Notable Sociology at Purdue

Past, Present, Future: Celebrating, Recognizing, and Planning for Success

This has been another amazing year in Purdue Sociology. I want to highlight how we have celebrated our past, recognized recent accomplishments, and planned for our future.

We opened the year with news of an amazing donation from Jim and Anna Davidson that has helped us transform underutilized and oddly configured office space into a beautiful conference room. The dedication of this room in the third floor of Stone Hall drew guests from near and far. We celebrated the intellectual contributions of the giants who came before us in Purdue Sociology, recognized the greatly improved facilities in our present, and looked forward to future meetings, lectures, and celebrations in our new space.

This year, our faculty also earned great honors. First, Dr. Ken Ferraro was awarded the LuAnn Aday Award for his ground-breaking research. This prestigious accolade is one of the university’s top three research honors, and it was established by Dr. LuAnn Aday (a Purdue Sociology alumna). It thus celebrates our past while also honoring recent scholarly pursuits and encouraging future research.

Second, the honor of Distinguished Professor of Sociology was bestowed on Dr. Jill Suitor at the December 7, 2018 Board of Trustees’ meeting. This honor celebrates the many accomplishments Dr. Suitor has amassed during her career at Purdue. It also recognizes her current commitment to discovery, learning, and engagement. The award comes with resources and recognition that will provide future direction for her research and the many young scholars she mentors in the study of family relationships and health.

Next, we made an important senior hire that will augment and enhance our department. This year, we welcomed Dr. Robin Stryker as a Leading Bridge Faculty member. This is a position of great honor, which involved the combined efforts of the department, the Dean, and the Provost. Dr. Stryker will help build and strengthen our Law & Society Program, which has been an integral part of Purdue Sociology’s history. Her arrival reflects our current strength in this field and a way to make new advances in the significant field of social-legal studies.

Finally, with the help of faculty, staff, and students, we have re-built our web presence to better communicate our work. We hope that these changes will help you connect with us as we continue to celebrate the accomplishments of the past, recognize our current work, and lay plans for the future of sociology at Purdue.

I can’t wait to see what 2019 will bring!