Discovery & Engagement Discovery & Engagement

LIBERAL ARTS MAGAZINE Spring 2004
20
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BY AMY PATTERSON-NEUBERT
CAMPUS
$5 Million Gift Renames VPA Department
APurdue University liberal arts graduate who is
part of the electronic arts industry in Southern
California is recognizing his alma mater with the
largest single gift ever made to Purdue’s School of Liberal
Arts. The University will name its Department of Visual
and Performing Arts after J. Russell “Rusty” Rueff and his
wife, Patricia, of Burlingame, California, in recognition
of their $5 million deferred gift. The department, in
Purdue’s School of Liberal Arts, is composed of four
divisions—art and design, dance, music, and theatre.
“Patti and Rusty Rueff understand the importance
of the creative arts and how they enhance our
technologically driven world,” says President
Martin C. Jischke. “We have a new state-of-
The Rueffs’ gift will help the School
meet its campaign goals and, more
importantly, improve programs in VPA’s
four divisions: art and design,
dance, music, and theatre.
the-art building, and this gift will enhance the quality of
the visual and performing arts program we offer students
through the Patti and Rusty Rueff Department of Visual
and Performing Arts. Not only will Purdue and its students
benefit from this gift, but so will the art patrons in
the community who visit the theatre productions, dance
performances, and gallery exhibits.”
The Rueffs also have pledged $200,000 to name the
Patti and Rusty Rueff Gallery in the new Visual and
Performing Arts Building. That gift will be matched by a
fund set up this fall by an anonymous donor, doubling its
value. Previously, a classroom was named after the Rueffs’
godson, Noah B. Putman, in honor of a $50,000 gift.
“I am proud to be a graduate of Purdue, one of the
premier academic institutions in the world,” says Rusty
Rueff, executive vice president for human resources at the
California-based game publisher Electronic Arts. “Patti and
I believe the creative leaders of tomorrow can be empowered
by offering them state-of-the-art facilities and
teaching at the university level. We are committed
to advancing education of the arts through our
philanthropic commitments. We feel Purdue is the
ideal location for our personal gift, because this program
highlights the power of technical and creative
convergence that will be a part of shaping the
future of visual arts and new entertainment
media.”