PURDUE

With $50M donation, Purdue undergraduate institute to be named after White

Margaret Christopherson
Lafayette Journal & Courier

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. − The Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation has recently donated $50 million to the undergrad institute, which will be named after the late Bruce White, within the Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business.

This gift marks the largest monetary contribution to the School of Management/Business, according to a release.

White, a former Purdue trustee, passed away in January. His family had previously given numerous donations to the university, including $30 million in 2018, $5 million to the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management in 2021 and more.

Bruce White, a former Purdue trustee and founder of Indiana-based White Lodging Services Inc., speaks outside the Union Club Hotel, Friday, Oct. 1, 2021 in West Lafayette.

The institute will be called the Bruce White Undergraduate Institute. White was also the founder of White Lodging, the company selected to operate the Memorial Union Club Hotel in 2019.

“The White Family Foundation has long been a truly dedicated partner in helping Purdue achieve excellence at scale. The naming after Bruce White, one of the most prominent Boilermakers our university has ever known, is particularly meaningful to us,” Mung Chiang, university president, said in the release. “This gift ensures Purdue will educate exceptional undergraduate business students who will create and grow competitive businesses in a technology-driven, free-market economy.”

Trustee Bruce White, right, applauds after former Gov. Mitch Daniels was introduced as the 12th president of Purdue University in 2012.

The official naming of the institute is pending approval by the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees.

“Purdue is recognized as a dynamic national leader in higher education, where it has redefined the meaning of value. As such, Purdue is seen as a strategic partner of our foundation,” said Bill Hanna, executive director of the White Family Foundation, in the release.

“Bruce was an instrumental part of Purdue’s progress over the last decade and more, working closely with senior university leadership as both a trustee and a dedicated alum. He represents a true north that students can look to as a model, and the White Family Foundation is proud to support the Bruce White Undergraduate Institute.”