Purdue’s Female Founders: The Untold History of Trailblazing Women Faculty
Publication Title
Purdue’s Female Founders: The Untold History of Trailblazing Women Faculty
Editor
Author
Angie Klink (LA’81)
Publisher
Purdue University Press
Publication Date
October 2025
About the Book
This engaging book chronicles and celebrates the fortitude and achievements of the foremothers of Purdue University. It is a collection of profiles of women faculty who, despite profound roadblocks because of their gender, shaped the institution from its beginning in the late 1800s through the latter half of the twentieth century. These are the stories of Purdue women who persevered against the odds to follow their dreams to conduct research and teach; establish departments, schools, and colleges; and blaze paths in a male-dominated culture. Readers will learn about women who faced discrimination but persisted and thrived despite prejudice. These compelling profiles celebrate women in art, science, nutrition, literature, nursing, speech, engineering, fashion design, home economics, family life, psychology, agriculture, health and kinesiology, business, and more. Covering 125 years of university history told through the female lens, this book rightfully honors the many women who helped shape Purdue.
About the Editor
Dr. Jennifer Bay is Professor of English in the Technical and Professional Writing undergraduate major and in the graduate program in Rhetoric and Composition. Her research focuses on community engagement and experiential learning, internships, digital rhetorics, and rhetorical theory. Her work has appeared in journals such as the Journal of Business and Technical Communication, Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, Technical Communication Quarterly, Computers & Composition, Programmatic Perspectives, as well as in edited collections. Most recently, she has published on AI, data rhetorics, and equity and inclusion in the TPC classroom. Read more.
About the Author
Angie Klink is the author of thirteen books. She writes biographies, histories, memoirs, documentaries, children’s books, essays, and advertising copy. Read more.