History of Undergraduate and Winter Course Programs

People

Teachers, Leaders, Alumni

These are the people who built the college and its reputation for excellence.

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Programs

Degrees, Curricula, Winter Courses

Although instruction in the College changed over the years, it always focused on people and practical outcomes.

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Numbers

Students, Faculty, Courses

Sometimes the numbers illuminate the past, explain the present, and even tell a story.

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Insights

Admissions, Student Life, Costs

Find out when the Purdue Creamery quit making ice cream, what happened to the iron fence, how tuition costs changed, and much, much more!

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Featured History

Winter School in Agriculture: 1900

from the 1899-1900 Winter School in Agriculture program announcement and participant list The 1900 Winter School of Agriculture was designed for young men and women who wanted to excel in an agricultural pursuits and to more thoroughly prepare for their work, but who could study only in the winter season. The Courses of Instruction…

Winter Courses in Agriculture: 1980

from the 1979-80 Winter Courses in Agriculture program announcement and participant list It was a year to look back. Purdue University’s annual Eight-Week Winter Courses in Agriculture traced their beginnings back to 1887 when the first Farmers’ Institutes were conducted at various times of the year for young farmers and homemakers who could not attend…

Winter Courses in Agriculture: 1960

from the 1959-60 Winter Courses in Agriculture program announcement and participant list Train Today the Scientific Way for Leadership in Agriculture. In 1960, three winter short courses were offered in the Purdue School of Agriculture for those who want to learn more about the science and business of agriculture. Mature men and women developing…

Winter Courses in Agriculture: 1920

from the 1919-20 Winter Courses program announcement and participant list In 1920, the Winter Courses in Agriculture met the needs of hundreds of young men and women, successful farmers in Indiana who for one reason or another could not enroll in a regular four-year course. Because of the very practical help they received,…

Winter Courses in Agriculture: 1887–1994

It began January 9, 1887, when 14 students enrolled in a “veterinary science” short course offered by the Purdue School of Agriculture, Horticulture, and Veterinary Science. It ended March 4, 1994, when 27 students completed the last Eight-Weeks Winter Courses in Agriculture. Over those 108 years the “winter courses” program not only had major…

Winter Course in Agriculture: 1940

from the 1939-40 Winter Course in Agriculture program announcement and participant list In 1940, success in agriculture in all of its various phases of farming and related enterprises demanded an increasing amount of scientific and business knowledge each year. Therefore, opportunities for a trained worker in agriculture were growing. PLANS OF STUDY General Agriculture…

What’s in a Name? The College of Agriculture

In 2004 Purdue’s School of Agriculture became a College of Agriculture, but that wasn’t its first name change. Between the University’s founding in 1869 and 2004, the College has gone by a few different names. The Purdue School of Agriculture and Horticulture offered undergraduate programs from 1874-86; the School of Agriculture, Horticulture and Veterinary…

Undergraduate Academic Advisors

Since 1880-81, more than 90 percent of all College of Agriculture bachelor’s degree recipients have received academic advice and counsel from a dedicated faculty member. The college has a distinguished and proud record of having faculty work with undergraduate students as academic counselors, student organization advisors and mentors. Many other disciplines have utilized “professional…

Three World Food Prize Winners

Philip Nelson, Gebisa Ejeta and Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina embody the innovative spirit of Purdue University. Within a single decade, the three alumni were named laureates of the World Food Prize, otherwise known as the Nobel Prize for food and agriculture. In 2007, Nelson was the first Purdue alum to earn the award. He developed…

There Was Music, Too

Purdue’s School of Agriculture Winter Courses, held between harvest and spring planting, included more than eight weeks of Animal Husbandry, Dairy Production, Dairy Manufactures, and General Agriculture in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. But Purdue Winter Courses students didn’t only study. Meeting records of Agricultural Winter Courses Society from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s…

"We're a great college in a truly great university. When they graduate, Purdue Agriculture students are prepared to take on the world!"

- Marcos Fernandez, Associate Dean and Director of Academic Programs

Credit

Purdue Agriculture Academic History was proposed by Marcos Fernandez, Associate Dean and Director of Academic Programs. Hannah Tucker (B.S., 2018) authored the stories identified with her byline at the end of the piece. Others were written by Allan Goecker (B.S.A., 1964). Rebecca Theller, formerly of Purdue Agricultural Communication, edited the stories and provided the photos. Kyle Brock, Purdue Agricultural Communication web designer and developer, designed the web page. Staff members in University Archives and the Office of Registrar also contributed significant information.