Purdue to announce tech park during New Albany community visit

Martin C. Jischke

President Martin C. Jischke and other university officials also will visit Samtec Inc. and the FireKing Security Group, among other locations.

Victor L. Lechtenberg, the university's vice provost for engagement, said Purdue welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with business and community leaders.

"We will share some exciting news on Purdue's plans to work with Indiana University Southeast on providing more educational and economic development opportunities for south central Indiana," Lechtenberg said. "Purdue wants to serve as an economic development partner with New Albany and Jeffersonville so that businesses in those communities can gain a competitive advantage in the global marketplace."

During the past six years, Jischke and university leaders have conducted more than 60 daylong visits to Indiana communities. Several activities are scheduled for the visit, including:

• 10:45 a.m. — Tour Samtec Inc., 520 Park East Blvd., New Albany. Founded in 1976, Samtec manufactures personal computer board level interconnects, which it distributes worldwide. Sales for 2005 exceeded $265 million.

• 11:30 a.m. — Announce a gift at the Samtec Inc. hospitality room. Purdue and Indiana University Southeast officials will announce a gift of 40 acres to the Purdue Research Foundation. The land will enable the universities to build a technology center at the southeast corner of I-265 and Charlestown Road in New Albany. The center will include office space for business incubators. It also will include Purdue College of Technology classroom space that will augment the college's classes and degree programs currently offered at IU Southeast. Construction will begin in June with an anticipated completion date of fall 2007.

• 2 p.m. — Tour FireKing Security Group, 101 Security Parkway, New Albany. A broad-based security company, FireKing produces fireproof files and safes. It also manufactures cash handling systems and video surveillance for retail establishments. Founded in 1951, FireKing employs 500 people. Its loss prevention and asset protection products are distributed to more than 85 countries throughout the world.

• 3:45 p.m.— Conduct a small group discussion with business and community leaders at Wooded Glen Retreat and Conference Center, 2602 Hebron Church Road, Henryville, Ind. Participants will discuss economic development in Floyd and Clark counties.

• 5:30 p.m. — Attend a reception at the Wooded Glen Retreat and Conference Center. Jischke and university leaders will visit with Purdue alumni and friends who live in Floyd and Clark counties.

Jischke, who came to Purdue in August 2000, is the university's 10th president. He currently serves as chairman of the Association of American Universities, which represents the top 62 research universities in North America, and is the current chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors. He also serves on President George W. Bush's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Jischke serves on the board of the American Council on Competitiveness and the national board of Campus Compact, an organization of university presidents and college deans that helps students learn about citizenship through community-service opportunities. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce honored Jischke in November with its Volunteer of the Year Award.

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 Corp., and the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities.

He previously served for nine years as president of Iowa State University, another land-grant institution. Jischke's experience in higher education also includes 17 years as professor and dean at the University of Oklahoma and five years at the University of Missouri-Rolla. During his tenure at Oklahoma, he served in multiple capacities. He became director of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering in 1977. He also served as dean of the College of Engineering from 1981 to 1986, and was named the university's interim president in 1985.

Writer: Marydell Forbes, (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu

Sources: Victor L. Lechtenberg, (765) 494-9095, vll@purdue.edu

David Petritz, associate vice provost for engagement, (765) 494-8489, dpetritz@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Related Web sites:
Purdue Office of Engagement

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