Calling the Shots: The Tim Newton Management Leadership Scholarship

"Speechless." That says a lot, considering the source. 

From boardrooms to broadcast booths, Tim Newton is rarely at a loss for words. After all, he is the director of external relations and communications for the Krannert School of Management and the play-by-play voice of Purdue football and Purdue women's basketball.

And the reason for his reaction?

This past summer, Newton was temporarily tongue-tied upon learning that Krannert’s 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award winner, John Hoffner (BSIM ’70), had established the Tim Newton Management Leadership Scholarship in his honor. 

"I met Tim when I served on the Krannert alumni advisory board in the 1990s and early 2000s," says Hoffner, the now-retired executive vice president and chief financial officer of Jack in the Box Inc. and a director of Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen Inc.

"I was always impressed by his ability to relate and communicate with the board members. He was the go-to guy when we had questions, and I was equally impressed by his dedication to the University over such a long period of time."

It had been more than a decade since the two men had seen each other until the 2014 Krannert Leadership Speakers Series, where alumni are recognized for their leadership and service. As master of ceremonies, Newton introduced Hoffner as the top alumni award recipient.

The award recognized Hoffner's leadership, tested and refined in a four-decade career. He retired in 2005 as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Jack in the Box, then was a director of Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen, whose stock price hit all-time highs after a repositioning. He retired from that in 2013. He also has taught business ethics and has extended his civic, community and philanthropic leadership. The Krannert event was a gratifying evening for Hoffner, for the award and more.

"It was great to see Tim again, and that reunion was the catalyst for naming the scholarship," Hoffner recalls.

When that naming happened, Newton was stunned.

"The honor was as nice as it was unexpected -- and really unmerited," he says. "I'm usually trying to put other people in the spotlight, so this is a 180-degree experience for me. I just show up for work and try to make a positive difference. So something of this magnitude is humbling." 

The scholarship recognizes that Newton's roots at Purdue run as deep as his contributions to the University are long. He graduated in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in mass communication and joined the staff in 1989 -- first serving as an editor for the Purdue News Service and then as the director of communications for the Purdue Alumni Association.

Today, Newton oversees the Krannert School's publications, website, alumni relations, media relations and special events. In his Purdue career, he has been accompanied by his wife, Susan, a 25-year Purdue employee herself and a business analyst in IT Application Services.

The endowment will fund one or more annual undergraduate scholarships for students who are juniors and/or seniors with a minimum GPA of 3.2/4.0. Preference will be given to students who demonstrate leadership qualities through a role in a Krannert student club, participation in an external case competition, or a role in leading a community-related, nonprofit activity. Krannert dean David Hummels will select the recipients and determine the amount of the scholarships based upon available revenue.

Hoffner says, "Tim helped establish the criteria, so this really is Tim's scholarship and Tim's legacy."

It's also about Hoffner's "lifelong love affair with Purdue," where he met his wife of 45 years, Jean, and both had an active campus life. They have been frequent contributors to Purdue.

In business, athletics, and the other arenas of life, Hoffner says, leadership and communications are the keys to any successful team. And both dimensions are central to the purpose of the Tim Newton Management Leadership Scholarship:

"A good leader needs to have both a clear vision of his or her organization's goals and the ability to communicate and inspire others to reach those goals. Tim certainly embodies those principles in all he does, and his scholarship is a most fitting legacy to help its recipients learn to 'call the shots' in their own lives."

This article is condensed from a story under the online "Impact" heading of Purdue's "Ever True" campaign.