Purdue University - Office of the Executive Vice President and Treasurer

As we begin 2008, we can reflect on the milestones we’ve celebrated as a University this past year – the hiring of a new president, the successful conclusion of the Campaign for Purdue, the OnePurdue go-live, and the opening of important new facilities. You should be proud of your contributions to these and many other successes. This is certainly an exciting time for Purdue, and I thank you for the vital role you play in the success of this great University.

Under the leadership of President Córdova, we are engaged in the highly important work of developing our next strategic plan. This plan, building on Purdue’s first formal strategic plan that concluded successfully last June, will prioritize and guide our activities as we seek preeminence as a global research university. I enthusiastically encourage you to become involved in the strategic planning process; you can learn more about it at http://www.purdue.edu/strategic_plan/2007-13/.

This e-newsletter edition provides updates on initiatives at Purdue’s four campuses and also celebrates some accomplishments within the Executive Vice President and Treasurer’s area. If you’d like to dig deeper into any of these topics, we’ve included many links for your convenience. Best wishes for a great 2008!

None of us can predict the future, of course, and sometimes it brings unexpected challenges. But we can prepare for it through comprehensive emergency planning efforts. From establishing a first-responders office to providing for data recovery after a disaster, the Executive Vice President and Treasurer’s area has been busy on several fronts in the last year. Here’s an overview of what we’ve accomplished:

Campus Emergency Preparedness and Planning office
In December 2006, the new Campus Emergency Preparedness and Planning office opened. Emerging from disaster planning efforts of the last ten years that addressed Y2K, national security, natural disasters, and influenza pandemics, the office helps to ensure the readiness of first responders. It’s funded and staffed through the Executive Vice President and Treasurer’s office as part of the Environmental Health and Public Safety Department. Ronnie Wright was hired to serve as Purdue’s first Director of Emergency Preparedness.

Since its inception, Emergency Preparedness staff members have worked to integrate faculty members into emergency planning processes, sponsored drills around campus, and produced a preparedness brochure and a response procedures poster. We look forward to more positive initiatives in 2008.

Incident Command System
In the last year, Purdue officials have fine-tuned their incident command system, based on the National Incident Management System. Environmental Health and Public Safety Department staff members, who serve as first responders, have trained on the system with local emergency response partners. In the event of a large or extended disaster, Purdue will utilize an Emergency Operations Center in one of three locations around campus.

Last September, ITaP planned and successfully implemented a test of text messaging and e-mail for emergency notification. The University recently purchased a text messaging service (see the complete story here). The goal of this service is to reach a critical mass of the campus community 24/7 wherever they are—in the classroom or office, walking outside, driving to work,or in their living units.

Pandemic influenza planning
Since 2005, the Executive Vice President and Treasurer’s staff has been involved in West Lafayette campus planning for a potential influenza pandemic. Purdue’s regional campuses also have been planning for such a disaster.

Pandemic flu is virulent human flu that causes a global outbreak, or pandemic, of serious illness. Because there is little natural immunity, the disease can spread easily from person to person. Currently, there is no pandemic flu. It is difficult to predict when the next influenza pandemic will occur or how severe it will be. Wherever and whenever a pandemic starts, everyone around the world is at risk. It is for these reasons that Purdue is involved in planning.

After much research and discussion, the Pandemic Preparedness Committee has shared its plan with senior leadership. The Provost and the Executive Vice President and Treasurer’s office are now weighing some policy decisions, which could be affected by any new directives from federal and state agencies. In the meantime, we have set aside resources to provide the supplies necessary for an extended disruption of services on the West Lafayette campus.

How can Purdue University continue to encourage sustainable and accessible design? How can we strengthen pedestrian orientation, enhance campus landscapes, accommodate parking needs, and plan for future growth and development? These are some of the questions that will be answered through new master plans being developed for the West Lafayette, Calumet, North Central, and IPFW campuses.

In March 2006, Purdue hired the design team of Sasaki and Associates, in partnership with local architecture and engineering firm Scholar Corporation, to prepare a comprehensive update of master plans on each of our campuses. Since then, the consultants have been touring campuses and conducting meetings with students, faculty, staff, and community members. Here’s an update of what’s happening on each campus as we develop and update these master plans that will guide campus physical development over the next decade or longer:

This fall, Sasaki unveiled two alternative models of future West Lafayette campus development to tackle identified issues in growth, the environment, transportation systems, residential life, and campus-community engagement. After gathering input from a wide range of stakeholders, the consultants developed a hybrid plan embracing the most desirable aspects of each model.

When they return in February 2008, the consultants will have fine-tuned these ideas. “My hope is that by mid-March, we’ll have picked a concept that best reflects a shared vision for the future of the campus,” says John Collier, Purdue director of campus planning .

Still, Collier emphasizes, the plan will take decades to unfold completely. “US 231 must be rerouted first, for example, before we can start work on a perimeter parkway to make the campus more pedestrian-friendly,” he explains. “Ultimately it will be faster to take the parkway around campus than to cut through campus, but the parkway will take 20 years to build.” Other initiatives—such as the creation of a Northwest Athletics Site—are already in the works.

Purdue University Calumet is located in Hammond, less than 25 miles southeast of downtown Chicago and near the shores of Lake Michigan. On this 167-acre neighborhood campus are 16 major buildings, including new apartment-style student residences, with a second phase on the way.

Calumet students, faculty, and staff have identified a number of issues, including the need to link the south and north ends of campus while also enhancing green spaces. A model plan has been identified and the Calumet campus is now ready for Board of Trustees approval and the implementation phase of the master planning process.

The North Central campus, nestled halfway between Westville and Michigan City, features three buildings on 238 acres as well as an off-campus private housing development. “It’s in a beautiful setting, probably the most beautiful topography of all of our campuses,” Collier says. “We want to make sure the master plan embraces the natural environment.”

Along with this issue, officials also have identified the need to enhance landscaping, promote sustainability, and organize land, building, and parking space use. The formal strategic planning process of evaluating alternative solutions is beginning at PNC.

Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne is situated along the St. Joseph River. Over the last 40 years, IPFW has grown from an enrollment of a few thousand in one building to more than 12,000 students in 13 academic buildings and several support structures on a 643-acre campus. This campus recently has acquired significant additional land, creating an opportunity and a challenge.

“The biggest issue at IPFW is unifying all the campus parcels,” Colliers says. That includes the main campus area, the east campus (a triangle property with housing), the McKay Farm, property leased from the county, Indiana-Purdue Foundation property, and Fort Wayne State Development property. Focusing on these issues as well as current structures, open spaces, parking, utilities, and the environment, consultants will soon develop alternative proposals.

Black and gold may be the preferred colors at Purdue University, but when it comes to sustainability, we are increasingly thinking green. A group of faculty, staff, and students have formed the Purdue Sustainability Council to educate the Campus community about environmentally-friendly practices and provide sustainability recommendations. They are collaborating with Discovery Park’s Energy Center and Center for the Environment, the Purdue Climate Change Research Center, and the Purdue Interdisciplinary Center for Ecological Sustainability. Several sustainability initiatives are ongoing.

Building design
Four Purdue staff members have been certified as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professionals. The accreditation is a designation by the U.S. Green Building Council that demonstrates their understanding of green building practices and the LEED Rating System. Their leadership will help guide such projects as the construction of the new Gatewood Addition of the Mechanical Engineering building, designated to be the first LEED-certified facility on the West Lafayette campus.

Sustainability may be the new buzzword, but as Purdue University architect Larry Fusaro points out, “From Purdue’s point of view, we’ve been working toward sustainable design for 15 to 20 years.” Electromechanical systems, for instance, must meet standards set forth in the Purdue Consultants’ Handbook. Annual repairs help to sustain older buildings on campus, and newer buildings harness natural daylight through the use of expansive windows.

“We'd like to be building 100-year buildings,” Fusaro explains. “They may cost a little bit more up front—that’s the yin and yang of building design—but we’ve opted over the years to pay it up front and ease our maintenance down the road.”

Campus transportation
For eight years now, Purdue has helped to alleviate traffic congestion in and around the West Lafayette campus by subsidizing bus travel for all faculty, staff, and students. University community ridership accounts for 70 percent of the 4.7 million CityBus annual ridership. Last spring, two aging models in the CityBus fleet were replaced with hybrid buses that use electric power and diesel. (See the complete story here.)

The University’s rental car and service vehicle fleet also is going green. Rental cars are being replaced with flexible-fuel vehicles that run on an E10 gasohol blend of 10% ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline; the cars are also E85 ready, and administrators are considering the purchase of E85 tanks and pumps. Current diesel-powered vehicles that are fueled on campus use a 2 to 5 percent biodiesel blend.

In 2006, Purdue also purchased two hybrid vehicles, a Honda Civic and a Toyota Prius, both of which use a fuel blend and electric power. Considering their initial popularity, Transportation Services may add more hybrids in the future.

Naturally, cycling and walking save on fuels as well. Administrators have placed a high priority on pedestrian and bicycle access in the new campus master plan.

Energy conservation and production
To reduce energy consumption on the West Lafayette campus, Building and Grounds staff are replacing older windows with energy-efficient models, and also are retrofitting light fixtures with electronic ballasts and energy-efficient bulbs. As part of an Energy Conservation Initiative, buildings will be metered for water/sewage, electricity, chilled water, and steam usage. A proposal to invest $4.5 million for energy conservation measures in Brown Hall, Stewart Center, and the Civil Engineering Building will be presented to the Purdue Board of Trustees at its February meeting. IPFW is implementing two similar energy-conservation projects this year.

The West Lafayette campus also saves on energy costs by operating its own power plant. “It’s much cheaper than buying off the utility grid due to the plant’s ability to co-generate electricity at the same time it creates steam for heating and cooling,” Fusaro explains. To employ alternative fuel sources, employees will be retrofitting an existing boiler and installing a new co-firing boiler that can operate on such products as switchgrass, byproducts of ethanol and corn syrup processing, and possibly even manure.

Waste management recycling
Through the Buildings and Grounds Department, the West Lafayette campus recycles about 23 percent of its solid waste, including metal, office paper, newspaper, cardboard, beverage containers, and plastic. In addition, we recycle concrete, yard waste, and animal bedding. In the future, we may add computer monitors to our list of recyclable products.

This new annual award is designed to recognize Purdue units that demonstrate excellence in enhancing diversity and promoting an inclusive work environment. We hope to encourage programs and practices that improve the quality of the work-life environment at Purdue and recognize those who are delivering them.

Nominations will be accepted for units or teams within the Treasurer’s area for this award.

Nominees who meet the program’s specified criteria will be invited to an open forum to exhibit their contributions through a display and a brief five- to seven-minute presentation. The EVPT Diversity Task Force will recommend the finalists to the Treasurer’s leadership team for selection of the winner. The inaugural winner will be announced in summer 2008.
Award nominees can be units or teams that have implemented innovative policies, procedures, and/or programs to advance diversity and inclusion. Recognition will be given for stellar performance in at least one of the following categories:

The award includes a prize of $5,000 to use for continued diversity efforts within the winning unit.

Share your success with others! Submit a letter of nomination that addresses how a unit has demonstrated a significant commitment to enhancing diversity! The nomination form is located at http://www.purdue.edu/treasurer/diversity/Catalyst.htm.

The Patty Jischke Early Care and Education Center is currently under construction and scheduled to open in the summer of 2008. This new $3.1 million child care center will expand full-time care by 86 with a focus on infants, toddlers, and two-year-olds.

The addition of this center supports the University’s strategic vision to improve the quality of life in the workplace and attract and retain a world-class faculty and staff. The Purdue community has increasingly identified access to high-quality child care as an important and growing challenge that affects job success. By providing additional high-quality child care on campus, the University hopes to reduce the stress to parents while they are away from their children, creating an improved work-life balance.

The new center, located at the western edge of Purdue Village, is intended to complement the Ben and Maxine Miller Child Learning Center operated by the Department of Child Development and Family Studies.

In partnership with Human Resource Services, the EVPT Diversity Task Force is reaching out to the Lafayette-West Lafayette community by offering information sessions to showcase the benefits of working at Purdue and to provide instruction on applying for a position.

The sessions will begin with a brief overview of Purdue and the employment process. Then current staff members will talk about their experiences at the University. Resume critiques and mock interviews with Human Resource representatives will also be offered. The sessions are scheduled as follows:

The National Association of College Auxiliary Services (NACAS) has honored Housing and Food Services (HFS) with its 2007 Golden Award for its efforts to promote cultural awareness and diversity in its workforce. HFS representatives accepted the award at the NACAS annual conference in Las Vegas last October.

The Promoting Unity through Diversity program includes diversity training for all new employees, Spanish language training for supervisors and support staff, and a multicultural Web site (http://www.housing.purdue.edu/HTML/HRMultiCultural.htm) with a calendar of all HFS and University events addressing diversity issues.

“With students from more than 130 countries, Purdue has become a crossroads of the world,” said Brenda Coulson, HFS director of human resources and cultural programs. “HFS has worked hard to make our organization a welcoming home for students and an inclusive work environment for staff, which includes members from 16 foreign countries.”

As part of its diversity initiatives, Housing and Food Services has made “respecting diversity” a minimum requirement on all job descriptions. Supervisors and recruiters now attend job fairs targeted toward underrepresented groups; they also have developed relationships with local minority organizations to promote Purdue as a potential employer. The percentage of new minority employees hired has more than doubled since the program was launched in 2004.

Minority employee retention in HFS is up nearly 20 percent, thanks to workplace instruction in English as a second language, training in citizenship and immigration law, and performance appraisals that reward employees for fostering a climate of inclusion.

“Promoting Unity through Diversity represents a significant commitment from the HFS division at Purdue,” said James Foster, University Residences diversity and community coordinator. “The program gives me reason to think that there are many who sincerely want to continue to develop a welcoming and caring climate for all.”

Jesse Moore, director of Supplier Diversity Development, was recently presented with the Indianapolis Choice Award. This award recognizes the accomplishments of one outstanding individual who is a leading advocate for NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) Indianapolis and women-owned businesses around the state of Indiana.

The receipt of this award recognizes Jesse’s vision, innovation, and impact in the area of Supplier Diversity Development and the difference his efforts have made in the Indianapolis Area and the state of Indiana.

The award was presented to Jesse by State Senator Teresa Lubbers at the NAWBO awards luncheon held in Indianapolis on December 13, 2007.

Brenda Coulson, assistant director of HFS human resources was awarded the 2008 Purdue University Dreamer Award. The Dreamer Award is presented annually to an individual or organization within the Purdue University community whose contributions embody Martin Luther King, Jr.'s vision of service to others and further the University's commitment to diversity.

The Dreamer award was established in 2004 and is presented at the University's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration in January of each year. The award is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Human Relations.
Brenda received the award for her work in leading the Treasurer's Diversity Task Force, which was created in 2005 to find new ways to increase diversity at Purdue as well as add support to ongoing diversity efforts. Congratulations, Brenda!

2007 - Dr. Sally Mason (special presentation July 2007)
2007 - Ms. Ashley Hornberger and Ms. Renee Thomas
2006 - Dr. Mark J. T. Smith
2005 - Dr. Klod Kokini
2004 - Ms. Jane Cassidy, Mr. Kenneth Field, and Ms. Elaine McVay

About the Diversity Task Force
This group was charged with addressing the following objectives:

• Developing a set of strategies and actions to expand minority applicant pools, the number of job offers to minorities, and the number of minorities hired.
• Studying factors influencing retention of minority staff and recommending strategies and actions to promote retention.
• Benchmarking best practices within higher education used to enhance employment diversity.
• Communicating with individuals within the University and community to seek input and ideas to enhance employment diversity.
• Estimating resources required to implement a particular strategy or action.
• Monitoring the progress and effectiveness of diversity efforts.

1. Finalize implementation of centralized exit interview database and reports for the EVPT area.
2. Assess HFS new employee mentor program pilot and expand for administrative/professional staff within EVPT area.
3. Benchmark with peer institutions and establish both internal and external benchmarks.
4. Conduct follow-up diversity survey.

The Treasurer’s area has experienced a positive increase in both retention and hiring. From July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2007 the overall hiring for underrepresented groups increased from 9.4 percent to 15.3 percent for clerical/secretarial staff and from 11.3 percent to 17.9 percent for administrative/professional staff. Retention rates for the same groups also increased from 76.7 percent to 81.5 percent.