Purdue evaluates economic development efforts in Columbus
By Victor L. Lechtenberg
As Indiana's land-grant university, Purdue is charged with an important mission: to respond to the needs of our state and communities like Columbus. Purdue's Office of Engagement oversees the university's efforts to share its resources to boost economic development.
Purdue President Martin C. Jischke recently visited Columbus to get a firsthand view of how well the university is helping companies remain competitive in the global marketplace. Since 1986, for example, Purdue's Technical Assistance Program has worked on 6,090 different projects with companies throughout Indiana such as providing consulting services for the Simmons Winery, which President Jischke toured during his visit. Projects have ranged from implementing lean manufacturing strategies and state-of-the-art technologies to evaluating the structural integrity of buildings and developing skill assessments for hourly job functions.
In addition to the winery, Purdue's Healthcare Technical Assistance Program also has been active in Columbus. Healthcare TAP, launched in May 2005, is a partnership with the Indiana Hospital & Health Association and Purdue's Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering. Through this partnership, interdisciplinary teams from the College of Engineering and the School of Nursing offer operational improvement assistance to Indiana's 166 hospitals.
Healthcare TAP is working with Columbus Regional Hospital on three projects designed to implement lean management practices. The first project will assess the scheduling of all surgeries during a three-year period to determine how to make the schedule more efficient. The second project would analyze the layout of the hospital pharmacy to see how work flow can be improved. TAP experts also will work with the hospital to study the medication delivery process on the nursing units to see how medications can be distributed most efficiently.
Purdue's outreach to Indiana companies and hospitals is paying great dividends. According to TAP's recently released annual report, companies also have created or preserved nearly 4,200 Indiana jobs since the program's inception. The partnerships also have spurred $64 million in capital investments and $300 million in increased sales since 1986.
Through economic development initiatives like TAP and Healthcare TAP, Purdue pledges to continue to use its resources to serve Columbus. We look forward to developing even more partnerships.
Victor L. Lechtenberg serves as Purdue University's vice provost for engagement. He coordinates the university's efforts to reach out in support of economic development, K-12 education and service-learning.
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