Oral history interview with Nelson Parkhurst, 2008 Feb. 4

Parkhurst joined the Purdue staff in 1946 as Assistant to the Director of Admissions and was the first hire made after Fred Hovde became president of Purdue University. Hovde signed Parkhursts contract. Parkhurst had been in charge of Records since 1947 and became Registrar in 1957. He served longer than anyone else in the country when he retired in 1980. He talks about changes in the registration process and the functions of the office during his tenure. His specialty is statistical analysis which he applied to a number of reports forecasting enrollment trends. The reports were used by the University and the Indiana Conference [Now Commission for] of Higher Education. He also served as Secretary to the Faculty. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the Indiana Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers in 1976