This award recognizes the chapter’s excellence in diverse areas and is the highest honor in IISE’s University Chapter Recognition Program. The Purdue chapter has received this award for 17 of the last 19 years.

The Purdue chapter received the award in recognition of its organization, student support, and community service activities during the 2015-16 academic year. Student support activities included organizing and attending talks by industry leaders, plant tours, social gatherings, and educational sessions, as well as participating in the IISE regional conference. Service activities involved tutoring and mentoring other undergraduate students, visiting local high and elementary schools to explain what engineers do, supporting organizations like the Boys and Girls Club, and participating in community projects such as Adopt-a-Spot/Lafayette.

The 2016-17 IISE officers who spearheaded the chapter’s efforts were: President - Tony Orr, Vice President - Mallory Huff, Treasurer - Marcos Zatkulak, Secretary - Nick Perkins, Ambassador Director - Rebecca Seligman, Professional Development Director - Pamela Yuan, Programs Director - Caroline Waas, and Public Relations and Marketing - Brittany Geier.

Founded in 1948, IISE is the world's largest professional society dedicated solely to the support of the industrial and systems engineering profession. It is an international, nonprofit association that provides leadership for the application, education, training, research and development of industrial and systems engineering.