WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue alumni under the age of 40 have the chance to be featured in an upcoming edition of the Purdue Alumnus magazine.

The Purdue Alumnus Magazine plans to honor forty alumni under the age of 40 who have been responsible for significant achievements or success in their respective field.

The Purdue Alumni Association is soliciting nominations for its first “40 under 40″ edition of the alumni magazine.

“We want to recognize our talented young alumni who have distinguished themselves in various careers and disciplines within a few years of earning their degrees,” said Kirk Cerny, executive director and CEO of the Purdue Alumni Association. “Purdue alumni are making a profound difference in their professions, communities, our nation, and the world. We look forward to honoring and highlighting remarkable young alumni through this recognition in the Purdue Alumnus.”

Nominees must have been born in 1970 or later. Young alumni should be responsible for significant achievements or success in their respective fields.

A link to the nomination form can be found online at www.purduealum.org/40under40. The deadline for nominations is Sept. 30. Honorees will be notified in early December.

The special edition of the Purdue Alumnus is slated for July/August 2010.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue alumni will return to campus April 17-19 to reunite and reconnect during the university’s annual Gala Weekend.

Marty Burns, senior director of alumni activities at the Purdue Alumni Association, said the purpose of Gala Weekend is to give alumni an opportunity to catch up with each other, as well as see changes that have taken place on campus.

“Many alumni haven’t returned to campus since they graduated, so this weekend is an important time for them to see the developments around the university and relive the memories of their days at Purdue,” she said. “It’s a great way to welcome everyone back.”

Gala Weekend this year will honor the 50-year reunion of the Class of 1959. Members can attend a class reception and dinner on Saturday, April 18, at Ross-Ade Pavilion, and the class will be inducted into the Forever Class during a loyalty luncheon on Sunday, April 19, at the Purdue Memorial Union North Ballroom. Reservations are required for the dinner and the luncheon.

Several other events are also planned during the weekend. Many require separate reservations.

The Felker Leadership Series, presented by the College of Consumer and Family Sciences and the college’s alumni association, will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, April 17. The series will feature various speakers with the theme “Going Global.”

Friday Frolic and dinner will be held 5-7 p.m. Friday, April 17, at Ford Dining Court for all alumni graduating 50 or more years ago. At 5:30 p.m. Friday, both the College of Consumer and Family Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts will honor alumni. A pharmacy reception will honor 1959 alumni at 6 p.m. Friday.

Saturday, April 18, will feature the Cancer Center Challenge 5K walk/run at 8:15 a.m., the College of Engineering breakfast at 8:30 a.m., a Purdue Alumni Association reunion classes lunch for alumni graduating 50 or more years ago at 11 a.m., and Pharmacy Back to Class at 2 p.m.

On Sunday, April 19, class of 1959 Pharmacy alumni will be honored at a breakfast at 8 a.m. A class parade and memorial service open to all alumni will be held at 9:45 a.m. on the Purdue Memorial Mall.

Gala Weekend also coincides with Spring Fest, with activities taking place campuswide both Saturday and Sunday. For more on Spring Fest events, go to http://www.ces.purdue.edu/sfest/

A complete listing of Gala Weekend activities, as well as registration information, can be found on the Purdue Alumni Association Web site at http://www.purduealum.org/gala or call 800-414-1541 for more information.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University students will have the opportunity to give those in need the clothes off their backs – literally – during the second annual Nearly Naked Mile.

The Nearly Naked Mile, a noncompetitive event where students run or walk through campus in bathing suits or costumes, will begin at 7 p.m. March 25 at the Class of 1950 Lecture Hall, with registration beginning there at 6 p.m. The event concludes at the Dauch Alumni Center.

Runners strip down and dress up in preparation for the 2008 inaugural Nearly Naked Mile (Photo courtesy PAA)

Students may choose to give the clothes they arrived in or donate other clothing. All collections will be donated to Lafayette Transitional Housing.

Brandi Farrer, director of student and young alumni programs with the Purdue Alumni Association, said the event is a fun way for students to do something positive to help their community, as well as learn more about how to get involved in alumni association activities while still a student.

The event is organized by the Purdue Alumni Student Experience (PASE), a group that involves students in alumni association activities to create a lifelong loyalty to the organization and the university. Any student currently enrolled at Purdue is eligible to be a member of PASE. Information about the group will be available during the event.

During the race, runners and walkers must be appropriately covered at all times, and the Purdue Police Department will approve each student’s attire before the race and will be on hand to monitor the event. Prizes will be given out for the most creative costumes, the best group costume, the best celebrity look-alike costume and the most spirited Purdue costume.

Since it is not a timed race, participants can walk or run. Students in orange vests will guide participants along the route. Free pizza, snacks, games and prizes will be available at the Dauch Alumni Center at the conclusion of the race. The first 300 PASE members that sign up and attend the event will receive a free T-shirt.

Farrer said the inaugural event last year attracted about 125 participants. She said about 300 are expected to sign up this year. Last year, about 360 pounds of clothing were collected.

Those not wishing to participate in the race can donate clothing at the Class of 1950 Lecture Hall before the event begins.

Sponsors of the event are Arni’s, University Spirit and IBM.

Complete information, including rules and a map of the race, is available at https://www.purduealum.org/pase/Events/NearlyNakedMile/tabid/5638/Default.aspx

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue Alumni Association board of directors has selected new regional directors.

Teresa Fay, Larry E. Marks, Jeff Webster and James Brooks will serve two-year terms as regional alumni directors in different parts of the country. They will represent the interests of Purdue Alumni Association members who reside in the respective areas.

Fay, of Sammamish, Wash., will direct Region 16, which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Fay is an independent contractor with Baby’s Away Inc., an equipment rental company. A 1981 Purdue graduate, she currently serves as president of the Purdue Club of Puget Sound, Wash.

Marks, of Poquoson, Va., will direct Region 10, which includes Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

A 1974 graduate, Marks is a senior operations analyst for Lockheed Martin in Hampton, Va. He is president of the Purdue Club of Hampton Roads and participates in Purdue Alumni Recruiting for Tomorrow (PART), a network of volunteers that represents Purdue at college fairs across the country. In addition to his Purdue alumni club activities, Marks is a member of the Air Force Association and Order of Daedalians Military Pilot Fraternity.

Webster, of Pendleton, Ind., will direct Region 4, which includes the following Indiana counties: Adams, Allen, Blackford, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Grant, Henry, Howard, Huntington, Jay, Madison, Miami, Randolph, Tipton, Union, Wabash, Wayne, Wells and Whitley.

A 1976 graduate, Webster is a teacher and administrator at the Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility. He serves as president of the Purdue Club of Anderson and Madison County.

Brooks, of Ramrod Key, Fla., will direct Region 12, which includes Florida and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Brooks is a public affairs officer at the Naval Air Station in Key West, Fla. A 1984 graduate, he has been a member of both the Purdue Club of Washington, D.C., and the Purdue Club of South Florida.

In addition to his Purdue alumni club activities, Brooks is a member of the Rotary Club of Key West, the Key West Ambassador Club, the Public Relations Society of America, the U.S. Navy League and the Military Officers Association of America.

The Purdue Alumni Association, an independent organization that serves as a gateway for alumni and friends to build relationships with each other and Purdue, is the ninth largest society of its kind in the United States.