February 25, 2005
Purdue to connect with Bedford in community visit
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University leaders, who are traveling the state to meet and learn from its citizens, will be in Bedford on March 10 to visit businesses and community members.
Purdue President Martin C. Jischke and other university officials will visit Stone City Products, W.F. Meyers and GM Powertrain, as well as other locations.
Victor L. Lechtenberg, Purdue's vice provost for engagement, said he welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with business and community leaders.
"We truly look forward to these visits," Lechtenberg said. "Purdue wants to do its part to promote economic development, enhance education and expand community service. To accomplish this mission, we need to exchange ideas with as many people throughout Indiana as we can."
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 are planned for Valparaiso, Kokomo and Elkhart.
Several activities are scheduled for the Bedford visit:
• 10:05 a.m. – Participate in call-in radio show at WBIW, 424 Heltonville Road. WBIW owner and show host Dean Spencer will interview Jischke and take calls from listeners. Spencer received an electrical engineering degree from Purdue in 1956.
• 10:45 a.m. – Tour Stone City products, 1206 S. Seventh St. Established in 1946, Stone City Products is an auto parts stamping business that specializes in multi-component assembly. The company has worked on several projects with Purdue's Technical Assistance Program, which connects companies with Purdue resources and assists them in implementing state-of-the art technologies. The most recent project involved identifying permit requirements for burning skids. Stewart Rariden, the company's president, graduated from Purdue in 1973 with a degree in management.
• 11:45 a.m. – Lunch with the Bedford Rotary Club, S & L Creative Corner, 1542 I St. Jischke will address the club on economic development initiatives and answer questions.
• 2:15 p.m. – Tour W.F. Meyers, 1017 14th St. Established in 1888, W.F. Meyers manufactures stone-cutting blades and polishing tools. Its diamond belt saw is used in the stone extraction process, while its polycrystalline diamond tools are used in quarrying machines. Famous buildings shaped by W.F. Meyers blades and saws include the Empire State Building, Washington Monument, Capitol Building, Pentagon, Grand Coulee Dam and the National Cathedral.
• 3:45 p.m. – Tour GM Powertrain, 105 GM Drive. A General Motors aluminum casting plant, GM Powertrain produces aluminum transmission cases and aluminum pistons for most GM vehicles..
• 6:30 p.m. – Attend the Lawrence County annual Extension meeting at the Old Windmill Restaurant, Ind. 37 South. Jischke will provide an update on various Purdue initiatives and projects.
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
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: Media can attend the luncheon and most of the company tours. To make arrangements, contact David Petritz at (765) 494-8489, dpetritz@purdue.edu.
Related Web sites:
Purdue University Office of Engagement
Purdue Cooperative Extension Service
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