seal  President Jischke Speech
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July 11, 2003

Purdue University President Martin C. Jischke made these remarks Friday (7/11) during a meeting of the Purdue University Board of Trustees.

President Jischke's comments to the Board of Trustees

Good morning. Welcome to a new fiscal year for Purdue University.

I believe it is a year filled with tremendous potential and possibilities, thanks to the hard work and accomplishments of the past 12 months.

We have just had a great year. I believe it is nothing short of a home run. This year we’re going for the grand slam.

I have several special welcomes this morning. One I will save until the end of my remarks, when I will introduce him and ask him to say a few words.

First, I want to join all of you in welcoming our new trustee, Robert Peterson of Rochester. He is a graduate of our School of Agriculture, and I believe, very significantly, he also holds a doctor of jurisprudence from Indiana University.

Since arriving in this state, I have mentioned many times that I am very impressed with the level of cooperation between Purdue and IU. I believe the extent of this partnership is unequaled among major research universities in the nation. And it is a partnership that we intend to grow as we work for the people of Indiana.

We welcome Robert Peterson to our efforts.

Also joining us this morning is Joseph Camp, our new secretary of faculties.

Dr. Camp was previously acting chair of Purdue North Central's Biology/Chemistry Department. He has been on the faculty of Purdue North Central for 18 years, serving two three-year terms as a member of the University Senate. He has served on five of its committees. At the North Central campus, he also served on the Faculty Senate, as well as on the Strategic Planning Committee and the Faculty Grievance Committee.

We are very pleased to have Dr. Camp with us, and we look forward to working together.

I have worked in higher education for many years, and this is the fourth university I have led in as many states. I have never seen the level of excitement that we have at Purdue today.

About 20 months ago, this board approved strategic plans for West Lafayette and all our campuses. These plans set us on a course for preeminence, world leadership.

We have a great deal more work to accomplish, but we are well on our way.

And much of the credit is due to the outstanding leadership of this Board of Trustees.

Just as I have never before witnessed the level of excitement that we have at Purdue today, I have also never had the pleasure of working with such an outstanding board. Thank you very much for everything you are doing.

Part of the success we are experiencing is thanks to the support of the governor and General Assembly.

We are in a time when public universities around the nation are facing budget cuts. In some states today public officials and universities are at odds.

While this is happening elsewhere, Indiana has taken a step forward in support of higher education and in support of major research universities, in particular.

The governor and members of the Indiana General Assembly believe in the power of higher education. They believe in what it can accomplish in the lives of individuals. And they believe in the power of research universities for the promotion of economic development.

The state of Indiana arrived at a crossroad this year. And I believe our public officials have taken the right path, leading to a great future for our state.

First, in their budget, they recognized the new adjustment for funding major research institutions. Although we did not receive all that we requested in this area – or all that was recommended by the Commission on Higher Education – what was accomplished signified an important step. It showed that our elected officials understand the contributions of research universities.

In Fiscal Year 2004 this research adjustment will total about $2.5 million for our West Lafayette campus. It will go directly to our discovery initiatives that have so much economic development potential for Indiana.

This adjustment is very important in helping us leverage federal research dollars that create jobs and new companies for Indiana.

Second, included in the budget were our biomedical engineering program and building, plus the Millennium Engineering Building and the music building at Fort Wayne. All of this will have major impact on our state.

The budget also restores one-half of the budget cuts from our original appropriation for Fiscal Year 2002-2003.

We did not receive everything we requested, and we did not receive everything we need. But I believe the state of Indiana took a huge step forward this year toward becoming a leader in higher education.

Our thanks to the Governor and the Legislature for everything they accomplished. We continue our pledge to work closely with them as we move Purdue forward toward preeminence.

We’re right on track with enrollment goals for this fall. At this time, our incoming freshman class looks very strong, including minority enrollment and recruitment of Indiana’s top students.

We are projecting that the number of valedictorians in this year’s freshman class will increase 20 percent – from 183 last year to 220.

Our National Merit Scholar numbers are increasing. Based on current information, we are projecting that our National Merit Scholar enrollment will go up from 88 last year – to 95 this fall.

We hear quite a bit about the term "brain drain," in which Indiana’s college graduates look for employment out of state. But we are also concerned with keeping Indiana’s best high school graduates in our state. This is where "brain drain" begins.

Our projections at this time are showing solid results in enrollment of Indiana’s top students.

The Academic Success Awards for Resident Students who score at least 1360 on their SAT and are in the top 5 percent of their graduating class are projected to increase about 17 percent this fall.

Our Indiana Resident Top Scholars program, which gives four-year, full-tuition scholarships to Indiana’s best students, is projected to increase 24 percent – from 137 last year to 170 this fall.

There is also an increase in the number of freshmen who will participate in Boiler Gold Rush this fall, a very important orientation program that leads to student success. We expect about a 6 percent increase over last year, with more than half the class participating.

We continue to work on diversity.

We are projecting increases in African-American and Native American enrollment. Projections for Asian and Hispanic students this fall are down slightly from last year when we experienced very large increases above 2001. Our 2003 Asian and Hispanic numbers are expected to show continued growth above 2001.

We have a wonderful faculty, and I know I speak for all of us when I thank them for the great job they are doing. They have truly stepped up to the next level in our missions for learning, discovery and engagement.

Our Campaign for Purdue is being received with excitement from our alumni and friends throughout the nation and the world.

Our goal is to raise $1.3 billion in seven years. We are well on our way.

Three years into the campaign, we have raised more than $700 million. We raised a record $311,630,351 in 2002-2003. This is a 33 percent increase over the record year of 2001-2002!

Congratulations to Murray Blackwelder and everyone in advancement.

There is more building taking place at Purdue right now than at any other time in our history. As you pass through campus you can see a number of projects under way – three new centers in Discovery Park; Rawls Hall; the Visual and Performing Arts Center; Forney Hall; the Bowen Laboratory for Large-Scale Civil Engineering Research; the renovations of Pfendler Hall and Ross-Ade Stadium.

And there is much more to come.

I believe as great as the past 12 months have been, the coming year will be even more exciting as we progress farther on our strategic plans.

Thank you all for contributions toward all these accomplishments. I believe the quality and strength of this board is the heart of our success. And I look forward to working with you on another great year.

I am very pleased this morning to have the opportunity of introducing the new chancellor at IUPUI, Dr. Charles Bantz.

Welcome, Dr. Bantz, to Purdue, the state of Indiana and this board meeting.

Dr. Bantz is a native of South Dakota. He received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Minnesota. His Ph.D. is from Ohio State University.

Before arriving at IUPUI, Dr. Bantz was provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, and professor of communication at Wayne State University. He is an organizational communication expert, having published on organizational behavior, culture, and change.

We are very excited to have him at IUPUI, and we’re also pleased that he has joined us this morning.

IUPUI is already among the nation’s great urban campuses, and I am confident that under Dr. Bantz’s leadership, it will rise to even greater heights.

Dr. Bantz, we look forward to working with you in the months and years ahead. I’d like to invite you to come to the podium and say a few words to our board.


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