November 16, 2004
President Jischke to engage Marion in community visit
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University leaders, who are traveling the state to meet and learn from its citizens, will be in Marion, Ind., on Nov. 30 to visit businesses and community members.
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Purdue President Martin C. Jischke and other Purdue leaders will visit McClure Oil, Wiley Metal Fabricating Inc., Torque Traction Manufacturing Technologies Inc, the North Central Indiana Cyber Crime Investigation Lab and children enrolled in Head Start at the Frances Slocum School, in addition to other locations. Jischke also will address community and business leaders at a Rotary Club luncheon. Marion Mayor Wayne Seybold will serve as the community host for the day's events.
Victor L. Lechtenberg, Purdue's vice provost for engagement, said this will be Jischke's first visit to Marion.
"Our goal with these visits is to gain firsthand knowledge about what is happening outside of campus," Lechtenberg said. "Purdue really wants to know how to serve Indiana to the best of our ability, and to do that we need to visit places, meet people and exchange ideas."
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 New Albany. Future visits in 2004 and 2005 are planned for Bedford, Indianapolis, Muncie, Evansville, Valparaiso, Kokomo and Elkhart.
Several activities are scheduled for the Marion visit:
• 8:45 a.m. – Visit with children enrolled in Head Start at Frances Slocum School, 2909 S. Torrence St. The Purdue Cooperative Extension Service Homemakers Club has initiated the First Book program at the school. The homemakers distribute books to the children ages 3 and 4.
• 9:30 a.m. – Tour McClure Oil, located at state roads 35 and 37. Founded in 1901, McClure Oil sells heating oil, gasoline and diesel fuel, including soy diesel and ethanol blends, for both retail and wholesale. The production of biodiesel is expected to rise due to the recent passage of the corporate tax bill, which waives 1 cent of federal excise tax for every percentage point of biodiesel in a fuel mix. Agricultural economists estimate that this tax break could boost income to soybean farmers by as much as $1 billion annually. Rick McClure, McClure Oil CEO, is president of the Marion Purdue Club.
• 10:30 a.m. – Tour Wiley Metal Fabricating Inc., 816 W. 34th St. Wiley Metal Fabricating Inc. supplies a broad range of custom fabricated metal parts and assemblies to many industries. Its largest customer is the recreational vehicle industry. Founded in 1982, the company employs more than 150 people. The company 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. The Purdue program is helping the company develop a formal employee training program on technical skills and standards.
• 11:45 a.m. – Lunch with members of the Marion Rotary Club and community leaders, Meshingomesia Country Club, 2225 N. Lagro Road.
• 2 p.m. – Meet with city and county officials and members of the Extension board of directors at the county council chambers, 401 S. Adams St.
• 2:45 p.m. – Tour the North Central Indiana Cyber Crime Investigation Lab, 501 S. Adams St. Purdue professors Scott Ksander, a senior inforensics analyst and information technology engineer, and James E. Goldman, Department of Computer Technology associate department head, will join the tour and offer suggestions on how the lab can continue to tap into Purdue resources. Computer forensics is a growing area of law enforcement that investigates a new generation of crimes, including computer-aided terrorism, espionage, bank and business fraud, crimes against children and identity theft.
• 4 p.m. – Tour Torque Traction Manufacturing Technologies Inc., 400 S. Miller Ave. A division of Dana Corp., Torque Traction Manufacturing Technologies designs, tests and manufactures complete customized automotive axles and delivers them throughout the world. Its customers include manufacturers of light vehicles, including passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, light trucks and vans. Sam Simons, Torque Traction Manufacturing Technologies engineering manager, has served on the advisory board for the Purdue School of Technology. The company also received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for manufacturing in 2000. Established by Congress in 1987, the award recognizes companies for their achievements in quality and business performance.
• 5:15 p.m. – Visit with Purdue Alumni Club members, Meshingomesia Country Club, 2225 N. Lagro Road.
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 Corporation and Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities. He is on the boards of directors of the Association of American Universities and the American Council on Competitiveness.
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
Scott Ksander, (765) 496-8289, ksander@purdue.edu
James Goldman (765) 494-9525, jgoldman@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: The media are invited to attend the lunch and the tours of Wiley Metal Fabricating Inc and the North Central Indiana Cyber Crime Investigation Lab. To make arrangements, contact Dave Petritz at (765) 494-8489, dpetritz@purdue.edu.
Related Web sites:
National Head Start Association
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