October 12, 2004

Kokomo engagement office available for faculty, staff

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University has opened an engagement office in Kokomo, Ind., for faculty and staff to use while conducting business in north-central Indiana.

The facility, located in the Kokomo Technology Center, 700 E. Firmin St., will be administered jointly by the Office of Engagement and School of Technology.

Michael T. O'Hair, associate dean of statewide technology and engagement for the School of Technology, will oversee the office. He said the facility is equipped with a computer connected to a T1 line capable of connecting to the Purdue computer network. Other office equipment, such as a telephone, fax machine, copier and postage machine, are available to all clients at the center.

"We envision this office being a place Purdue faculty and staff can use as a drop-in office while working in the north-central part of the state," O'Hair said. "The university works and collaborates with many companies in the area, and this will give us an official space where we can engage entrepreneurs, engineers, scientists and other local leaders."

The facility also has a small conference table and dry erase boards that can be used for meetings or small presentations. As a client in the Kokomo Technology Center, users also have access to other resources, such as larger conference rooms and a 130-seat auditorium.

The Kokomo Technology Center, which was recently named Indiana's 12th Certified Technology Park, is an incubator for high-tech companies. The center was developed in a partnership among Kokomo Howard County Development Corporation, the city of Kokomo, Howard County, Purdue University, local businesses and Indiana University. Delphi Electronics and Safety donated the center's 98,000-square-foot building to the Kokomo Howard County Development Corporation.

Purdue faculty and staff can reserve the Kokomo Technology Center engagement office by contacting Janet Ebershoff at (765) 494-2554.

CONTACT: O'Hair, (765) 494-2554, mtohair@purdue.edu

Writer: Matt Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu

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

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