Discovery & Engagement Discovery & Engagement

“The gift will make a significant difference for
Purdue,” says Dean Toby Parcel. “Thanks to the Rueffs’
support, the department will be able to pursue discovery
and learning opportunities that will accelerate its rise to
preeminence,” Parcel notes. “Such an endowment will
allow flexible use of funds to support the creative endeavors
of the faculty, enhance learning experiences for students,
and strengthen engagement with arts communities
in central Indiana. This is an opportunity that very few
comparable departments will have, thus giving Purdue a
clear competitive advantage in recruiting the best faculty
and students.”
Rueff earned a bachelor’s degree in radio and television
in 1984 and a master’s degree in counseling in 1986
from Purdue. Electronic Arts Inc., in Redwood City,
California, is a global leader in developing and publishing
interactive entertainment personal computer software,
with well-known titles including “Sim City,” “Madden
NFL,” and “The Sims.” Following a career in radio, Rueff
held several human resource positions in companies such
as PepsiCo, Pizza Hut, and Frito-Lay Inc. Rueff is a
member of Purdue’s campaign committee for the Visual
and Performing Arts Building and the School of Liberal
Arts Dean’s Advisory Council.
Patti Rueff is an event-planning consultant in
California. A graduate of Wood Business School in
Manhattan, she worked for 24 years for Pepsico Inc.,
including 20 years as the executive assistant to the CEO
and chair of the board of directors. She currently serves
on the board of the Women’s Health Council for San
Mateo County and the Hillsborough Auxiliary to Family
Services of the Peninsula. She also is active in organizing
the corporate competition for the Susan G. Komen Race
for the Cure in San Francisco.
J. Russell “Rusty” Rueff and wife
Patti with Dean Toby L. Parcel
at a regional alumni event in
San Francisco earlier this year.
Photo courtesy Photo International.
The Department of Visual and Performing Arts was
created in 1966. There are more than 900 undergraduates
in the department, 60 graduate students, and 40 faculty
members. As David Sigman, head of the department,
notes, the most popular areas of study are visual communications
design, interior design, industrial design, and
photography. “The Rueffs’ support for our department and
new building is very inspiring,” Sigman adds. “Just as
Rusty has made great contributions to electronic arts, our
department will strive to be a leader in art and technology
in evolving areas driven by art and design research.”
This fall, the 166,700-square-foot Visual and
Performing Arts Building, at Marsteller and Wood streets,
opened for classes in art and design and dance. The divisions
of theatre, music, and art education will move in
after the second phase of construction, which is scheduled
to begin this summer. The second phase includes
two theatres and space for costume design and storage,
dressing rooms, prop storage, and scenery construction,
as well as studios and workshop space for theatre, music,
and art education classes. The Nancy T. Hansen Theatre,
a 300-seat proscenium, will take the place of the
Experimental Theatre in Stewart Center. The second, the
Carole and Gordon Mallett Theatre, will seat 138–170
people, depending upon its configuration, and will replace
an existing, smaller black box theatre.
Fund-raising for the building is nearing completion. An
anonymous donor gave $2 million to the building this fall
and will match another $2 million to be raised by the
School of Liberal Arts, completing the $41 million facility.
LIBERAL ARTS MAGAZINE Spring 2004
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