Honoring the Next Generation of Land-Grant Leaders
Written by LeeAnn Williams, Director of Undergraduate Advising and Student Services
Each year, Purdue recognizes exceptional seniors through the Flora Roberts and G.A. Ross Awards, which honor two students for their commitment to scholarship, leadership, service and overall character. In addition, the France A. Cordova Leadership in Action Award highlights a senior whose leadership has made a significant contribution to the university community.
This year, two of the three 2025-26 award recipients were graduates from the department of agricultural economics. Nicholas Neuman (agricultural economics and political science; Rushville, IN) was named the 2026 Flora Roberts recipient. He received a cash award, medallion and his name inscribed on the award marker on campus. Olivia Williams (agricultural economics and Spanish; East Grand Rapids, MI) was named the 2026 recipient of the France A. Cordova Leadership in Action Award. She received a cash award and a certificate from the Office of the President.
Nicholas has also been named a 2025 Truman Scholar, the first-ever Purdue recipient of the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service “Voyager Scholarship” and a 2023 Farm Credit Mid-America College Leaders Scholar. He spent a semester abroad studying at Vienna University of Economics and Business and a summer abroad in Ireland. In Ireland, Nicholas completed research for his senior undergraduate thesis with Michael Wilcox and the Purdue Center for Regional Development, doing a comparative analysis of Indiana’s READI 1.0 Initiative and Ireland’s LEADER program to determine best practices in large-scale grant implementation.
During his time on campus, Nicholas held various leadership roles across campus. As a senior, he served as Purdue Student Government (PSG) Vice President, giving him the opportunity to serve as Purdue Student Senate President. Nicholas focused his time on two major projects: collaborating with Purdue Transportation Authority on the transition of transit providers and providing financial relief to students through the creation of his Textbook Vouchers initiative. He has also served as a College of Ag Ambassador, Department of Agricultural Economics Envoy, PSG Senate Parliamentarian, member of Purdue Student Life Advisory Council, Lilly Scholar Network Secretary and Sigma Nu Risk Reduction Officer.
“I am beyond honored and humbled to have been awarded the Flora Roberts Award for recognition of my academic and curricular activities on Purdue’s campus. It is because of the outstanding students, faculty and staff at Purdue that these opportunities ever even became available to me.” -Nicholas Neuman
As a 2024 Purdue College of Ag CATE Public Policy Intern, Nicholas served as an intern in the Bureau of Economics and Business Affairs at the State Department in Washington, D.C. He also interned with HWC Engineering as an economics development intern, the City of Indianapolis as a legislative intern, and the City of Rushville as a communications and special projects intern. Before his time on campus, Nicholas represented Indiana agriculture as an Indiana 4-H Dairy Youth Ambassador and Indiana FFA State Secretary. After graduation, Nicholas returned to HWC Engineering as an economic development project coordinator.
Olivia Williams was also named the 2026 Outstanding College of Agriculture Transfer Student. As a transfer student from the University of Maryland in Spring 2024, she created the most remarkable record of leadership in just five short semesters.
Alongside her dual majors, Olivia completed minors in history and global food and agricultural systems, enriching her understanding of policy and development. Her undergraduate research project, advised by Michael Wilcox, examined development through the lens of county-level negotiations in economic development agreements, yielding a nuanced understanding of the economic value and development potential of such contracts for rural communities. Separately, she worked with Wilcox and a team from the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development to research the economic and business impacts of substance use disorder in the North Central region. The team integrates clinical research, economic data and business perspectives to produce programming for business owners and local leaders, which will soon be peer-reviewed and published.
“To be awarded the Cordova Award for leadership in action is truly a testament to the Purdue community that welcomed and inspired me from the moment I stepped on campus. This award reflects unparalleled mentors and advisors who guide me, peers who challenge me and friends and family who keep me grounded. This campus culture has taught me that Boilermakers, in every corner of campus, always show up for one another. That spirit inspires me to deepen my involvement and give back.” -Olivia Williams
Olivia spent the winter of ‘25-‘26 conducting research abroad in Havana, Cuba. This experience was a catalyst for her Spanish major and commitment to diverse experiences. On campus, she served with “Ayuda y Aprende,” a Spanish service-learning program, working with students from Colombian universities through weekly sessions. Outside the classroom, she has volunteered as a Spanish translator and researcher for immigration law firms. In her senior year, Olivia began taking German classes to broaden her perspective on policy and development.
Olivia petitioned for a Senate seat in Purdue Student Government in her first semester as a transfer student, where she then served two terms representing the College of Agriculture. In her senior year, she was elected as President Pro-Tempore of the Senate. Through these roles, Olivia chaired the Indiana Lifeline Law committee, leading to the expansion of the Indiana Lifeline Law in 2024 and has represented Purdue in Washington, D.C., with the Association of Big Ten Students. This summer, Olivia returns to Washington, D.C., to begin a full-time analyst position with Lafayette Square Institute, where she worked as a data analytics and policy intern in 2025.
Nicholas and Olivia collaborated on a myriad of shared campus priorities, including housing quality and voter accessibility. Leveraging their agricultural economics experiences in data analytics and development, the two have testified with economic data before the West Lafayette City Council and worked with West Lafayette Mayor Erin Easter and Indiana legislators to improve housing quality and affordability on campus. They have presented such research for student governments in collaborative meetings such as the Indiana Student Government Association annual conference. The pair’s voter accessibility initiatives, which began in the fall of 2024, have led to federal election days being recognized by Purdue University’s registrar’s office.