All of April, Purdue University Northwest had been building up to their I Love PNW Spirit Week, which cumulates during Purdue's Day of Giving beginning on April 26th at 11 pm and ending on April 27th at 11 pm. They celebrated the excitement of this exciting week in a most delicious way: the creation of their very own Valpo Velvet Ice Cream flavor.
The creation of the flavor was a great kickoff to a week to celebrate the merger of these two sister schools, which ends in a fundraiser showing both PNC pride and unity. The online fundraiser is a competition between all of Purdue’s Universities. The West Lafayette campus splits into several groups in order to even the playing field. 2016 was Purdue Northwest’s first time competing as one school instead of separately as Calumet and North Central. With their merger so fresh, it was still a choice.
“We had to decide,” said PNW’s Director of Advancement, Marie Foster, “Do it together, or compete. We decided early on that this would be a team building event. It’s a way our students, staff, and alumni can come together to see the benefits of being one [team].”
Their goal this year is 185,000 dollars, a combination of how much each campus raised last year. To market their fundraiser, they created #helloPNW to share photos, events, and information on twitter and other social media. They even sold t shirts sporting the hashtag on campus.
The other event building excitement for the reborn University is the unveiling of their Valpo Velvet ice cream flavor. The 19th was the final meeting amongst the committee members, to taste toppings and choose one.
They decided on a butterscotch ribbon, and were given three chocolate options: chips, oreos, or chocolate covered almonds.
“It’s a whole new spin on advertising,” said David Sokolowski, a student at PNW. “So often you see billboards for sports, or logos. We are getting an ice cream flavor in one of the most popular shops in Valpo.”
Dr. Dan Wilbur thought it was “A cool way to celebrate, and raise awareness about PNW. There is a lot of trepidation, but also a lot of excitement.”
Valpo Velvet’s co-owner, Cathy Brown, agreed that it was another great way to connect her business with its clients. “The reason we have been in business here for 69 years is because we get involved with the community and we care what they think. It means the world to have [PNW] here.”
The Pride members settled on both chocolate covered almonds and chocolate chips to go with their creamy, butterscotch ice cream. What will the name be?
It is up to you! Follow Purdue Northwest on Twitter to get in on the discussion and give your own idea.