 Throughout our history, 150-plus years marked by teaching, research, and engagement, we have been driven by a purpose greater than ourselves. Our purpose, our reason for being, is to serve. To serve the people of Indiana and beyond. Hardworking men and women from big cities, small towns, and rural communities, different circumstances, and promising futures. We trace our worthy charge to a defining moment in our country's history, July 2, 1862. Among the darkest days of the Civil War, President Lincoln signed a bill to preserve the industrial spirit of a divided union. The Morrill Act gives over one million acres of federal land to endow at least one university in every state. Born from an idea so uniquely American, these universities are not meant to be exclusive to the wealthy or elite. They are for all. They are to teach applied subjects like agriculture and the mechanic arts, and they are to share their knowledge far beyond campus borders. Upon our founding in 1869, Purdue University represents a new era in education for all. Our first graduate, John Bradford Harper, puts it into these words. Who dares to place a limit on the human intellect? Who dares to say when the search for truth in this world shall end? For decades to come, Purdue University opens doors to the instigators of progress. One family for mankind. Instigators of discoveries, patents, companies, life-saving drugs, works of art, world food and Nobel Prizes. The list goes on and on and on. Like our commitment to those we serve. A community with educational needs that grows and changes over time. We open regional campuses, freeze tuition, take instruction online and reinvent high school. We continue to reimagine accessible education for the 21st century and our services no longer contained within Red Brick Exteriors. Why? Because the people, our nation, still need us today as they did in 1862. And we can do more. We can serve more. 40 million Americans have some college credit and valuable life experience, but no degree. First generation students, working adults, active military and veterans. Many share the same dreams and drive that define Purdue. For them, West Lafayette is not the answer today. They need something else. Something they can trust and be proud of. For them, our answer is new yet ever true. Purdue Global. To them and to all we serve in West Lafayette and around the globe, we offer an invitation, a chance and opportunity to dream big again and take the small steps that will move us all forward. Because if not us, who? We are Purdue and Purdue Global. Where again and again and again persistence pays off.