October 7, 2005

Aviation entrepreneur to speak about importance of education, philanthropy

Scott Niswonger

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A Purdue University College of Technology alumnus who has founded two major air cargo companies will speak about the value of education as part of this semester's installment of the Dean's Lecture Series.

Scott Niswonger will present "Learn, Earn and Return" at 2:30 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 13) in Stewart Center's Fowler Hall. The talk will focus on the importance of education to success in the business world and the importance of using that success to give back to the education of others.

The event is free and open to the public.

"Scott Niswonger is a perfect example of someone who has used his success to help others," said College of Technology Dean Dennis R. Depew. "It is impossible to overstate the importance of the role today's leaders share in the development of the next generation."

The College of Technology Dean's Lecture Series is a twice-yearly event that brings national leaders in their fields to campus to talk about technology-related issues. Previous speakers have included former CIA chief Robert Woolsey and John Bell, a Purdue alumnus who spoke about filming a documentary on the shipwrecked USS Perry.

Depew said Niswonger's talk will center on his philosophy of the circular nature of giving. First someone "learns" from an institution such as Purdue, then uses that knowledge and experience in business to "earn." After becoming successful, graduates are able to "return" by contributing resources or experiences to a new generation of students.

Niswonger believes that if people who benefit from the time, energy and resources of their predecessors "return" that gift to the generation after them, the act of giving becomes a continuous cycle.

Last year Niswonger gave a leadership gift for the $6 million renovation and addition to Purdue's Aviation Technology Building. His lecture coincides with a two-week celebration that honors alumni and others who are helping Purdue improve education and contribute to the state of Indiana by contributing to the university's $1.5 billion fund-raising campaign. The celebration culminates with Purdue's Oct. 15 Homecoming.

Niswonger is chairman and CEO of Landair and Forward Air corporations, which he founded in 1981 with a $2,000 investment. Under his direction, company revenues have grown to more than $350 million annually.

Niswonger earned an associate's degree from Purdue in aviation technology in 1968 and a bachelor's degree in business administration from Tusculum College in 1987. In addition to being a certified airline transport pilot, he also is a graduate of the United Airlines Training Academy in Denver and has completed Flight Safety International courses in high-altitude meteorology and high-speed aircraft.

He received an honorary doctorate from Purdue in 2004 and was named a distinguished alumnus by the College of Technology in 2003. He currently serves as a member of the Campaign for Purdue steering committee and Purdue's Advancing Aviation steering committee.

Niswonger is a trustee at Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tenn., and a board member and honorary alumnus of Eastern Tennessee State. He is a founding member of Junior Achievement in Greene County, Tennessee, and was recognized with the organization's Distinguished Graduate Award in 1994 and inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1999.

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

Sources: Dennis R. Depew, (765) 494-2552, ddepew@purdue.edu

Shelly Opperman, College of Technology director of alumni relations and communication, (765) 494-8077, sopperman@purdue.edu

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

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