[20] The Morrill Act, signed by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, set the stage for the state of Indiana to establish a college for agriculture and the mechanical arts.

was created in 1882, although none of Purdue's students at the time were actually qualified to enroll in any of its courses.

[21] That same year, the Industrial Engineering Department was founded, with some courses taught by Lillian Moller Gilbreth.

[22] In 1971, the National Society of Black Engineers was founded on the Purdue campus by two undergraduates.

In 1995, the Engineering Projects In Community Service program was established at Purdue.

That same year, the Department (now School) of Engineering Education, the first of its kind in the nation, was created.