Lyles School Faculty and Staff,

As you have undoubtedly seen in the news, Dr. Rao S. Govindaraju has been selected to serve as the next Vice President for Institutes and Centers at Discovery Park District at Purdue. His position will be effective January 12, 2026.

This promotion is  richly deserved, and GS will bring his great people, budget, and fundraising management skills to the position. Please join me in congratulating GS in his next service role at Purdue!

GS leaves a strong legacy at the Lyles School. Since he started as the Bowen Engineering Head of Civil Engineering in 2012 student scholarship support increased to nearly $2 million annually, with additional support for leadership activities and graduate programs. This period also saw the naming of the Lyles School and the Burke Graduate Program, and the merger of the School with the Construction Engineering Management division to create the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering. The School launched an online MS program, a professional MS program, and two new Professional MS programs were recently approved for implementation through Indianapolis. Faculty support increased to twenty Named Professorships and two Scholars of Excellence in the School. New and repurposed facilities added to the School’s infrastructure to support the discovery, learning and engagement missions of the University.

In the coming weeks I will announce the transition plans followed by a new national search for the next Bowen Head of the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering.

Sincerely,

Arvind

Arvind Raman

John A. Edwardson Dean and Robert V. Adams Professor

College of Engineering, Purdue University