Exponent alumni celebrate anniversaries
The Purdue Exponent staff and alumni celebrated its 120th year of publication, 40th year of independence and 20th year in its building in grand style on Oct. 24, 2009.
The newspaper staff hosted a morning open house to showcase its building, the first such facility in the nation to be built entirely from its own funds. The Exponent is also one of six college newspasper with its own press.
Nearly 100 people gathered for a banquet after Purdue defeated Illinois in football, 24-14, earlier in the day.
The program included Hugh Totten, 1978 city editor and Chicago attorney, who gave a history of the Exponent.
Mikel Livingston, 2009 editor in chief, gave the audience a feel for what the Exponent is today. He said the staff includes nearly 150 students and produces more than 2,700 pages each year. And in 2008, for example, the Web page had 1.9 million hits.
Then Pat Kuhnle, publisher and general manager, introduced the keynote speaker, Ken Armstrong. Kuhnle showed slides of Armstrong columns and editorials as well as reactionary letters to the editor.
Armstrong, the 1984 editor in chief, spoke fondly of his Exponent experiences. He told how he built upon those experiences while at the Chicago Tribune and now with the Seattle Times. On Nov. 18, Armstrong will be honored as the 2009 recipient of the John Chancellor Award for lifetime achievement in journalism.
Betsy Liley, 1985 editor in chief and now a vice president for the Purdue Development Office, talked about how alumni can participate in the Exponent's future. She said an auxiliary educational board is being formed to assist in the mission of the Exponent. One such program being discussed is a joint relationship with Purdue to sponsor a professional-in-residence program whereby the person can teach University classes and work alongside the student staff.