In this episode of “This Is Purdue,” we’re talking to Matt Folk, president and CEO of the Purdue for Life Foundation. 

In this new “Boilermaker Bites” series, Matt joins podcast host Kate Young at 8Eleven Modern Bistro in the Purdue Memorial Union. Over a delicious meal of pasta with grilled scallops, Matt digs into Purdue for Life’s goal of helping everyone who is part of the Purdue community stay connected, get involved and give back.  

Matt explains that by bringing together the Purdue Alumni Association, President’s Council and John Purdue Club, Purdue for Life provides opportunities for Boilermaker family, friends and fans to engage with Purdue and with one another. 

He also shares stories from his time as a Boilermaker student in the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering to owning his own company to now leading Purdue for Life. The foundation’s initiatives include the annual, ever-growing Purdue Day of Giving, the incredibly popular Grandparents University and the President’s Council yearly trip to Naples, Florida. 

From frozen tuition to the establishment of new campus buildings to creating life-changing scholarships and more, the funds raised by Purdue for Life help keep the Purdue community we love thriving.  

As a Boilermaker himself, Matt knows how deep the Purdue spirit runs — and that it doesn’t end after graduation. It lasts a lifetime.