The Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation has announced a $25 million donation to Purdue University, partly to expand the hospitality program the foundation has long championed.
The family that founded and owns the national hospital company White Lodging is giving $12.9 million to the Mitch Daniels School of Business, $10.2 million to Purdue's expansion of its urban campus in Indianapolis and $1.7 million toward Purdue's One Health initiative.
The late hotel magnate Bruce White and Beth White, both Purdue alumni, have been major supporters of Purdue University over the years. Bruce White served on the Purdue Board of Trustees, was one of the first inductees into the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Hall of Fame, founded the Dean V. White Real Estate Finance Program and upgraded the Union Club Hotel.
“We are proud to partner with Purdue to develop and implement strategic priorities that will continue to shape the future of higher education,” said Bill Hanna, executive director of the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation. “This gift, and our overall partnership with Purdue, is about cultivating innovative and relevant world-class education and creating leaders prepared to make an impact in hospitality and business, consistent with Purdue University’s reputation and the legacy of the White Family.”
The donation will help expand the White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management to downtown Indianapolis, where White Lodging owns hotels like the JW Marriott.
"The Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation has long been an impactful leader and philanthropic partner in advancing excellence at scale, and few Boilermakers have been more dedicated than Bruce and Beth White. Bruce will always be remembered as one of our greatest Boilermakers — a dedicated citizen and inspiring leader. We are deeply grateful that Beth and the Foundation have chosen to support Purdue's strategic directions," Purdue University President Mung Chiang said.
The program is offered in Lafayette and at Purdue University Northwest in Hammond. It ranks No. 3 nationally and No. 7 globally in the ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking.
“Purdue University is dedicated to attracting and retaining Indiana’s best and brightest talent, expanding the number of enrolled students to keep up with demands from students and industry. This foundational investment in HTM in Indianapolis certainly sets us up for success,” said Ceridwyn King, the associate dean for Indianapolis and strategic initiatives for the College of Health and Human Sciences and White Lodging Services Head of Hospitality and Tourism Management. "This gift is timely because it will allow us to provide competitive scholarships, faculty and programming that will launch the program with strength. We are deeply grateful for the White Family Foundation’s continued support and investment in future ‘hospitalitarians,’ who will propel the hospitality and tourism industry forward through excellence and innovation.”
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