Purdue trustees waive retirement policy for vice provost; ratify appointments and rename college, department, program
WESTVILLE, Ind. - The Purdue University board of trustees on Friday (April 9) approved a waiver of the university's retirement policy for Victor Lechtenberg, vice provost for engagement; ratified the appointment of Stephen Turner as vice chancellor for administration at Purdue University North Central; and ratified two named professors and a distinguished professor.
The board, meeting on the Purdue North Central campus, also sanctioned the renaming of a college, a department and a program.
Under Lechtenberg's leadership, Purdue's engagement efforts have received more than $33 million in external awards, with seven of the awards exceeding $1 million. Of particular significance was the Department of Labor award, WIRED (Workforce Innovations in Regional Economic Development Initiative), totaling $15 million, which sought to transform the north-central Indiana economy by creating new networks that could quickly create, recognize and act upon economic opportunities.
In recognition of his impact on the state of Indiana, Secretary of Commerce Mitch Roob awarded Lechtenberg the Indiana Economic Development Corporation's (IEDC) 2009 Accelerate Indiana Award. He was recognized as the IEDC's best resource for connecting Indiana's strong academic culture with that of the business world.
Purdue's retirement policy requires university executives and staff in high policy-making positions to retire by the end of the fiscal year in which they turn 65 if they have been employed in their current positions for two years immediately before retirement.
Lechtenberg will continue as vice provost until June 30, 2012. He became vice provost for engagement in July 2004 after having served a decade as dean of Purdue Agriculture. He earned his bachelor's degree from University of Nebraska and his doctorate from Purdue.
Turner has served as interim vice chancellor at Purdue University North Central since Jan. 1, 2009, following the retirement of Vice Chancellor William Back. He started his career at PNC in 1998 as director of the physical plant. He became assistant vice chancellor for physical facilities and auxiliary services in 2005 and associate vice chancellor for physical facilities and auxiliary services in 2006.
Turner earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Indiana University, a master's degree in educational leadership from Western Michigan University and an MBA from Purdue's Krannert School of Management.
The trustees ratified the appointments of Douglas Adams as the Kenninger Professor of Renewable Energy and Power Systems, Natalia Dudareva as Distinguished Professor of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture; and Farshid Sadeghi as the Cummins Professor of Mechanical Engineering.
"Purdue University is fortunate to be in a position to recognize these three outstanding scholars with named and distinguished appointments," said Timothy Sands, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. "Professors Sadeghi, Dudareva and Adams exploit the intertwined discovery, engagement and teaching missions of the university to the great benefit of our students and our stakeholders across Indiana and the globe."
Adams' current research interests focus on nonlinear dynamic system identification with applications in structural health monitoring and prognostics for wind turbines and other aerospace and automotive systems.
He has received numerous awards, including the DeMichele Award from the Society for Experimental Mechanics in 2009, the Purdue University Faculty Scholar Award in 2007, the Technical Medal of Achievement from the U.S. Army Stryker Combat Brigade in 2006, the Murphy Award for Excellence in Teaching from Purdue in 2004, and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from the Department of Defense in 2002.
Adams earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati, his master's degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a doctoral degree from the University of Cincinnati. He joined Purdue in 2000.
Dudareva's areas of expertise are plant biochemistry and molecular biology. Her research interests include plant primary and secondary metabolism and volatile compounds. A widely published author in her field, Dudareva was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science this year and has received various honors, including the Wickersham Chair of Excellence in Agricultural Research in 2006, the University Faculty Scholar in the College of Agriculture in 2006, the Purdue University Agriculture Research Award in 2005, the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) Fellowship in 2003 and the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship from Germany in 1991.
Dudareva completed her bachelor's and master's degrees at Novosibirsk State University in Russia, earned a doctoral degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from the Institute of Biochemistry in Kiev, Ukraine, and received another doctoral degree in plant molecular biology from the University of Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France.
Dudareva came to Purdue in 1997. She was a visiting DAAD scholar at the Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, from 2003-2004.
Sadeghi's research interests include lubrication, friction and wear, rolling contact fatigue, and MEMS for tribological applications. He is founder of the Mechanical Engineering Tribology Laboratory at Purdue. His work has served to create a better understanding of thermal effects in heavily loaded lubricated contacts and the effects of material micro-structure topology to rolling contact fatigue. His research has demonstrated how machine elements behave in the presence of surface irregularities and the resulting fatigue damage. His recent work has demonstrated how to reduce friction and save energy in internal combustion engines by careful design on the piston ring cylinder liner surface.
Sadeghi has received numerous honors and awards, including the ASME/RCT Innovative Research Award in 2008, the Best Paper Award from the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers in 2007, the H.L. Solberg Best Teaching Award from Purdue's School of Mechanical Engineering in 2004, and the Jaob Wallenberg Foundation Award from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1987.
Sadeghi earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from University of Tennessee and his doctoral degree from North Carolina State University. He joined Purdue in 1986.
Trustees also approved renaming the College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences as the College of Pharmacy. This is because the schools of Nursing and Health Sciences will become part of a newly created College of Health and Human Sciences, effective July 1.
In February, trustees approved the creation of the College of Health and Human Sciences to enhance student opportunities, attract more external funding and boost student retention. The new college will house nine academic departments, which are currently spread across three colleges.
In addition, trustees approved renaming PNC's Department of Business and Organizational Leadership and Supervision the Department of Business and Leadership. The name was changed to more accurately reflect the department's courses and degree programs.
Trustees also agreed to change the name of a doctoral program at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis from clinical rehabilitation psychology to clinical psychology.
Writer: Soumitro Sen, 765-496-9711, ssen@purdue.edu
Sources: Timothy Sands, tsands@purdue.edu
Victor Lechtenberg, vll@purdue.edu
Stephen Turner, 219-785-5304, sturner@pnc.edu
Douglas Adams, 765-496-6033, deadams@purdue.edu
Natalia Dudareva, 765-494-1325, dudareva@purdue.edu
Farshid Sadeghi, 765-494-5719, farshid.sadeghi.1@purdue.edu