Small steps to giant leaps: Purdue Class of 2023 to celebrate spring commencement during nine ceremonies May 12-14

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University students will commemorate their success and be recognized for their persistent pursuit at 2023 Spring Commencement ceremonies May 12-14. There will be nine ceremonies, all in Elliott Hall of Music on Purdue’s campus. 

Purdue’s 2023 spring class has 9,776 candidates eligible for graduation. The list includes 7,398 undergraduates, 1,750 master's candidates, 390 doctoral candidates and 238 professional degree-seekers.

Mung Chiang, who in January became Purdue’s 13th president, will address undergraduates for the first time at this year’s spring ceremonies. 

Kathleen Howell, Purdue’s Hsu Lo Distinguished Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, will provide the keynote for the graduate student ceremony at 7 p.m. Sunday, May 14. Howell has received national and international acclaim for her work in orbit mechanics, spacecraft dynamics and trajectory optimization. She has contributed to the success of multiple NASA missions, including Genesis, Artemis and Cassini, and was recognized with the Morrill Award in 2019, Purdue’s highest faculty honor.

Commencement Division Dates and Times

• Division I – Friday, May 12, 9:30 a.m. College of Agriculture and College of Engineering (Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Mechanical Engineering)
• Division II – Friday, May 12, 2:30 p.m. College of Engineering (Aeronautics and Astronautics, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Construction Engineering, Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Interdisciplinary Engineering, Nuclear Engineering)
• Division III – Friday, May 12, 7 p.m. College of Engineering (Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Materials Engineering)
• Division IV – Saturday, May 13, 9:30 a.m. College of Health and Human Sciences (undergraduate and professional)
• Division V – Saturday, May 13, 2:30 p.m. College of Science
• Division VI – Saturday, May 13, 7 p.m. Purdue Polytechnic Institute (undergraduate and professional)
• Division VII – Sunday, May 14, 9:30 a.m. College of Veterinary Medicine (undergraduate and professional), College of Pharmacy (undergraduate and professional) and College of Liberal Arts
• Division VIII – Sunday, May 14, 2:30 p.m. School of Management and College of Education
• Division IX – Sunday, May 14, 7 p.m. Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy (all colleges/schools)

Tickets are required for entry into commencement ceremonies, and Elliott Hall of Music doors will open 90 minutes before each ceremony. Only clear bags or small clutch bags are permissible in Elliott Hall of Music, and all bags will be checked. More information can be found at Spring 2023 Commencement FAQs. Each graduation candidate may request up to four tickets. The ceremonies will be livestreamed from the Purdue News YouTube channel and linked on the Purdue commencement website before each ceremony begins. 

Honorary doctorates

Thomas Shelby, executive vice president of Peter Kiewit and Sons’ Inc. and president of Kiewit Energy Group, will receive an honorary doctorate from Purdue Polytechnic Institute during the Division VI ceremony.

During Shelby’s tenure as president and board member of Kiewit Energy, the company has expanded its engineering and energy business from less than $100 million in 1991 to over $6 billion today. He led initiatives to open Kiewit Energy offices in Canada and Mexico and form engineering hubs in North America, growing the company’s engineering capabilities from 100 employees in 2000 to almost 3,000 employees. Kiewit is the third largest engineering and construction company in North America, designing and building $13 billion of work annually and employing more than 40,000 people.

Shelby is a member of the National Academy of Construction, an honorary group of engineering and construction industry leaders. He is a member of the Purdue Polytechnic Advisory Council and a past Purdue Distinguished Alumni. Shelby earned a bachelor’s degree in construction management from Purdue in 1981 and his Master of Science and MBA from Arizona State University in 1989.

Student responders at each ceremony

Each undergraduate division will feature a student responder:

• Courtney Rodkey of Frankfort, Indiana, who is to receive a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Agriculture, will be the student responder in the Friday morning (Division I) ceremony.
• Shreya Misra of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, who is to receive a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, will be the student responder in the Friday afternoon (Division II) ceremony.
• Sihun Kim of Springfield, Virginia, who is to receive a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, will be the student responder in the Friday evening (Division III) ceremony.
• Allison Ellis of Fishers, Indiana, who is to receive a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Health and Human Sciences, will be the student responder in the Saturday morning (Division IV) ceremony.
• Frances Ann Fu O’Leary of Claremont, California, who is to receive a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Science, will be the student responder in the Saturday afternoon (Division V) ceremony.
• Chase Triplett of Michigan City, Indiana, who is to receive a Bachelor of Science degree from the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, will be the student responder in the Saturday evening (Division VI) ceremony.
• Kathleen Massa of Darien, Illinois, who is to receive a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Pharmacy, will be the student responder in the Sunday morning (Division VII) ceremony.
• Anyssa Mujica of McAllen, Texas, who is to receive a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Management, will be the student responder in the Sunday afternoon (Division VIII) ceremony.

Top student awards

Purdue’s Flora Roberts and G.A. Ross awards are the university’s most prestigious honors for two outstanding seniors.

Lara B. Chuppe of South Bend, Indiana, is the winner of the 2023 G.A. Ross Award. Chuppe will graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from the College of Science. She has had several leadership roles in Global House, a learning community in the John Martinson Honors College and has been recognized with Pillar Awards for community and global engagement in 2021 and 2022. Chuppe has been involved in College Mentors for Kids, Global Science Partners, English Language Learners In-Home Program and several volunteer tutoring programs. Chuppe also completed a summer internship with Advocates for Human Rights, where she worked directly on U.S. immigration policies for Afghan evacuees.

Frances Ann Fu O’Leary of Claremont, California, is the winner of the 2023 Flora Roberts Award. O’Leary will graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and mathematics from the College of Science. She has been a part of a U.S. Army-sponsored research group to build a self-correcting 3D printer and served as information technology lead on the Purdue Space Program High Altitude subteam. O’Leary has held internships with SpaceX and Microsoft and served as an officer in several organizations, including the Purdue 3D Printing Club, Computer Science Women’s Network and Purdue Space Program. O’Leary has also served as a teaching assistant and has completed training to be a licensed pilot.

These awards are made possible through bequests from Flora Roberts, Purdue Class of 1887, and G.A. Ross, Purdue Class of 1916. Each recipient receives a $2,000 award and medallion and has their name permanently inscribed on the award marker on the Purdue Engineering Mall.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last five years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://stories.purdue.edu. 

Writer/Media contact: Ellie Acra, eacra@purdue.edu