September 22, 2008

Purdue's fall celebration features students, research and entertainment

The week, which begins Thursday (Sept. 25), will be capped off with public performances by the actor James Earl Jones and actor/comedian Robin Williams.

"These events reflect the university's dedication to a strategic plan to provide access to more students, improve work life for our employees, foster discovery with delivery and enrich the campus culture," said Murray Blackwelder, senior vice president for advancement.

Events will include:

* Sept. 25, Thursday - Announcement of a gift to support Purdue's Access and Success campaign to raise more than $304 million to attract and retain students through the expansion of student aid and programs. The campaign also is raising $32 million toward the $99.5 million renovation and expansion of Mackey Arena.

* Sept. 29, Monday, 1:30 p.m. - Celebration of the completion of fundraising for the Seng-Liang Wang Hall of Electrical and Computer Engineering in Purdue's Discovery Park. The building was named for the father of Purdue alumnus Patrick Wang, chairman and chief executive officer of Johnson Electric in Hong Kong. Wang and his wife, Lucy, gave $5 million for the building. The School of Electrical and Computer Engineering will expand into the new facility and will continue to occupy most of the current Electrical Engineering Building and the Materials and Electrical Engineering Building. Event location: In a tent on the Herrick Laboratories lawn at 140 Martin C. Jischke Drive, just south of State Street. To reserve a place, contact events@purdue.edu

* Sept 30, Tuesday, 11 a.m. - Dedication of the Martin C. Jischke Biomedical Engineering building and unveiling of a portrait of Jischke, who served as president of Purdue from 2000-2007. Jischke will participate in the ceremony, which also will mark the 10th anniversary of the biomedical engineering program at Purdue. Event location: inside the building, which is on the east side of Martin C. Jischke Drive, south of State Street. By invitation only.

* Sept 30, Tuesday, 3 p.m. - Dedication of the Patty Jischke Child Care Center. The $3.08 million center opened Aug. 11 and serves 86 children of students and Purdue employees, accommodating ages 6 weeks to 5 years. Space for infants previously had been available only on a limited basis at on-campus child-care facilities. Location: Inside the building at 90 Nimitz Drive, at the intersection of Nimitz and Marshall drives on the south edge of Discovery Park. By invitation only.

* Oct. 1, Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. - Dedication of Purdue Technology Center of Southeast Indiana in New Albany. The 40,000-square-foot facility is one of four Purdue Research Park centers around the state that serve as incubators for startup or expanding companies. It also is home to most of the classrooms, labs and faculty offices for Purdue's College of Technology at New Albany location. In addition, it houses the Purdue Extension Office for Floyd County 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. Event location: 3000 Technology Ave. in New Albany near the southeast corner of Interstate 265 and Charlestown Road. Open to the public.

* Oct. 2, Thursday, 3 p.m. - Dedication of University Residences' new $19 million dining court. An outdoor ceremony will be followed by inside tours and samples of the international cuisine. The 500-seat freestanding dining court completes University Residences' consolidation of 11 cafeteria-style dining rooms to five architecturally distinct dining courts. Event location: On Martin Jischke Drive just north of Third Street and just south of Wiley Hall. To reserve a place, contact events@purdue.edu

* Oct. 2, Thursday, 7:30 p.m. - "An Evening with James Earl Jones." The instantly recognizable voice featured on CNN, Jones has appeared on stage and television and in movies with performances such as Mufasa in "The Lion King" and Darth Vader in "Star Wars," as well as "Field of Dreams," "Patriot Games" and "The Hunt for Red October." The talk is part of Experience Liberal Arts, a monthlong celebration highlighting programs in the College of Liberal Arts. Location: Stewart Center's Loeb Playhouse. Sold out.

* Oct. 2, Thursday, 7:30 p.m. - Comedian Robin Williams will bring his Weapons of Self-Destruction Tour to Purdue. Tickets are $85, $65 and $49.50 and are on sale through Ticketmaster at (765) 743-5151 or online at https://www.ticketmaster.com . Location: Elliott Hall of Music.

Writer: Jeanne V. Norberg, (765) 494-2084, jnorberg@purdue.edu

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

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