May 17, 2005
Purdue to connect with Kokomo in community visit
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University leaders, who are traveling the state to meet and learn from its citizens, will be in Kokomo on May 24 to visit businesses and community members.
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Purdue President Martin C. Jischke and other university officials will visit DaimlerChrysler, Delphi Electronics and Safety, Inventrek and City Hall, as well as other locations.
Michael T. O'Hair, Purdue's associate dean for Statewide Technology and engagement, said Purdue welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with business and community leaders.
"We have been looking forward to visiting Kokomo all year," O'Hair said. "Kokomo and its industries are proven leaders in using advanced manufacturing to secure a competitive edge in the marketplace. We are especially eager to share the latest news about Purdue's Center for Advanced Manufacturing, which can assist companies with research projects in any area of advanced manufacturing."
This is the fifth year Jischke and university leaders have conducted daylong visits to Indiana communities. More than 50 previous stops have ranged from Gary to Jasper and from South Bend to New Albany.
Activities scheduled for the Kokomo visit include:
• 9:50 a.m. – Tour the DaimlerChrysler transmission plant, 3360 N. U.S. Highway 31. DaimlerChrysler manufactures a wide variety of automobiles, from small sports cars to luxury sedans, as well as vans and heavy-duty trucks. DaimlerChrysler's passenger-car brands include Maybach, Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge. Commercial vehicle brands include Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star, Setra and Mitsubishi Fuso. The transmission plant is a model for advanced manufacturing. It employs more than 4,200 people, including several Purdue College of Engineering graduates. Plant manager Ed Vondell graduated from Purdue with an agricultural engineering degree in 1985.
• 11:10 a.m. – Visit Kokomo City Hall, 100 S. Union St. Jischke will address city employees on the importance of technology to the city's future. Kokomo Mayor Matt McKillip, who was recently named among the Purdue College of Technology Distinguished Alumni, also will read a proclamation that designates May 24 as Purdue Day in Kokomo. McKillip graduated from Purdue in 1985 with a degree in business data processing and computer technology.
• 11:50 a.m. – Lunch with the Kokomo Rotary Club at the Kokomo Country Club, 1801 Country Club Road. Jischke will deliver a speech entitled "This is What Purdue Can Do for Indiana." He also will take questions from club members.
• 1:30 p.m. – Tour Delphi Electronics and Safety, 2151 E. Lincoln Road. A supplier of automotive parts, Delphi designs and manufactures a wide variety of components and integrated circuits. Other electronics products include sensors and power modules, engine control modules, air- bag controllers, circuit board assemblies for radios, audio amplifiers and electronic climate controls. Delphi employs more than 5,500 workers, including several Purdue graduates. Former Purdue basketball player Bruce Parkinson, who graduated from Purdue in 1978 with a master's degree in labor and industrial relations, will accompany Jischke on the tour.
• 3:10 p.m. – Tour Inventrek Technology Park, 700 E. Firmin St. Founded in 2003, Inventrek is a high-tech company incubator. Modeled after the Purdue Technology Center in the Purdue Research Park, Inventrek creates new companies and supports the development of new technologies for existing companies. Inventrek provides both shared infrastructure support through receptionists, copiers, postage machines, conference rooms and phone lines, as well as professional and technical support. It also sponsors small, joint ventures among existing high-tech companies and their suppliers and customers. The Purdue Office of Engagement, which promotes economic development and links companies to Purdue resources, also has an office at Inventrek.
• 5 p.m. – Attend John Purdue Club reception at the Kokomo Country Club. Jischke will introduce Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter, who will address club members. The John Purdue Club assumes total financial responsibility for the money needed to cover the cost of scholarships for Purdue's student-athletes.
• 6:30 p.m. – Attend Kokomo 400 Club scholarship dinner at the College of Technology at Kokomo, 2300 S. Washington St. Jischke will present a keynote address, after which 15 students will be awarded Purdue scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000. The College of Technology offers seven degree programs that match courses with regional work force needs.
Jischke, who came to Purdue in August 2000, is the university's 10th president. He previously served for nine years as president of Iowa State University, another land-grant institution. His experience in higher education also includes 17 years as professor and dean at the University of Oklahoma and five years at the University of Missouri-Rolla.
Jischke was the founding president of the Global Consortium of Higher Education and Research for Agriculture. He served as chairman and board member of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges and as a board member of the American Council on Education, National Merit Scholarship Corporation, and Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities. He is on the boards of directors of the Association of American Universities and the American Council on Competitiveness. He also serves on the national board of Campus Compact, an organization of university presidents and college deans that helps students learn about citizenship through community service opportunities
After receiving his doctorate in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1968, Jischke joined the faculty of the University of Oklahoma's School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering. During his 17 years at Oklahoma, he served in multiple capacities. He became director of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering in 1977. He served as dean of the College of Engineering from 1981 to 1986, and he was named the university's interim president in 1985.
Note to Journalists: A publication-quality photo of Martin C. Jischke is available at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2005/jischke-m05.jpg. The media can attend President Jischke's speeches at City Hall and the Rotary Club, as well as the tour of Inventrek. To make arrangements, contact Michael O'Hair at (765) 494-2554, mtohair@purdue.edu.
Writer: Marydell Forbes, (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu
Sources: Michael O'Hair, (765) 494-2554; mtohair@purdue.edu
Victor L. Lechtenberg, vice provost for engagement, (765) 494-9095, vll@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
From left, Dephi Electronics' Pat Coyne, a manufacturing engineer and manager of integrated circuits, and Bruce Parkinson, director of human resources administration, speak with Purdue President Martin C. Jischke outside a clean room lab at the company. Jischke and other Purdue officials were at Delphi Electronics on Tuesday (May 24) as part of a community visit to Kokomo. This is the fifth year university leaders have conducted daylong visits with businesses and community members in Indiana cities. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)
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