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Roaring Ahead: A Visual History Of Purdue University Northwest

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the establishment of Purdue Northwest and the 75th anniversaries of its legacy institutions.

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Biology professor Charles Tseng assists a student, showing the close bonds that have been a PNW hallmark since the beginning.
Biology professor Charles Tseng assists a student, showing the close bonds that have been a PNW hallmark since the beginning. (Purdue University Northwest)

From Purdue University Northwest:

August 27, 2021

In 2021-2022, Purdue University Northwest will be celebrating our proud history—and ‘Roaring Ahead’ toward an even-better future.

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This year marks the fifth anniversary of the establishment of Purdue Northwest and the 75th anniversaries of our legacy institutions, Purdue Calumet and Purdue North Central. As we celebrate how PNW transforms students’ lives and our metropolitan region, we’re also looking back at some of the memories that made Purdue Northwest the special place it is today.

Step back with us with this anniversary slideshow!

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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 spring 1949.

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.

Part of Purdue University Northwest’s “Roaring Ahead” 5•75 anniversary celebration.

This press release was produced by Purdue University Northwest. The views expressed are the author's own.

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