Honors, Horses, Hypersonics Approved by Purdue Board
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Several facilities and programs on the Purdue University campus in West Lafayette will see a name change, following Friday’s action by the school’s board of trustees. The board approved renaming the Honors College and the equine medical center in honor of alumni who donated to the university, while also greenlighting a hypersonics research laboratory.
The board approved naming the Honors College for alumnus John Martinson in recognition of a $25 million gift. Martinson is a venture capitalist who earned a master’s degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from Purdue in 1971.
The university established the program in 2005 and welcomed the inaugural class in 2013. It will now be known as the John Martinson Honors College and has a current enrollment of 2,700 students.
The university says Martinson’s gift will support undergraduate research, scholarships, and leadership.
“With these resources, the Honors College serves as a test bed for designing and deploying creative pedagogy to equip our graduates with the research and entrepreneurial skills they need to lead in an era of unprecedented global change,” said Rhonda Phillips, dean of the Honors College. “The incredible Martinson investment in our distinctive offerings will establish the Honors College as a top program nationally.”
The board also approved the naming of the Donald J. McCrosky Equine Sports Medicine Center. The naming coincides with the grand opening of the school’s new 163,000-square-foot veterinary hospital.
Dr. Donald McCrosky, a 1968 graduate of Purdue’s veterinary school, and his wife Lois gave $3 million to provide research funds in the field of equine medicine.
The school says the center, which opened in 1996, is a pioneer in leading-edge equine research.
Center director Dr. Laurent Couëtil says the gift is a “large boost” for his team as it works to understand and treat conditions affecting the equine industry and its athletes.
“Don McCrosky’s gift will advance research in equine health and performance. We anticipate benefits to thousands of horses and their owners in the coming years,” Couëtil said.
Following his graduation from Purdue, McCrosky opened his own practice, which included small and large animals. In 2004, he sold his small-animal practice to focus solely on equine medicine.
Also on Friday, the trustees also approved construction of a $73 million high-speed propulsion laboratory. The university says the facility will put the school’s hypersonic testing capabilities on scale with large industry partners.
Hypersonic defense systems can launch missiles with speeds of at least Mach 5 and have a growing role in the nation’s defense.
“Purdue researchers have deep expertise in this area of critical importance to our nation,” said Theresa Mayer, executive vice president for research and partnerships. “By harnessing Purdue’s expertise, capabilities and capacity for advancing hypersonics R&D, we can help to give the U.S. a competitive advantage against our near peer adversaries.”
The Purdue Board of Trustees approved the proposal and it will now go through the state review process.
If approved, the high-speed propulsion laboratory will be located in the Discovery Park District at Purdue.