Purdue Alumni Association
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 1912, The Purdue Bulletin became the first publication produced by the association. It became a quarterly publication in 1914 and was renamed the Purdue Alumnus.
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.