College of Agriculture
2025 Hovde Award nominees sought
Purdue University is accepting nominations for the 2025 Frederick L. Hovde Award of Excellence. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University is accepting nominations for the 2025 Frederick L. Hovde Award of Excellence, given annually to a member of Purdue’s faculty or staff who has displayed outstanding educational service to rural Indiana.
Any active member of Purdue’s faculty and staff, including field staff, is eligible for the award. Nominees can serve any college, school, division or unit, whether at West Lafayette, Indianapolis or a regional campus.
“Purdue’s strong ties with communities and individuals throughout Indiana remain a vital part of fulfilling our land-grant mission,” said Bernie Engel, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture. “We’re grateful to the Indiana Farm Bureau for its continued support of the Hovde Award, which honors Purdue faculty or staff who are committed to sharing the university’s knowledge and resources with Hoosiers statewide.”
The nomination deadline is noon ET Sept. 5. Nomination packets should be submitted via email to agdean@purdue.edu.
At least one — and no more than five — one-page letters of support must accompany the nomination form. Nomination forms and guidelines are available in PDF format here. The recipient will receive an $800 cash prize and plaque. The award, which has been given annually since 1972, is sponsored by Indiana Farm Bureau Inc. in appreciation of Hovde, who was Purdue’s seventh president and served from 1946-71.
The 2024 recipient was Jay Akridge, professor of agricultural economics and the trustee chair in teaching and learning excellence. Akridge served as dean of the College of Agriculture from 2008-17 and provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity from 2017-22.
About Purdue Agriculture
Purdue University’s College of Agriculture is one of the world’s leading colleges of agricultural, food, life and natural resource sciences. The college is committed to preparing students to make a difference in whatever careers they pursue; stretching the frontiers of science to discover solutions to some of our most pressing global, regional and local challenges; and, through Purdue Extension and other engagement programs, educating the people of Indiana, the nation and the world to improve their lives and livelihoods. To learn more about Purdue Agriculture, visit this site.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.
Media contact: Devyn Ashlea Raver, draver@purdue.edu
Sources: Megan Kuhn, mmkuhn@purdue.edu
Agricultural Communications: Maureen Manier, mmanier@purdue.edu, 765-494-8415
