In this episode of This Is Purdue, two of Purdue University’s commencement leaders join us to discuss Purdue’s first outdoor commencement ceremony at Ross-Ade Stadium.  

Purdue has been hosting commencement at the iconic Elliott Hall of Music since the 1940s. But – like a lot of things in 2020 – COVID-19 changed that.   

Lesa Beals, senior associate registrar, and Chris Pass, senior assistant registrar, share highlights from the 2021 Spring commencement, Purdue’s first in-person ceremony since the pandemic. 

Hear how they teamed up with other Big Ten universities to pull off a ceremony five times larger than what they normally did at Elliott, and how they prepared for things out of their control (AKA Indiana weather)! 

Plus, listen in to hear Purdue University President Mitch Daniels’ full 2021 Spring commencement speech.