Purdue University
OP-T2-24: Historically Underutilized Businesses

In 2005, Purdue University took steps to enhance their supplier diversity activities and recruited a well-known small diverse business advocate to lead their efforts to increase the contracts awarded to Indiana women and minority businesses. Since then Purdue University has become recognized as one of the premier supplier diversity programs in higher education in America. The focus of the program has been outreach. The small staff of three people work tirelessly to introduce the diverse business community to decision makers at the West Lafayette campus, in addition to staff from each of the three regional campuses: Purdue Calumet, Purdue North Central at Westfield, and Purdue University-Indiana University at Fort Wayne. The cornerstone of the outreach efforts of the Purdue Supplier Diversity staff is the Relationship to Partnership (R2P) Sessions that take place each November. R2P is structured to introduce the attending diverse businesses to decision makers from the Supplier Diversity Coalition of Greater Lafayette. The Coalition members are the larger employers of Tippecanoe County, each committed to expanding opportunities to women and minority firms. Additionally Purdue University participated in the Disparity Study that was commissioned by the State of Indiana. Purdue's response to the findings in the study has produced a new stronger initiative entitled ACCESS, (Advocating Consistent Contracting to Engage Small Business Success). This program is designed to give even more muscle to an already dynamic commitment to the success of Indiana women and minority businesses.