Purdue Alumni Association records
Scope and Contents
The Purdue Alumni Association (PAA) records consist of material documenting the history and activity of the PAA. Also included are records relating to the various local and regional Purdue alumni clubs affiliated with the PAA, as well as the records of the PAA’s affiliate organization, the Purdue Black Alumni Organization (PBAO).
The collection includes correspondence between PAA members, alumni, and outside organizations; PAA election ballots, financial documents, committee reports, meeting minutes, and other administrative records; marketing material for Gala Week, Homecoming, Commencement Week, and other alumni events; material published by the PAA or relating to alumni, including The Purdue Pusher, alumni directories, business directories, and annual reports; and planning material and photographs from past events, including Gala Week and staff luncheons.
Dates
- Creation: 1887 - 2023
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1907-1948; 2002-2009
Creator
- Purdue Alumni Association (Organization)
- Purdue Black Alumni Organization (Organization)
Language of Materials
Collection material is in English.
Access Information
Majority of the collection is open for research. Some digital files in series seven have been restricted.
Copyright and Use Information
Copyright held by Purdue University.
Historical Information
The Purdue Alumni Association (PAA) is an independently financed, nonprofit alumni organization. Through the support of dues-paying members worldwide, it offers its services to all alumni, as well as funding for programs, services, and scholarships offered by the PAA and alumni clubs and groups.
Founded in 1878 as "The General Alumni Association," the association’s purpose was to allow graduates to keep in touch with one another and served as the first entity on campus that communicated to alumni. Satellite clubs were later formed in other parts of the country, with Chicago and Indianapolis being the first in 1890.
In 1907, the Purdue University Alumni Bulletin became the PAA’s first publication. It was later renamed to the Bulletin of the Purdue Alumni Association (1909), before arriving at its current name, the Purdue Alumnus, in 1914.
In 1927, a state statute was enacted which increased the alumni-elected trustees to the Purdue University Board of Trustees from one to three. Until that time, George Ade had been the sole alumni trustee.
In 2004, The PAA moved to the Dick and Sandy Dauch Alumni Center on the south side of campus. In 2021, they merged with the Purdue for Life Foundation.
Extent
2.581 Cubic Feet (One cubic foot box, two letter-size full-width manuscript boxes, one legal-size half-width manuscript box, two shoe boxes, and five flat folders.)
1 Websites
17.8 Gigabytes (5,127 digital files and 113 digital folders)
Arrangement
The Purdue Alumni Association collection is arranged into eight series by document type and subject matter.
- Correspondence
- Administrative Records
- Marketing Material
- Publications
- Event Materials
- Local Association Records
- Purdue Black Alumni Organization
- Miscellaneous
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Video cassettes must be migrated to a digital format before use. Contact Purdue University Archives and Special Collections if interested in using this material.
Digital files must be viewed in the Purdue University Archives and Special Collections reading room.
Acquisition Information
Date and source of acquisition for some material is unknown. First known transfer is from the Alunmi Association Office via Kelly Hiller, on August 19th, 2016. Subsequent transfers from the Purdue Alumni Association on July 5, 2019; from the Purdue Alumni Association via Jimmy Cox on June 7, 2019; and from the Purdue Alumni Association via Kat Braz on September 14, 2020.
Processing Information
The original order of the materials has been retained whenever possible. All materials have been housed in acid-free folders and acid-free boxes. Brittle paper has been placed in protective sleaves.
- Title
- Purdue Alumni Association records
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Aarthi Devarajan, Richard Bernier, and William Niner
- Date
- 2025-05-23
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
- Edition statement
- Fourth edition. Collection description first completed 2019-12-05.
Revision Statements
- 2020-02-11: Record was revised by Richard Bernier to bring it up to current standards.
- 2022-12-08: Collection description and arrangement revised by William Niner.
- 2025-05-23: Digital files added to the finding aid and descriptions updated by William Niner.
- Box: 1 (Text)
- Box: 2 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 3 (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 4 (Text)
- Box: 5 (Computer Disks)
- Box: 6 (Moving Images)
- Communal Collections Box: 47, Placement: 21 (Mixed Materials)
- Communal Collections Box: 68, Placement: 06 (Text)
- Communal Collections Box: 69, Placement: 01 (Text)
- Digital Folder: UA00182 Purdue Alumni Association records (Digital Files)
- Box: Communal Digital Media 2, Placement: 11 (Computer Disks)
Repository Details
Part of the Purdue University Archives and Special Collections Repository
504 Mitch Daniels Boulevard
West Lafayette Indiana 47907 United States
765-494-2839
archives@purdue.edu