The first year of my life after telling the Notre Dame story for nearly twelve years came with an unexpected honor: I was invited to spend one week each month for a full year in West Lafayette helping Purdue University’s College of Engineering plan the celebration of its 150th anniversary.
It was my first time in West Lafayette. My first time on Purdue’s beautiful campus. And my first sustained opportunity to immerse myself in an engineering culture that has quietly shaped the modern world.
This opportunity began via the generosity of two former colleagues at Notre Dame, George Keegan and Nathaniel Utz, who introduced me to Matt Folk, then CEO of Purdue for Life.