Category Archives: Environmental Education

Purdue Fort Wayne’s Annual Day of Giving

The ERC depends upon the generosity of donors to help support its mission. And so, we hope that you will donate a monetary gift of any size to the ERC, especially over the next 24 hours, during Purdue Fort Wayne’s Annual Day of Giving on September 9th. This campaign is our biggest fundraising event and provides money that supports our operations, research, student opportunities, community outreach and education.

September 9th is PFW’s second annual Day of Giving. The ERC is one of several Centers of Excellence that depend on the generosity of the community for support. This is our largest fundraising event so please “Make Your Mark” by contributing a gift to help fund our operations, internships, and special projects. 

There are three areas of particular importance for ERC fundraising in the near term:

  • We want to improve the landscaping around the ERC, promoting a display of approaches beautifully promoting sustainability and ecological function
  • Enhance access to and utilization of the St. Joseph River right around the building
  • Expand student internship opportunities

Although there are some big-ticket items on our wish list (such as a pontoon boat and motor and floating dock to help us improve student and community access onto the river) to help us achieve these goals, gifts of any size are most welcome. $50-100 would offset the cost of delivering an engagement event out in the community, or provide needed supplies for maintaining our display animals. Cobbled together, they add up to give us the ability to go after bigger things like internships. Thank you so much for considering us!

**The CARES Act, which was signed into law March 2020, makes donating to Purdue Fort Wayne even easier. Through this provision, taxpayers who don’t itemize may deduct donations to charity up to $300 on their 2020 federal tax return, even though they take the standard deduction. Married-filing-jointly taxpayers will get an above-the-line deduction of up to $600. This will reduce your taxable income for 2020. That’s right, this is money you won’t have to pay taxes on, without itemizing. And the exciting part, this benefit doesn’t end in 2020, but applies to all years moving forward!

Also included in the CARES Act, individuals and corporations that do itemize can deduct greater amounts of their contributions. Individuals may deduct donations up to 100% of their 2020 adjusted gross income, which is up from the 60% cap. In addition, corporations may deduct up to 25% of taxable income, an increase on the previous limit of 10%. The new deduction is for gifts made to a public charity, such as PFW.**

If you have questions about this campaign or anything else, please email us directly at erc@pfw.edu. The bottom line: thank you all for your continued support!

We’re Hiring!

Our team is excited to announce that we have several open positions to hire student interns this fall and into coming semesters. These positions are open to any currently enrolled Purdue University Fort Wayne students independent of area of study – we are less concerned about major but more so your interest in sustainability and desire to contribute. If you know any currently enrolled PFW students who might be interested in joining our team please encourage them to apply!

The opportunities include: 

  • The prestigious project-based Waterfield Sustainability Internship
  • Various ERC internships

As we switch to more of a virtual format we have a strong desire for students with website development, social media experience, and video editing skills. However, other areas for development are event planning, education/outreach, graphic design, and general support for the center.

For more detailed information on our available positions visit the Internships Tab and note that all applications must be submitted through Handshake.

Purdue Fort Wayne earns Tree Campus USA® honor

Purdue University Fort Wayne has achieved the designation of a Tree Campus USA® from the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management. The program recognizes colleges and universities for successful campus forest management and for engaging students and staff in conservation goals. Purdue Fort Wayne joins more than 380 campuses across the country with this distinction.

To obtain the honor, the university met the foundation’s five core standards for effective campus forest management:

  1. Tree advisory committee
  2. Campus tree-care plan
  3. Dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program
  4. Arbor Day observance
  5. Student service-learning project

“This is great achievement for both our students and campus,” noted Tad Smith, director of grounds. “This will give our students educational opportunities to learn about the approximately 10,000 trees we have on our nearly 700-acre campus. We are proud that this honor also helps us showcase our sustained commitment to environmental stewardship.” 

Read the full Purdue University Fort Wayne Press Release for more information.