Purdue News

November 22, 2002 Purdue president to 'engage' Dearborn County in all-day visit WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University leaders are continuing a series of Purdue Days in Indiana with a visit to Aurora and Dearborn County on Tuesday (11/26). Purdue President Martin C. Jischke (pronounced JIS-key) will be joined by Purdue faculty and administrators as he talks and listens to area residents who have a variety of ties to Purdue. During the day, the group will visit the Chamber of Commerce office, businesses, government offices, the high school, a church, a museum and social service agencies. Jischke has made engagement between Purdue and the state of Indiana, its businesses and citizens a major theme of his presidency. The Aurora community host is Mel Green, a Purdue alumnus and business and community leader. "We want to show President Jischke the Purdue resources we're using in Dearborn County," Green said. "We'd like to build on Purdue's resources in technology for the economic development of the area." Don K. Gentry, Purdue's vice provost for engagement, said, "President Jischke has been a strong and consistent advocate of bringing Purdue to the state and the state to Purdue. He has shown great leadership by initiating these meetings across the state." Accompanying the president will be Joseph Bennett, vice president for university relations; David C. Petritz, director of Purdue Extension; John Huie, special assistant to the president; and Kellie Cox, Purdue Alumni Association assistant director of clubs. 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, like Purdue, a land-grant institution. His experience in higher education also includes 17 years as professor and dean at the University of Oklahoma and five years as chancellor of 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. Purdue Days in Indiana have taken Jischke to the Indianapolis State Fair in August, Vincennes in September and Logansport in October. Following the Aurora visit, Purdue Days will continue in Indianapolis on Dec. 13, Rensselaer on Jan. 21, Columbia City on Feb. 18, Scottsburg on March 28 and Anderson on April 24. During the day, Jischke and his party will be at the following locations: • 8:45 a.m. – Covington (Ky.) Airport. Jischke and the Purdue party arrive and will be met by Petritz and local host Mel Green. • 9:15 a.m.– Chamber of Commerce office. There will be a roundtable discussion on economic development, and Jischke will meet with local business leaders, Economic Development Group, Technology Committee and the County Vision Committee. Jischke will give a brief speech to the group before the discussion begins. • 10:35 a.m. – Batesville Products. Jischke will take a tour of the facility and discuss the business with its staff. • 11:10 a.m. — Dearborn County Justice Center. Natalie Fowler, County Extension director, will greet Jischke and give an overview of the Life after Incarceration Program. Jischke will meet with the sheriff and program participants. • 11:35 a.m. – Dearborn County Court House. Jischke will meet and talk to county officials. • Noon – Project Lead program. Jischke will sit in on the last few minutes of a program on Project Lead (a juvenile diversion initiative) presented by Judge Michael G. Witte, and then he will discuss the program briefly with the judge. Parents and teachers will be invited to participate. Jischke will join 50 fifth-grade students in a tour of county jail and courthouse as part of the program. • 12:50 p.m. – South Dearborn High School. Jischke will participate in an educational issues roundtable discussion with school personnel, superintendent and parents and get an overview of the Have a Healthy Baby Program, which teaches pregnant teens how to make healthy choices. • 1:45 p.m. – First Presbyterian Church. Jischke will visit the church, which houses the Dearborn County Food Pantry and Magic Meal Program. • 2:15 p.m. – Hillforest National Historic Museum in Aurora. Jischke will tour the museum and see the Rockery Gardens, which were researched and restored by local master gardeners (a Purdue University Cooperative Extension program) and meet with local media. • 2:50 p.m. – Lions Club Building in Aurora. Jischke will meet members of local boards and groups. • 4 p.m. – Financial Stationers Inc. Jischke will tour the facility and discuss the business with its staff. • 4:30 p.m. – Heart House. Jischke will tour the County Homeless Center kitchen, which Douglas C. Nelson, assistant professor of hospitality and tourism management, and his undergraduate class were instrumental in designing. • 6 p.m. – The Argosy. Dinner with local friends and alumni. Jischke will be the keynote speaker. Writer: J.M. Lillich, (765) 494-2077, mlillich@purdue.edu Sources: Mel Green, (812) 926-0631, Mel.green@peoplesfederalsavings.com David C. Petritz, (765) 494-8489, david.petritz@ces.purdue.edu NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: A publication-quality photograph of Purdue President Martin C. Jischke is available at ftp://ftp.purdue.edu/pub/uns/+JISCHKE.Portraits/jischke.desk.jpeg. Jischke will be available to speak with media at 2:15 p.m. at Hillforest National Historic Museum in Aurora. To the Purdue News and Photos Page