October 2, 2009
Purdue trustees approve faculty appointments, new program and aircraft purchases
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue University board of trustees on Friday (Oct. 2) ratified the appointments of three named professors, approved a new degree program and the purchase of 17 replacement aircraft for a flight degree program.Trustees approved the appointment of Michael A. Campion as the Herman C. Krannert Professor of Management in the Krannert School of Management; Torbert Rocheford as the Patterson Endowed Chair in Translational Genomics for Crop Improvement; and Wallace Tyner as the James and Lois Ackerman Professor in Agricultural Economics.
Campion's main teaching interests are in human resource management, organizational behavior, and industrial and organizational psychology. His recent research interests include employment testing, assessment, interviewing, recruiting, equal employment and legal issues, teams, job analysis and design, performance evaluation, career development, and turnover.
One of the most published authors in his field over the last 25 years, Campion has received several honors, including the Jay N. Ross Young Faculty Scholar Award from the Krannert School of Management and Arthur Anderson & Co. in 1987, the S. Rains Wallace Dissertation Award in 1983, and the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award this year, both from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
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Campion is the former president of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, editor of Personal Psychology, and director of the human resources master's program at Krannert. He also consults with a wide range of private and public organizations on various human resource topics.
Campion earned his bachelor's degree in psychology at University of Minnesota, his master's degree in psychology from University of Akron and a doctoral degree from North Carolina State University. He joined Purdue in 1986.
Rocheford's research interests are in maize genetics, genomics and breeding. He recently joined Purdue after performing research and teaching at University of Illinois in Urbana for nearly two decades. He was a visiting scientist for a year at the John Innes Institute in Norwich, U.K. Last year he won the Faculty Award for Global Impact at University of Illinois.
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Rocheford earned his bachelor's degree from University of Massachusetts Amherst, his master's degree from University of Maryland in College Park and his doctoral degree from University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Tyner's research interests are in the area of energy, agricultural, and natural resource policy analysis and structural and sectoral adjustment in developing economies. Most of his recent work has focused on economic and policy analysis for biofuels.
A co-author of three books, Tyner has received numerous awards, including the Energy Patriot Award from Sen. Richard Lugar in 2007, the American Association of Agricultural Economics Quality of Communication and Distinguished Policy Contribution awards, and the Outstanding Graduate Educator from the Purdue College of Agriculture this year.
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Tyner earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Texas Christian University and his master's and doctoral degrees in economics from the University of Maryland. He joined Purdue University as an assistant professor in 1977.
Trustees also approved a master's degree program in computer science at Purdue University Calumet. The program will provide educational opportunities for residents of northwest Indiana and the southern suburbs of Chicago. It will provide students with a course of study that will enhance their knowledge of the fundamental concepts of computer science and also incorporate sophisticated practical applications of the theory.
Given projected growth for computer science jobs of 19 percent in Indiana and 18 percent nationwide – according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development – program graduates will have good employment opportunities, said Randy Woodson, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. The program also will prepare students for postgraduate study.
Implementation of the program is subject to approval by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.
Trustees also approved the purchase of one new Embraer PHENOM 100 jet aircraft and 16 Cirrus aircraft to be used to provide hands-on experience for students enrolled in the supervised flight instruction program in the Department of Aviation Technology. The new aircraft will replace the existing fleet of 18 aircraft. The price of the Embraer PHENOM 100 is approximately $3.5 million, while the Cirrus aircraft will cost a total of about $5.1 million.
Purdue University has offered a flight degree program since the early 1960s. The program includes primary flight instruction, instruction in advanced aircraft as well as large airline type simulation instruction. The flight program is part of a larger educational department with a current enrollment of about 600 students pursuing bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in aviation technology.
Writer: Soumitro Sen, 765-496-9711, ssen@purdue.edu
Sources: Randy Woodson, 765-494-9709, woodson@purdue.edu
Michael Campion, 765-494-5909, campionm@purdue.edu
Torbert Rocheford, torbert@purdue.edu
Wallace Tyner, 765-494-0199, wtyner@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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