Envision a world where our potential is limited only by our imagination, not by our reach. Where commitment and caring between young and old is timeless. Where homes and work places are in harmony and communities nurture their members. Envision a place where the brightest minds work together to turn imagination into reality. The Human Development Institute at Purdue University will be such a place.

Purdue is taking the lead in responding to the needs of youth and families across the life span with an interdisciplinary approach toward discovery, learning, and engagement. The institute will integrate human development efforts across campus into contiguous space and provide an unprecedented opportunity to address the critical issues facing youth and families. Bill and Sally Hanley Hall will be located adjacent to Fowler House; together, they will make up the Human Development Institute. Work will focus on these signature areas:

• Child Development and Family Studies
  When resources are devoted to improving the well being of individuals and families, there are multiple long-term benefits. For more than 75 years, the Department of Child Development and Family Studies has led the nation in child development, family studies, and marriage and family therapy.

• Center for Families
  With more than $4 million in grants and gifts, the center is very successful in conducting research and programming on behalf of families. However, the center needs additional facilities to house current staff and expand its efforts.

• Center on Aging and the Life Course
  This dynamic new center engages about 50 faculty and 30 graduate students across 17 departments. Using a life course perspective, Purdue is discovering the secrets of successful aging.

• Interdisciplinary Research Space
  Facilities to accommodate University-wide human development research is necessary as Purdue continues to contribute to this vital area. The initial occupant will likely be the Military Family Research Institute, a joint effort of CFS, Liberal Arts, and Management.

Gifts to HDI

• Bob and Joyce Miles have pledged $1 million from their estate to create a new fund that will help support CFS and the Center for Families. The fund, to be named the Bob and Joyce Miles Endowment Fund, was announced April 7 during the annual Felker Series. Joyce is a 1965 graduate in CFS and Bob is a 1963 graduate in civil engineering. Read more about the couple's gift and the Center for Families.

• Purdue University's new Human Development Institute, which will be home to centers that promote research on families, aging, and leadership, got a boost from a $3 million gift from Bill and Sally Berner Hanley of Omaha, Nebraska. Read about the Hanley's gift.

• Ben and Maxine Miller of Lafayette, Indiana, gave a leadership gift to the Purdue Child Care Program, which will be renamed the Ben and Maxine Miller Child Learning Center. The center will be part of the new Human Development Institute. Read about the Miller's gift.

• CFS alumna Mary K. "Kitty" Decker, BS '67, and her husband, Ken, a 1964 mechanical engineering graduate, were recognized by President Martin C. Jischke for their support of a variety of scholarships and other University programs. Read about the Decker's gift.

How You Can Help
We invite you to consider helping us build the Human Development Institute at Purdue University. For information on naming opportunities and how you can contribute, please contact CFS Development at (800) 535-7303, (765) 494-7890, or cfsalums@purdue.edu.