← This Is Purdue
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- [00:00]
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This is Dimitri Perulis and you're listening to this Is Purdue.
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Hi, I'm Kate Young and you're listening to this Is Purdue, the official podcast for Purdue University. As a Purdue alum and Indiana native, I know firsthand about the family of students and professors who are in it together, persistently pursuing and relentlessly rethinking who are the next game changers, difference makers, ceiling breakers, innovators? Who are these boilermakers? Join me as we feature students, faculty and alumni taking small steps towards their giant leaps and inspiring others to do the same.
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Sometimes I compare my own experience as a student and the experience of the student now in the 21st century, in 2025 and beyond. And those students do need to be future ready. They do need to understand how industry works. They do need to get hands on learning experience. But they need to do that not as a one off, but actually through a full integration.
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In this episode of this Is Purdue, we're talking to Dimitri Perolis, Senior Vice President for Partnerships and Online at Purdue University. Dimitri recently kicked off his 23rd year at Purdue. He leads the University's online programs and the offices of industry partnerships, global partnerships and engagement. He also serves as the Riley professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. As a leading expert on new innovative degrees and courses for workforce development and advancement, Dimitri is digging into the ever evolving higher education landscape and how Purdue is effectively preparing students to stay future ready. Plus, he's sharing his advice for students entering today's workforce. So let's get to it. Here's my conversation with Demetri. Demetri, thank you for joining us on this is Purdue, the official Purdue Podcast. So welcome to the show.
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Thank you so much. Awesome to be here.
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You are an expert on new innovative degrees and different courses for workforce development and advancement. So we're going to dive into all that today. We're going to talk a lot about being future ready and what that means. Let's start by talking a little bit about your role to tell us what you do at Purdue and how the university is changing what college and experiential learning looks like.
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Indeed. I'm wearing a couple of different hats. I'm an electrical engineer by training, so I'm a faculty member in the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. I'm now serving as a Senior Vice President for Partnerships and Online. Its interesting partnerships include industry partnerships, it includes global programs and partnerships, and it includes the Office of Engagement which is about our local city level partnerships. And the online programs are mainly the programs that we offer through the Main campus. We do have some online programs offered by regional campuses, but the majority are degrees and credentials here from West Lafayette.
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Dmitry explains how Purdue is changing what college and experiential learning looks like by partnering with leading corporations like eli Lilly & Co. And and Wabash. How are the university's strategic relationships with these companies helping students stay future ready?
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That's frankly what is on our mind when we're thinking about these partnerships. And I think the key is to think of them as forging strategic level partnerships that really will transform the experience of the student. Sometimes I compare my own experience as a student and the experience of the student now in the 21st century, in 2025 and beyond. And those students do need to be future ready. They do need to understand how industry works, they do need to get hands on learning experience. But they need to do that not as a one off, but actually through a full integration. And that's frankly why we do these strategic partnerships. We try to integrate them fully in the curriculum of the student in terms of what they might learn in the classroom, but also what kind of research experiences they might have here on campus, what kind of internship experiences and co ops I might get and global experiences. Some of the students like to do that and we really need to support them on this. So many of these partnerships you will see that they provide a whole hub of experiences. With Lilly, for example, we have a center on campus that really takes students to the next level of engagement. With Lilly, students can understand how drug discovery works, how pharmaceutical manufacturing works. What does it mean to take something from the lab of a university, which sometimes it starts as a pure curiosity, but actually then leads to a full fledged manufacturing process. And with Huaweius as well, students need to learn how do supply chain management skills work, how do these very complex companies carry operations so efficiently? So it's all about this synergistic operation and this strategic alliance that we try to form between the university and the companies.
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It definitely feels like the days of getting an internship one summer, one semester and that's that is over.
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Yes indeed.
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It's all about that hands on experiential learning like you just talked about. How did these relationships with companies like Lilly and Wabash strengthen the overall workforce development and advancement? Especially like you talked about with the drugs going from a lab out to the world to solve these challenges. Talk a little bit about the research initiatives that are addressing the world's toughest challenges today.
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You know, it's interesting when you think about the skills that the students will need when they join companies like the ones we're talking about, of course they will need what they learn in the classroom, but they will need a lot more. They will need a whole new mindset of how they apply problem solving skills to solve some of these tough challenges. And those are young individuals that are going to join the workforce, and almost immediately they're going to be faced with the real world. And so we try to make sure that while they're still in the university and while they still have the time and the opportunity to learn those skills and to learn how to create this type of mindset, that they have all the time and the opportunity to do so. That's why I often tell students, what you get at Purdue, inside the classroom should not be more than 50% of your whole experience. The other 50% is outside. And industry partnerships is a big part of that. The fact that we are able to offer this to our students, it's incredible. We have more than 400 industry partners right now. Very, very few universities can really provide this kind of an experience to the student. And students can learn not only from the professors who sometimes lead those partnerships, but through the people who work in those companies. We have a lot of alumni in those companies. A lot of times they develop mentorship relationships. So it really one step brings the other, and it basically leads students to where we think they can be leaders. Very quickly.
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What advice do you have for students? Maybe they're interested in research, internships, engagement opportunities. How should they get their foot in the door?
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Well, first of all, I would say don't be shy.
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That's hard, though.
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It's hard. It's hard. And we really try to make it as easy as possible by providing multiple pathways. For example, there are centers on campus, like the undergraduate research center, that students can just go online or just go there and start getting the advice they need. We offer programs on campus, summer programs or programs throughout this semester. This fall, we have the Discovery Interdisciplinary research program. The students can participate and they can apply even if they have no connections on campus, even if they haven't met anyone, even if they haven't connected yet to maybe a research lab, they can immediately go ahead and do this. But I always advise students to also create their own network. They can connect, for example, with student clubs. There are hundreds of student clubs on campus. They can connect with research groups. Sometimes knocking on somebody's door, virtual or real, is a little bit intimidating, but that's why we're here. So, thankfully, there are multiple pathways, and I always advise students to start with the most comfortable one, but slowly push their comfort zone to the next level.
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It gets easier and easier, right?
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Indeed.
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Dmitri dives into Purdue's flagship online programs, one of the intentional ways in which the university is adapting to an evolving workforce. He shares some of the most unique career forward courses and degree programs available for today's students.
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In the online world, you will see students who are pursuing full degrees. We call that the credit bearing credentials. Students who will pursue, for example, full master's degrees online. And frankly at Purdue now we have full doctorate degrees on online. You can get a Doctor of Technology and as of last year, a Doctor of Engineering, fully online. Very, very unique opportunities. And those are the same degrees and the same credentials that people can earn here on our campus. They still earn a Purdue degree. They still get to walk through the Elliott hall, they get taught by the same faculty members, they take the same exams, the same assessments, and of course the same degree as everybody else. But in addition to that, we have the second bucket of offerings. Those are, I would say, career focused micro credentials. So people who need or want to be upskilled very quickly in a field. An example is AI. Sure, right, we have hot topic. Exactly right. So we have people who graduated just a few years ago, they never took a single course in AI and now they have to go and either work in the field of AI or even lead a group in AI. And some of those individuals need to work in the, I would say hard tech of AI. But others need to think about applying AI to different spaces. What does it mean, for example, to apply AI into business? What does it mean to apply AI into governance or ethics or policy? So we created specific micro credentials for that. We have actually 13 micro credentials right now. They last about a month. Students can take them at their own pace and then right after that, if they want, they can continue and get even a full degree. But if they don't want or don't need a full degree, they're going to be ready for industry. Many of these credentials, by the way, are very unique in the sense, for example, the AI micro credentials are the only ones and the first ones that have been abet accredited at Purdue. Here some micro credentials are also stackable. You can stack one on top of the other and start building a degree pathway if you want to. Some of them are bringing topics together that you might not have thought about. For example, we have AI storytelling. So how do you bring AI and how do you build your skills to convey what you want to say in a very engaging way? And of Course, depending on the field that you go, you can find exactly what you need.
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And these are degrees that in coursework and certifications that didn't exist five, certainly not 10 years ago.
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That's right, that's right. Some of them are brand new. We tend to build degrees that are really needed in the workforce now, but also in the future. And the number of students pursuing those degrees at Purdue is growing. Right now we have almost 6,000 students who pursue full degrees at Purdue fully online and almost 14,000 who pursue micro credentials. Those students benefit from the Purdue ecosystem, the infrastructure, our faculty, our staff members, the whole expertise and from the industry connections we have to make those degrees relevant. For example, we work very closely with industry to co build some of those micro credentials. In the areas, for example of semiconductors, we work closely with industry. We have people from industry working hand in hand with Purdue faculty members to bring a very unique offering so people get to learn the fundamentals, but also what is applied right now.
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How do these things, you know, AI related degrees, we just talked about semiconductors, hypersonic certificates. How do these new online programs really help keep students future ready?
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You know, future ready is a very interesting world. I know we talked a little bit about that. But when I think about the future ready student, I think somebody who's going to thrive and lead a very rapidly changing world, it's a matter of giving them a very strong technical foundation in the areas, for example, that you mentioned. But, but it's also a way of making them understand how they need to think about the future. Their mindset has to be a mindset of curiosity, of creativity, a mindset where they can take risks, a mindset that allows them to be adaptive and flexible. The world is not what it used to be 10 or 20 years ago. And likely the speed is going to accelerate for these students. So when we bring them through those unique offerings, of course we will teach them what they need, but we try to create those communities that they will learn from each other and they will learn from the leaders, both in industry as well as in academia.
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And when it comes to these online offerings and class formats, how does that differ from what boilermakers get with the.
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More traditional path for people who pursue degrees? We have the same faculty members and the same people who will teach them, but the flexibility is the key. So the typical online student is a student who is a working professional. They tend to manage full time jobs, sometimes they tend to manage families. So they have limited amount of time. So they need to focus on what they need to do and they have to basically do that very quickly and very efficiently. So we try to be really flexible on what we're doing, and we try to support them in terms of what they need. I'll give you an example. A few years ago, and this is happening almost every year, I had a student who was a nuclear submarine officer. The student sent me an email at the very beginning of the semester saying, professor, I'm going to be literally underwater for three weeks. So I won't be able to download lectures, I won't be able to submit homework. I won't be able to do projects. So. And of course, we helped the student do the work as he needed. And it's that flexibility, I think, that has put Purdue in a leadership position in the online courses, of course, in many other areas. But just to give you an example, many of our degrees are top ranked right now. Many engineering degrees are top ranked. Mechanical engineering is top ranked. Electrical engineering is top ranked. Engineering, management, industrial engineering and so on. We really recognized, I think, in the way we do things and the kind of care I think we give to the students.
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How is Purdue and specifically the online programs that we're talking about, preparing students to leverage the degrees, the coursework to, you know, excel after graduation?
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First of all, we make sure that the students are truly taught by the very best. We're very blessed to have here on campus, the very best faculty. So they really learn from the very best. They really learn from people who don't just teach the material, but the ones who are leading the future and getting that experience. I think it's invaluable. At the same time, they get those connections with industry folks. Many of the companies that I discussed before are also engaged in the teaching and learning for the students. And of course, we help them afterwards. The students have the ability to come back to us every time they need something. You know, this is not a static world. There are students who, yes, maybe right now they're studying AI, but perhaps sometime later they need to study something more in the creative arts or something more in the business domain. So how does the business mindset blend with the, let's say, a science or engineering mindset? So we're always there for them. When they come to our door, they can be absolutely certain that they get the best of the best and in a way that they can actually learn, meet them where they are.
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And speaking of faculty, you still teach, you said this will be your 23rd year at Purdue?
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I do.
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Amazing. Congrats.
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I'm teaching every semester. Yes. Thank you.
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Let's dive into your Purdue journey. How did you come to Purdue? You know, what's your background?
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After I finished my PhD, I was looking for a university that could truly help me apply my knowledge, but at the same time teach students. So I was looking for this, let me call it, perfect balance between research excellence and teaching excellence. And Purdue's values were really well aligned with what I was looking for. At the same time, Purdue had the facilities that I needed. I'm doing experimental work in the area of electronics and semiconductors. The Burke Nanotechnology center was just coming up by the time I joined Purdue. So this was a big magnet, I think, for me as well as many other folks. And I still remember how welcoming the community was here. It was incredible to start talking about collaboration options, growth opportunities from my very, very first week here. And that spirit still remains. So there was no question, really.
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And you won the Charles B. Murphy Outstanding Undergraduate teaching award in 2010, which is Purdue's highest undergraduate teaching honor. How do you think your passion for teaching and your professional background helps you in your current role today?
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You know, I have been thinking a little bit about that over time, right. Because I'm still teaching, but I'm still serving the university in different roles. And a lot of times I think the skills in teaching and the skills in leadership overlap. For example, in teaching is. I think a good teacher is all about connecting with the students, is all about curiosity, compassion, a lot of times. And at the end of the day, what are you trying to do? You're trying to truly empower a student to take the next step that normally they couldn't take before you met them, but now they feel not only they can take it, but they actually can take it with confidence. So they feel really empowered. In many ways, leadership positions require similar skills. And so when I work with my colleagues, when I'm thinking about their problems, when I'm thinking about the next step we have to take as a university, a lot of these thoughts come back. And I think a lot of these skills help me move forward. And of course, I'm an engineer by training. I have to bring my engineering and problem solving mindset into this. So I think it all blends in a creative way.
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B
Absolutely. That's special. So you grew up in Greece and studied there. We had Assistant Professor Alex Somas was also a fellow Greece resident. And then you were a graduate student at the University of Michigan. What did the workforce look like then?
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Boy, I'll try to remember. It's been a while. But I do remember that When I was an undergraduate student back in Greece and I was studying engineering, it was a different world. The emphasis was a lot more on building analytical skills. It was also a lot more building a theoretical foundation, less about hands on learning. And at the time, I think all I was thinking about in most of my colleagues, colleagues were excelling academically and looking for some type of, I would say, stable next step. And again, I think we were in an academic environment that was more or less stable for decades. Not sure we can say that at this point, but in my graduate studies things changed a little bit. I think everybody who goes to grad school find themselves in this dynamic environment which is very much innovation driven. I actually chose to do a hands on PhD. A lot of hours in the lab, a lot of hours trying things, even though I had almost no background in this. Mostly because I wanted to push myself to learn that part of the world. And now, you know, we come to university that gives opportunities to the students. Thankfully, much more than I experienced, much more than just the analytical skills, just the technical skills. Forcing the students to think about business, forcing the students to think about entrepreneurship, allowing them to connect with industry, allowing them to think a bit more broadly about the world. So thankfully, I think we are now providing more opportunities than in the past.
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Reflecting back and knowing everything that you know now. If you are a student at Purdue today, what career path do you think that you would take?
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Oh, sometimes I think I wish I could become a student again because we're all learning. You know, we talked about lifelong learning before. So I'm trying to do this in many opportunities as much as I can. But if I was back at Purdue, I think as a student, perhaps I would think about three different dimensions. So one would be, I would say excellence in technology. I'm an engineer, so I have to think about that. I'm sure it's not for everyone, but think about depth in the particular field you want to focus on. But then I would also think about creative expressions. I think this is so crucial in today's world. We talk a lot about AI, we talk a lot about technology, but what about poetry and what about music and what about what makes all of us humans? I think this kind of creative expressions will be more and more crucial in the future. And the last thing I would say is about thinking about the global business impact. So as I'm thinking about, you know, what domain I would focus on, I would try to make sure it's business relevant and ideally in a global perspective.
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What advice do you have for students entering the workforce today, what are some practical steps that they can use to stay adaptable, resilient, persistent? What advice do you have?
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Well, I think you already mentioned some very keywords. I would start with resilient. You know, the world is changing. Setbacks are almost unavoidable challenges. Frustrations are difficult not to face. So resilience is a key, I think skill and mindset that people need to bring. But also the workforce provides opportunities. So I would think of a student who is applying both, I would say an offensive approach in the sense of grabbing opportunities, being out there, hungry to learn, hungry to contribute, eager to move the world forward in the right direction, and at the same time being able to. To cope with difficulties that will come almost for sure. So not being discouraged, not giving up, the world is moving fast, is adaptive, but it also provides lots of opportunities. So that mindset, I think is crucial.
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B
Well, Dmitri, it was a pleasure. Thank you for joining us today. Is there anything else that you'd like to tell our listeners or our viewers?
- [22:36]
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Well, as you can probably imagine, I'm quite excited about being at Purdue. And maybe one thing I will add is that no matter if you are a student or if you are an industry partner or if you're a global partner or if you're a researcher or a faculty member, I think people find that Purdue is where innovation actually meets impact. And that's what really is exciting so much. And that's what I think. All of our partners, no matter which direction, come to us, and no matter what opportunities they explore with us, at the end of the day, they think about people and impact. So thank you.
- [23:09]
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Yes, absolutely. Thank you so much. Dimitri exemplifies the boilermaker's spirit and humility, and we can't thank him enough for joining us. If you're interested in learning more about Purdue online, you can visit Purdue. Edu Online. Dimitri also shared some bonus content with us, including his top two majors of the future on our podcast YouTube channel. YouTube.com this is this is Purdue. And don't forget to hit that subscribe button while you're there. Plus be sure to follow this is Purdue on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. We have a very special series coming out in October and trust us, you will not want to miss it. More to come on that very soon. This Is Purdue is hosted and written by me, Kate Young. Our podcast videography for this episode was led by Thad Boone in collaboration with John Garcia, Zack Mogenson and Ally Chaney. Our social media marketing is led by Maria Welch. Our podcast distribution strategy is led by Carly Eastman. Our podcast design is led by Cheryl Glatzba. Our podcast photography is led by John Underwood. Our podcast team Project Manager is Rain goo. Our podcast, YouTube promotions is managed by Megan Hoskins. Additional writing and resources Search assistance is led by Sophie Ritz and Ashwini Malshi and our Creative Production assistant is Delaney Young. Thanks for listening to this Is Purdue. For more information on this episode, visit our website at purdue.edu podcast. From there, you can head over to your favorite podcast app to subscribe. And don't forget, you can also check out all of our podcast content on our podcast YouTube page. You YouTube.com/this is Purdue and as always, boiler up.