engagement and pushing the boundaries of innovation.
PNW planned several university-wide events open to the entire community. More importantly, individual units, departments and colleges were encouraged to plan their own events to look to our future while celebrating our history.
A Look Back at Roaring Ahead
After a year filled with highlights, PNW’s “Roaring Ahead” celebration finished on June 10, 2022, with the 5.75 Roaring Ahead Scholarship Gala. Look back on some of the highlights of this year-long celebration with this slideshow!
PNW students showed their pride throughout the night, keeping energy high even as temperatures dropped.
DJ Diesel (aka Shaq!) showed off his PNW Pride as took the stage for Roaring Loud!
Neither rain nor snow could stop PNW students from getting loud at the showcase student event for PNW’s yearlong “Roaring Ahead” celebration, commemorating our fifth year as PNW and the 75th year of both our Hammond and Westville campuses.
DJ Diesel matched that energy, offering the crowd an unforgettable night at Roaring Loud! Thanks to everyone who joined the fun.
Snow might have been falling, but PNW students were all smiles between sets.
DJ Diesel didn't stay on stage for long before heading down to meet the PNW students gathered up front.
Purdue Northwest Chancellor Thomas L. Keon delivers remarks July 10 after being honored with the Sagamore of the Wabash award.
David Roberts, right, a 1974 PNW alumnus, was honored July 10 as the inaugural member of the new PNW Alumni Hall of Fame. Also pictured are Chancellor Thomas L. Keon, center, and Niaz Latif, dean of the College of Technology at PNW.
Founders Day guests display their years of service to PNW.
PNW students, faculty and staff were encouraged to show their PNW Pride on Day of Giving with yard signs outside the Student Union & Library Building at the Hammond campus and outside the Technology Building at the Westville campus.
Explore A Visual History of PNW
As we celebrated how Purdue University Northwest is Roaring Ahead to a proud future, we also looked back at some of the memories that made PNW the special place it is today. Step back with us with this anniversary slideshow!
Biology professor Charles Tseng assists a student, showing the close bonds that have been a PNW hallmark since the beginning.
In 1948 the Barker Welfare Foundation made the John Barker mansion in Westville available to the university . All of the area classes were consolidated in this fine old structure in spring1949.
Long time professor Jean Chambers speaks at the Distinguished Service awards in 1987. The theater in the Student Union and Library Building is named in her honor.
PNW athletics have had a number of nicknames over the years--the Pride, the Pipers, the Lakers, the Peregrines, the Centaurs and the Panthers--but one constant has been showing up and competing hard!
PNW is proud to celebrate our students and their backgrounds, as seen with this celebration of Polish Heritage at PNW on the first floor of SULB in the early 2000s.
With this new sign, the PNW Pride officially established residence on the university's Hammond Campus. Our nickname evokes the strength of a pride of lions--and our shared pride in this one-of-a-kind place.
The Dworkin Student Services & Activities Complex (DSAC) opened in Westville in 2015 and has become a favorite resource both for students and in the community.
Even as PNW honors the past, we remain focused on the future, investing in new buildings and new programs to serve our students. Here we see campus leadership breaking ground on the state-of-the-art Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building in 2018.
In February 2018, the 300-acre Taltree Arboretum & Gardens in Valparaiso, Indiana became part of Purdue University Northwest through a donation of the $12 million preserve by founders Damien and Rita Gabis and the Taltree board of directors. The largest gift in the history of PNW, the renamed Gabis Arboretum provides educational and research opportunities for people throughout Northwest Indiana and beyond with more than six miles of hiking trails, formal gardens and a unique collection of oak species.
In 2016, the former Purdue North Central (pictured) and Purdue Calumet campuses unified to create a shared Purdue University Northwest.
Every year, students can discover the latest clubs, programs and campus activities with PNW's always-popular Welcome Week events.
Years of planning, months of construction and countless hours of work finally came to fruition in 2020 as PNW opened the Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building. Boasting an eye-catching design and close to 70,000 square feet of space, the building plays host to PNW’s nursing and biological sciences departments.
5-75 Anniversary Steering Committee
The 5-75 Purdue Northwest Anniversary Steering Committee was charged with facilitating a widespread commemorative year of events that highlight the accomplishments of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni, and our campuses’ profound impact on our greater community.