July 10, 2009

Chair of trustees honored with plaza dedication

McGinley Plaza dedicated
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"It is only fitting that Tim McGinley's legacy at Purdue be celebrated with a campus landmark that is meant to be a gathering place for people and their ideas," said President France A. Córdova. "During Tim's time on the board, and especially under his leadership as chair of the board the last 16 years, Purdue benefited from his guidance and vision. This plaza is a reminder of the success achieved thanks to his dedication, and a place where innovation and discovery can be cultivated."

McGinley is retiring July 11.

The J. Timothy McGinley Plaza, completed in the spring of 2008 and designed by Rundell Ernstberger Associates, is between Mann Hall, the Bindley Bioscience Center and the Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship.

The plaza's design, created by David Young from the firm Second Globe, incorporates math, geometry and science, and shows how these disciplines relate to natural phenomena. One of the key themes is the ancient Indian numerical sequence used by the Italian Renaissance mathematician Fibonacci. This sequence can describe a logarithmic spiral, found in many natural elements from nautilus shells to sunflower seed heads.

J. Timothy McGinley Plaza
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The 4,000-square foot area includes a fountain and bench seating. The fountain's design also incorporates the Fibonacci sequence in the stone dimensions on the water cascade at its base, in the metal armature that supports the glass, and in the glass itself as images of Purdue spiral across its face. The fountain and its glass imagery were designed by Eric Ernstberger. The iconic features from Purdue's campus include Ross-Ade Stadium, the Bell Tower, the Purdue Memorial Union, Hovde Hall, Mackey Arena and Neil Armstrong Hall. Greg Thompson of GRT Glass sandblasted the images and had the glass curved, tempered and laminated. The water runs over the glass, and both are illuminated by LED lights, which rotate through a spectrum of colors at night.

During McGinley's tenure on the board, the West Lafayette campus alone completed more than 70 major facility construction and renovation projects, valued at more than $792 million. One of the significant projects to take place during the last few years of his leadership was the creation of Discovery Park. Also during his time on the board, the number of faculty increased from 2,208 to 2,743. The number of named and distinguished faculty also increased from 66 in 2000 to 158 in February 2009.

McGinley graduated from Purdue in 1963, receiving a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. He also played basketball for the Boilermakers on scholarship. He received his MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business. His numerous awards from Purdue include Distinguished Engineering Alumnus in 1972 and Outstanding Chemical Engineering Alumnus in 1994. He was president of the Purdue Engineering Alumni Association from 1985-1987. In 2000 he was elected to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

In 2003 McGinley and his wife, Jane, made gifts or pledges totaling $2 million toward scholarships for students facing financial or personal hardships. They also have supported athletic scholarships and renovations of Mackey Arena.

McGinley is founder and principal of House Investments Inc., a real estate investment company he started in Indianapolis in 1978.

While McGinley was chairperson, the university launched three fundraising campaigns:

* $330 million Vision Campaign;

* $1.7 billion Campaign for Purdue, completed in July 2007, that funded Discovery Park, professorships and student programs; and

* the $304 million Access and Success Campaign that so far has brought in $90 million since it was launched last April to support student scholarships and retention programming.

Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

Source: France A. Córdova, president@purdue.edu

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

PHOTO CAPTION:
Outgoing board of trustees chairman J. Timothy McGinley and his wife, Jane, turn to look as water begins to flow over the fountain as Purdue President France A. Córdova dedicates McGinley Plaza on Friday (July 10) in Discovery Park. (Purdue University photo/Andrew Hancock)

A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2009/mcginley-plazadedicate.jpg

PHOTO CAPTION:
The J. Timothy McGinley Plaza was dedicated Friday (July 10) to honor the Indianapolis businessman who has served for two decades on Purdue's board of trustees. The plaza, completed in the spring of 2008 and designed by Rundell Ernstberger Associates, is between Discovery Park's Mann Hall, the Bindley Bioscience Center and the Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship. (Purdue University photo/Andrew Hancock)

A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2009/mcginley-plaza.jpg

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