The Ro and Shorty Whittington Student Experience Match: Creating legacy, expanding possibilities and transforming student lives

Purdue University’s College of Agriculture is offering donors a powerful opportunity to amplify their impact through the Ro and Shorty Whittington Student Experience Match program. 

Ro and Shorty Whittington’s connection to Purdue began as undergraduates and continues to guide their dedication to supporting students today.

Shorty, a first-generation college student and Purdue Agriculture ’68 alumnus, was raised on a farm  and dedicated 10 years to 4-H, where he showed registered Duroc hogs. While attending Purdue, Shorty’s passion for agriculture deepened through his involvement with the Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) fraternity and the mentorship of Dean Pfendler. He also joined the Purdue 4-H judging team and the pep committee, serving as the iconic Purdue Pete during the mascot’s first game in Mackey Arena.

Ro, a 1968 Purdue alumna in elementary education who grew up near Chicago, had a much different path to agriculture. Her early exposure to farming was limited—she once thought all beans were long and green, unaware that soybeans existed as well. However, after meeting Shorty, she built a life grounded in learning, teaching and expanding opportunity within the agricultural community.

“Although I wasn’t in Purdue’s ag school, it influenced both Shorty and I because we met at Dean Pfendler’s house,” recalled Ro.

After graduation, the Whittington’s entered the grain elevator business, expanding their farming operations while serving their local community. Their commitment to youth development soon extended beyond business, as they became active supporters of the county fair—purchasing livestock and helping 4-H youth along the way.

The couple later built a successful trucking company, which they sold in 2012. That success allowed them to establish foundations dedicated to continuing their longstanding support of the agricultural community.

Ro, an educator at heart, has spent decades working with young people alongside their family business ventures. She has led Girl Scout troops, supported 4-H programs and helped with her church’s youth group.

“I’m always trying to figure out how to help young people reach their full potential. I would like to help the whole farm community strengthen itself to become more vital and visible in our world. One way we can do that is to help Purdue students because agriculture today is nothing like the agriculture I learned about in the 60s,” said Ro.

That vision helped shaped the Whittington match program.

Matching gifts to multiply opportunity

The Ro and Shorty Student Experience Match program supports meaningful and enriching opportunities that help undergraduates grow far beyond the classroom. These endowments fund transformative experiences, such as national conference travel, professional development workshops, special off‑campus learning experiences, student capstone projects, judging team participation, undergraduate research and community‑building events. The range of possibilities is extensive, with each one playing a role in shaping confident, career-ready graduates.

What makes this program unique is the match itself: every new Student Experiences Endowment that is funded up to $200,000 will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Ro and Shorty. If a Student Experiences Endowment already exists, then a new commitment of $50,000 to $200,000 will be matched dollar-for-dollar.

“This is a chance to double your investment while directly fueling hands-on learning and real-world preparation for our students,” said Kelly Delp, senior director of development for the College of Agriculture in the Purdue for Life Foundation.

The Orr Family joins forces with fellow Boilermakers

Don, 1967 graduate of Purdue’s Department of Animal Science and president emeritus of United Animal Health, was first inspired to support student development following the announcement of Mark Russell's "I Go to Grow" Student Experiences Endowment.

“My Purdue degree opened many doors for me, and I’ve been fortunate to have great Purdue leaders mentor me through the years. My advisor, Hobart Jones, was one of the nation’s leading swine specialists—he’s the one who really encouraged me to go out and see the world, make it better and pursue research that creates impact,” recalled Don.

Pam also has strong ties to Purdue, earning the Gifted and Talented Education Endorsement from the university in 1985. Her family’s connection goes even deeper—her father was a 1943 animal science graduate who early in his career managed the Purdue-owned Miller-Purdue beef cattle farm. Her mother also earned a Purdue degree in human dietetics in 1944. With this strong connection, supporting Purdue was a natural choice.

When Don later learned that his AGR fraternity brother Shorty Whittington was offering a matching opportunity, he recognized it as an ideal moment to contribute. Creating the Donald and Pamela Orr Animal Sciences Student Experiences Endowment aligned with the family’s desire to help Purdue Animal Science students gain additional career-shaping opportunities, broaden connections with influential industry contacts, and gain confidence going post-graduation.

After informing his son, Daniel Orr, about the Whittington match program, the Daniel Orr Agricultural and Biological Engineering Student Experiences Endowment was developed.

“With Bernie Engel leading Purdue’s agricultural and biological engineering program to number one in the nation, I wanted Dan to be a part of this opportunity,” Don explained. “It felt like a meaningful way to give back in honor of what Bernie established, especially considering the success Dan had early in his career, including starting at Frito-Lay with the ‘Scoops!’ project that he developed patents for.”

Planting possibilities for future student experience

Ro and Shorty Whittington are also strengthening undergraduate education by immediately funding Innovative Teaching Grants through the Office of Academic Programs. Their generosity extends across multiple College of Agriculture units and departments, enhancing the student experience in diverse and lasting ways.

To potential donors considering the Whittington match program, Don says, “The window is open, now we need to go through it.”