New Purdue teaching graduates honored with pinning ceremony

Purdue University’s newest graduates in teacher education will participate in a pinning ceremony to welcome them into the teaching profession at 11 a.m. Friday (May 11) in Loeb Playhouse.

The event is hosted by Purdue’s College of Education.

Seventy-eight graduates will receive a lapel pin and a copy of the “Teacher’s Creed,” which they recite to conclude the program. The “Teachers Creed” states, in part, “I am a teacher. I change the world one student at a time.”

“The teacher pinning ceremony is a way to welcome our new graduates to their professional lives,” said Maryann Santos, dean of Purdue’s College of Education. “It is the culmination of years of hard work and we want to celebrate the fact that, as they leave Purdue, they are now part of a larger family of professional educators.”

Keynote speaker for this year’s ceremony is alumnus Joe Ruhl, a science teacher at Jefferson High School in Lafayette. Ruhl was inducted into the National Teacher Hall of Fame in 2017 and was honored with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching in 2012.

Purdue’s College of Education meets the challenges of educating 21st Century learners by discovering what works in education. The college prepares highly qualified educators and conducts research that informs how teachers teach and students learn. With a focus on integrated P-12 STEM education and a commitment to social justice and diversity, graduates are prepared to be leaders in education, business and society.