Purdue News
Purdue News
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President's Council rallies for a 21st century PurdueWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue's 10th president challenged the university's major contributors Friday night (10/27) to join the university on a great adventure– the chance of a lifetime to take a great university and make it even better – through time, talents and gifts. "Tonight we stand at a pivotal point in the history of Purdue," President Martin C. Jischke said. "And we stand at a point where we are ready to move into the future. But Jischke added, "Purdue can be no greater than the support it receives from its alumni and friends." Don Roach, beginning his second consecutive term as President's Council chairman, called for action. "To meet today's challenges and move Purdue forward, we need to be giving more," Roach said. Purdue annually raises $90 million in gifts. Almost half of that comes from individuals, many of whom give $1,000 or more annually, qualifying them for council membership. Jischke and his wife, Patty, presided over their first President's Council Annual Weekend with a theme focused on Purdue's 21st century agenda. "As we move forward, we must always remember that we have an enormous responsibility to serve our communities, state and nation," Jischke said. "We must remember that Purdue is a public university. There's a better way to say that. It's the way Abraham Lincoln phrased it: "We are the public's university." Jischke also outlined some of his vision of the university's "next level of excellence." Jischke cited 17 other universities currently involved with or completing billion dollar fund drives. If Purdue were to double its own $1.3 billion endowment, an estimated $130 million would be available annually for scholarships, teaching, equipment, laboratories, faculty, staff and "the thousands of other things that go into making this a greater university," the president said. "And that is what it is going to take to reach the next level of excellence in the 21st century." Roach said a key to accomplishing this goal is to recruit new council members, especially young alumni. The council also honored the donor group's top recruiter and those individuals who made significant contributions of time, money and devotion to the council and the university. James Blakesley, a 1950 graduate in mechanical engineering, received the Ambassador of the Year Award, the council's top honor for recruitment. Blakesley is director emeritus of space management and academic scheduling at Purdue. He and his wife, Rosemary, are members of the President's Council, John Purdue Club, Liberal Arts Dean's Club, Nursing 500 Club, Technology Dean's Club and Purdue Alumni Association. He is an School of Agriculture patron. Blakesley also is a leader in the Class of '50 fund raising and alumni activities. The Blakesleys reside in West Lafayette. William Cordier, a 1949 Purdue graduate in mechanical engineering, was introduced as the new vice chairman of the President's Council. Honored last year with a Distinguished Service Award, Cordier and his wife, Gail, belong to the President's Council, John Purdue Club, Engineering Dean's Club and the Purdue Alumni Association. In 1995, Cordier received honors as an outstanding mechanical engineer. He has served on the School of Mechanical Engineering Dean's Advisory Board. The Cordiers created the William K. and Gail E. Cordier Endowed Scholarship and Fellowship Fund. The couple resides in Hudson, Ohio, and Naples, Fla. Four individuals were honored with the President's Council Distinguished Service Awards. These awards go to members who contributed to the council and to Purdue's ongoing improvement. They are: Bob F. Jesse, Margo Powers, and Ben and Maxine Miller. Jesse served on the Purdue Board of Trustees for 23 years and was its chairman from 1989 to 1993. He also served as chairman of the trustee executive committee and as a member-director of the Purdue Research Foundation. Jesse is a 1949 civil engineering graduate and received an honorary doctorate from the Schools of Engineering in May. He is chairperson/chief executive officer of Indiana Construction Corp. in Fort Wayne, Ind. He and his wife, Donna, are Keystone members of the President's Council. They belong to the John Purdue Club and the Fort Wayne Chancellor's Society. The couple lives in Fort Wayne and Placida, Fla. Powers actively recruits President's Council members along with her husband, Donald, a 1947 agriculture graduate and a 1992 honorary doctorate recipient. They are President's Council Keystone members. They also belong to the Purdue Music Organization Ambassador's Club. They are John Purdue Club Life MVP members and School of Agriculture patrons. They reside in Dyer, Ind. The Millers each hold Purdue degrees. He is a 1959 management graduate, and she is a 1959 graduate from the School of Home Economics (now School of Consumer and Family Sciences). The Millers are President's Council Keystone members and John Purdue Club Champion members. They belong to the Consumer and Family Sciences Stone Society and Roundtable as well as the Purdue Musical Organization Director's Club and the Krannert Executives Club. In 1998-99, the Millers served as President's Council co-chairmen. They live in Lafayette. Roach is a 1952 mechanical engineering graduate. Roach and his wife, Nancy, are members of the President's Council, Engineering Dean's Club, Purdue Musical Organizations Director's Club, the John Purdue Club and the Purdue Alumni Association. Roach also serves as a member of the Class of '52 fund drive and the School of Mechanical Engineering Advisory Committee. They live in Barrington, R.I. The President's Council Weekend annually draws the university's highest level supporters and enthusiasts for two days of events. The weekend events began with a Friday (10/27) breakfast at Purdue Memorial Union followed by "Back to Class" sessions. The classes allowed council members a chance to attend lectures on recent developments in various disciplines. They also attended a brunch Saturday (10/28) before the Ohio State football game. More than 7,600 families belong to the President's Council, which was established in 1972. Source: Carolyn Gery, (765) 494-2731; pc@purdue.edu Writer: Grant Flora (765) 494-2073, gflora@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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