April 7, 2008

$1 million gift will establish engineering technology labs in New Albany

The Paul Ogle Foundation Inc. is donating the money to construct the Paul W. Ogle Electrical Engineering Technology and Mechanical Engineering Technology Laboratories. The laboratories will be located in the Purdue Technology Center of Southeast Indiana in New Albany, which is set to open in fall 2008.

The gift was announced Monday (April 7) at Stratto's restaurant in Clarksville, Ind.

The announcement is the first event of Purdue's Technology Week, which is April 7-11. The purpose of the week is to highlight how technology impacts lives, provide a glimpse of tomorrow's innovations and recognize the accomplishments of College of Technology faculty, students and alumni.

"The new technology center will strengthen Purdue's corridor of research and innovation that stretches along Interstate 65 from Merrillville to New Albany," said Purdue President France A. Córdova. "A key part of the center will be entrepreneurial activity, but equally significant is the creation of top-notch facilities for students at the College of Technology.

"Generous gifts such as this from the Ogle Foundation will ensure that students have the equipment they need to excel in their classes and to pursue the high-tech jobs of the future."

Dennis R. Depew, dean of Purdue's College of Technology, said the gift will benefit not just the students, but also will be a boon to the local economy.

"Indiana has a long and rich history in manufacturing, and that sector is a significant driver of the state's economy," he said. "Global factors are changing the face of the industry, and in order to remain competitive, we must provide highly skilled and educated workers.

"Thanks to the Paul Ogle Foundation gift, Purdue's College of Technology at New Albany will be able to enhance students' learning by giving them experience with professional-quality equipment, preparing them to enter the work force and make significant contributions to the southeastern Indiana economy."

Andy Schaffer, director of the Purdue College of Technology at New Albany, is leading the effort to develop the laboratories and purchase the equipment. The facilities at the Purdue Technology Center will include three combination classroom/laboratories each for the mechanical engineering technology and electrical engineering technology programs. These labs will be named in honor of Paul Ogle.

Equipment for the labs is still being purchased, and the needs will change as course content evolves in response to technological advances. One piece of equipment already purchased is a rapid prototyping machine for the mechanical engineering technology program. This device works in conjunction with computer-aided design software to produce a physical model of an object. Similar devices are commonly used in advanced manufacturing.

Kent Lanum, executive director of the Ogle Foundation, said that a deep interest in the economic viability of the southeast Indiana region prompted the donation.

"Paul Ogle had an interest in projects that further the economic development in the region and was a strong believer that there is no better way to do this than to make a significant investment in helping students earn a high-quality education," he said. "We are proud to be able to help students at the College of Technology at New Albany make their dreams of higher education come true."

The Paul Ogle Foundation Inc. was incorporated as an Indiana nonprofit corporation in 1979 to assist with community development and charitable needs. The founder and original benefactor was Paul W. Ogle, who lived in Clark County. Ogle died in 1988, was a native of Switzerland County and was founder of Silgas Co., a distributor of propane gas in southern Indiana that later expanded to surrounding states.

The land for the Purdue Technology Center was donated to the Purdue Research Foundation by John and Jane Shine to open a new technology park and expand Purdue's academic programs in New Albany. John Shine is the president of Samtec Inc., an electronic interconnect manufacturer, and Sam Shine, John's father, is the founder. The center will offer nearly 40,000 square feet of space that will be used in cooperation with Indiana University Southeast to open a technology park.

The center, which will be located at the southeast corner of Interstate 265 and Charlestown Road, will contain 18,000 square feet of business incubator offices, an economic development office and an office for Purdue's Technical Assistance Program, which connects companies with Purdue resources and assists them in implementing state-of-the art technologies. As they grow, the companies will have an opportunity to move into the adjacent technology park.

Purdue's College of Technology at New Albany will use the remaining space for classrooms, labs and faculty offices for its computer graphics technology, electrical engineering technology and mechanical engineering technology programs. Purdue will maintain a presence at Indiana University Southeast, where all of Purdue's programs are currently housed, for the industrial technology and organizational leadership and supervision programs, which will be located in the Hausfeldt Building.

Purdue's College of Technology at New Albany offers bachelor's degrees in computer graphics technology, electrical engineering technology, industrial technology, mechanical engineering technology, and organizational leadership and supervision. Through a reciprocal tuition agreement, residents of Jefferson, Oldham, Bullitt and Trimble counties in Kentucky pay Indiana in-state rates at the college's New Albany location.

Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu

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

Andy Schaffer, (812) 941-2353, aschaffe@purdue.edu

Kent Lanum, executive director of the Paul Ogle Foundation, (812) 280-8372, ext. 2, klanum@ogle-fdn.org

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

To the News Service home page