Purdue News
Purdue News
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August 20, 2003 Seaman, Rohrman to lead Campaign for Purdue effort in LafayetteWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University President Martin C. Jischke on Wednesday (8/20) announced that two community members will lead fund-raising efforts for the local, community-based portion of the $1.3 billion Campaign for Purdue. Jischke also announced the first major gift to benefit the community campaign during Chamber Business After Hours in the Buchanan Club at the Ross-Ade Pavilion.
Joe Seaman, president of Bank One, and Linda Rohrman, community volunteer and philanthropist, will serve as joint chairpersons for the local Campaign for Purdue. Jischke said that community support and participation are keys to the success of reaching the university's $1.3 billion campaign goal. The campaign, announced last fall, will raise money to support efforts to increase student scholarships; recruit and retain faculty; fund programs, centers, and facilities; and purchase equipment. "We can't underestimate the impact that Purdue University has on the entire Lafayette community," Jischke said. " Our home town is the heart of our support, and everyone is a winner when we work together to meet our goals. We are so pleased that Linda Rohrman and Joe Seaman — two strong leaders with solid records of community involvement — have agreed to join our efforts to engage the citizens of Lafayette in this exciting campaign." Rohrman and Seaman both live in Lafayette and have been active as community volunteers and leaders. Rohrman is a community volunteer and a graduate of Leadership Lafayette. She has served on the boards of Leadership Lafayette, Group Homes for Children, United Way of Greater Lafayette and the YMCA. She is currently on the board of the Mental Health Association in Tippecanoe County and is its volunteer development director. She also is involved with the local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Seaman has an extensive background as a community volunteer, including service on Lafayette's High Technology Task force, Downtown Task Force, Venture Club, Tippecanoe County Public Library Capital Campaign Steering Committee, Purdue Gateways Task Force, Lafayette Neighborhood Housing Services, Community Council, Leadership Lafayette, Community Foundation, Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, Lafayette Urban Enterprise and St. Elizabeth Hospital. He also has been a speaker at the Krannert Executive Forum. Jim Shook, Lafayette businessman and entrepreneur, and his wife Jan, also were recognized as the first donors to provide a gift to the local effort. The Shooks made a $500,000 commitment to fund a distinguished professorship in the School of Chemical Engineering in honor of Jim Shook's maternal grandfather, Harry Creighton Peffer. Peffer, who was the first professor and head of the School of Chemical Engineering from 1911 to 1934, was known for his pioneering work on aluminum. Jischke said that the Shooks' gift will help the university achieve its goal of recruiting world-class faculty and creating more opportunities for students. "The funding of distinguished professorships is one of the most important objectives in this campaign," Jischke said." This is how we can recruit and keep the best faculty for our students, state and this community. Jim's gift will have enormous impact on our students and the future." Jim Shook is a member of the Campaign for Purdue Steering Committee and former member of the Krannert Dean’s Advisory Council. He was awarded an Honorary Boilermaker Award last winter. The last community fund-raising effort for Purdue was conducted in 1994 to benefit the university's Vision 21 Campaign. Murray Blackwelder, senior vice president for advancement, said that while the campaign committee has not yet set a goal for the local campaign, committee members hope to exceed the $4 million raised for the last campaign. "The most important part of our local campaign is to provide our community with a chance to be involved in the Campaign for Purdue," Blackwelder said. "Every dollar raised from our community family will help us meet our $1.3 billion goal, so it is important to us, as good neighbors of the community, to have the buy-in and participation from all the citizens who stand to benefit from this effort." Purdue raised nearly $312 million in the most recent fiscal year, ending June 30. Since the beginning of the seven-year campaign in 2000, more than $700 million has been raised. Writer: Jesica E. Webb, (765) 494-2079, jwebb@purdue.edu Sources: Martin C. Jischke, (765) 494-9708 Carolyn Gery, (765) 494-6902, csgery@purdue.edu Murray Blackwelder, (765) 496-2144, mblackwelder@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu Related Web sites: Related Story:
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