February 22, 2008

Lockheed Martin engineers donate $2.2 million to Purdue

The gifts from the Kosdroskys' estate will give $1.1 million to each of the colleges. The Kosdroskys have designated their gift as unrestricted, which will allow the colleges to allocate the money where the need is greatest.

The announcement is being made in conjunction with National Engineers Week, which is being celebrated at Purdue and institutions around the country. The week was created to raise public understanding and appreciation of engineers' contributions to society.

"This wonderful, generous gift will help us enhance both colleges," Purdue President France A. Córdova said. "Rick Kosdrosky has been instrumental in creating opportunities for our students at Lockheed Martin. This gift from Rick and Cheryl builds on their already great relationship with Purdue."

The Kosdroskys are both engineers at Lockheed Martin's Aeronautics Company in Fort Worth, Texas. Rick Kosdrosky serves as program manager for the classified Special Projects F-35 Joint Fighter development program. He also serves as the aeronautics company's Purdue recruiting team leader.

"For many years Lockheed Martin has sought to hire more than 2,000 entry-level professionals - mostly engineers - and it's been my pleasure to try to make as many of them Boilermakers as possible," Rick Kosdrosky said.

Cheryl Kosdrosky is a staff software engineer on the F-16 program where she leads avionic software development efforts for the aircraft's cockpit data entry systems.

Rick Kosdrosky has spoken to senior engineering seminars and to the Engineering Projects in Community Service program at Purdue.

"Rick has always generously given his time and expertise to our students," said Leah H. Jamieson, Purdue's John A. Edwardson dean of engineering. "He is one of the many reasons our students continue to become some of the top engineers in the country."

Dennis R. Depew, dean of the College of Technology, said, "The Kosdroskys are truly visionary people who recognize how vital flexible funding is for projects on the horizon. An unrestricted gift allows us to respond to new opportunities that arise for our faculty and students without the challenge of seeking funds first. We are immensely grateful for this gift from a Purdue alumnus."

Rick Kosdrosky graduated from Purdue in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in engineering. As a student, he was an oarsman on the varsity crew team and president of the Purdue Auto Club. He also serves as a board member for Purdue's engineering alumni association.

The Kosdroskys' son, Aaron, is currently a senior in the Department of Organizational Leadership and Supervision in the College of Technology.

The National Engineers Week Foundation is a formal coalition of more than 75 professional societies, major corporations and government agencies. It was formed to ensure a diverse and well-educated future engineering work force by increasing the understanding of, and interest in, engineering and technology careers among young students and by promoting precollege literacy in math and science.

Purdue's College of Engineering is made up of 11 schools and departments: aeronautics and astronautics, agricultural and biological, biomedical, chemical, civil, electrical and computer, engineering education, industrial, materials, mechanical, and nuclear. The college also includes the divisions of construction engineering and management, engineering professional practice, ecological and environmental engineering, and programs such as Engineering Projects in Community Service, Minority Engineering Program, Professional Practice Program and the Women in Engineering Program.

In addition to the more than 6,379 undergraduate students, the college enrolls 2,277 graduate students.

Purdue's College of Technology, established in 1964, is one of the nation's largest and was one of the first of its kind in the country. It comprises eight departments: aviation technology, building construction management, computer and information technology, computer graphics technology, electrical and computer engineering technology, industrial technology, mechanical engineering technology, and organizational leadership and supervision. In addition to the main campus at West Lafayette, the college has 10 statewide locations in Columbus, Greensburg, New Albany, Lafayette, South Bend, Kokomo, Anderson, Muncie, Richmond and Indianapolis.

The college educates more than 5,700 undergraduates around the state, and the West Lafayette campus has nearly 300 graduate students.

Writer: Clyde Hughes, (765) 494-2073, jchughes@purdue.edu

Sources:   France A. Cordova, (765) 494-9708

                  Leah H. Jamieson, (765) 494-5346, lhj@purdue.edu

                  Dennis R. Depew, (765) 494-2552, ddepew@purdue.edu

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

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