November 10, 2005

Purdue to connect with Lafayette, Frankfort in community visit

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University leaders, who traveled the state to meet and learn from its residents, were in Lafayette and Frankfort on Nov. 9 to visit businesses and community members.

Connecting with Frankfort
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President Martin C. Jischke and other university officials visited the Tate & Lyle North plant, the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service in Clinton County, the Open Door Health Clinic, Hispanic Services, Kyger Elementary School and Donaldson Co. Inc., as well as other locations.

Victor L. Lechtenberg, Purdue's vice provost for engagement, said he welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with business and community leaders.

"These visits are quite valuable," Lechtenberg said. "Purdue is doing its part to boost economic development, enhance education and share our resources with the community. When we call on communities like Lafayette and Frankfort, we can see first hand how Purdue has made an impact. We also exchange ideas on what more can be accomplished."

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 Lebanon. Future visits are planned for Plymouth, Fort Wayne, Hamilton County, Hancock County, Elkhart and New Albany.

Several activities were scheduled for the visit:

• 9:45 a.m. – Toured the Tate & Lyle North plant, 2245 Sagamore Parkway North, Lafayette. Tate & Lyle produces renewable food and industrial ingredients such as the cereal sweeteners and starches created in Lafayette. Its innovative technology transforms corn, wheat and sugar into value-added ingredients for customers in the corn, beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, packaging, paper and building industries. It is the sole manufacturer of the sweetener Splenda. During the tour, Tate & Lyle executives will discuss their plans to invest $100 million in improvements to their plants in Lafayette.

• 10:30 a.m. – Attended an award presentation at the Tate & Lyle North plant. The Lafayette-West Lafayette Economic Development Corp. will present Tate & Lyle with the community Prosperity Award, which recognizes local industries for successful operations and contributions to a vibrant community. Jischke will speak about the impact Tate & Lyle has had on Lafayette-West Lafayette.

• 11:45 a.m. – Dined with the "Learning to Lead" high school student group at the Purdue Cooperative Extension Office for Clinton County, 1111 S. Jackson St., Frankfort. The program, coordinated by the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service, familiarizes sophomore students with the functions of leadership and the value in pursuing higher education. Students are selected from all four districts in Clinton County. Jischke will speak about the value of education.

• 1:15 p.m. – Visited Open Door Health Clinic, 51 W. Clinton St., Frankfort. The Purdue School of Nursing provides free health screenings for Latinos at the clinic. Purdue also has sponsored a health fair at the clinic as a component of the Spanish for Healthcare Professionals course.

• 1:45 p.m. – Visited Hispanic Community Services, 51 W. Clinton St., Suite 105, Frankfort. The Hispanic Community Services is a Christian-based non-profit organization that helps Latino families. It provides food, shelter, transportation, education, language assistance and guidance to enhance life quality for the 1,000 or more Latino families located in the Clinton County area.

• 2:15 p.m. – Visited Kyger Elementary School, 300 S. Third St., Frankfort. Kyger Elementary School's student population is 85 percent Latino. The Purdue Cooperative Extension Service provides in-school and after-school 4-H projects as well as youth development activities.

• 3 p.m. – Toured Donaldson Co. Inc. 3260 W. Indiana 28, Frankfort. Donaldson Co. manufactures filtration systems and replacement parts at 36 plants throughout the world. The company was established in 1915 as a three-person shop that manufactured simple air cleaners for farm tractors. Today, it employs more than 10,000 people. Donaldson also is working with Purdue's Technical Assistance Program, which connects companies with Purdue resources and assists them in implementing state-of-the art technologies. TAP is assisting the company in developing skill assessments for hourly job functions.

• 4:15 p.m. – Met with representatives of the Clinton County Council, Frankfort City Council, Clinton County Commissioners, the Clinton County Chamber of Commerce, Purdue Cooperative Extension Board and the Learning Network board at the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service offices, 1111 S. Jackson St., Frankfort. The group will discuss the role Purdue plays in educating Clinton County residents. They also will address how to best meet the educational needs of the growing Latino population.

• 5:30 p.m. – Attended a reception for employees of Purdue and Purdue alumni who live in Clinton County at the Extension Service offices, 1111 S. Jackson St., Frankfort.

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 Corp., and the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities. He currently serves as chairman of the board of directors of the Association of American Universities, which represents the top 62 research universities in North America, and also is the current chair of the Big 10 Council of Presidents and Chancellors. Jischke also is on the board of the American Council on Competitiveness and 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.

Writer: Marydell Forbes, (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu

Sources: Victor L. Lechtenberg, (765) 494-9095, vll@purdue.edu

David Petritz, Cooperative Extension Service director, (765) 494-8489, dpetritz@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

PHOTO CAPTION:
Purdue University President Martin C. Jischke (center) and Frankfort Mayor Donald Stock (right) listen as plant manager Rich Lewis explains how Donaldson Co. Inc. of Frankfort, Ind., manufactures filtration systems and replacement parts. Jischke and other university officials toured the company Wednesday (Nov. 9) during a community visit to Lafayette and Frankfort. 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 Lebanon. Future visits are planned for Plymouth, Columbus, Fort Wayne, Hamilton County, Hancock County, Elkhart and New Albany. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger.)