Op-ed

May 7, 2008

Purdue evaluates economic development, educational efforts in Columbus

By Victor L. Lechtenberg

Just last year, Purdue's Technical Assistance Program opened an office in Columbus so that manufacturers who need help making their operations more efficient now have more direct access to university experts. Since 1986, TAP has worked on more than 6,200 different projects with companies throughout Indiana, such as consulting with aluminum wheel manufacturer Enkei America, Inc. on efficient purchasing procedures. Projects with other companies have ranged from implementing lean manufacturing strategies and state-of-the-art technologies to developing workforce skill assessments.

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 has worked with Columbus Regional Hospital on three projects designed to implement improved management practices. The first project assessed the scheduling of all surgeries during a three-year period to determine how to make the schedule more efficient. The second project analyzed the layout of the hospital pharmacy to see how workflow can be improved. TAP experts also worked with the hospital to study the medication delivery process on the nursing units to help distribute medications more efficiently.

Purdue's outreach to Indiana companies and hospitals is paying great dividends. According to TAP's recently released annual report, companies have created or preserved nearly 4,200 Indiana jobs since the program's inception.

To prepare the workforce with the high-tech skills needed to fill those jobs, Purdue’s College of Technology at Columbus offers both bachelor's and associate degree programs. More than 200 students are pursuing majors in computer and information technology; mechanical engineering technology; organizational leadership and supervision; and industrial technology.

The university also values its educational relationship with the Cummins Tech Center. An employer of more than 900 Purdue graduates, Cummins has provided funding for new laboratories at the West Lafayette campus and the Purdue School of Technology at Columbus. It also established an endowed professorship in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Cummins also supports students in an international educational experience through partnerships with the Universitat Karlsruhe in Germany, Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in India and other global corporations.

Through educational collaboration and economic development initiatives such as TAP and Healthcare TAP, Purdue pledges to continue to use its resources to serve Columbus. We look forward to developing even more partnerships.

Victor Lechtenberg serves as Purdue University's vice provost for engagement. He coordinates the university's efforts to reach out in support of economic development, education and community service.

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