Trustees approve building
plans
By Laura Pelner
Campus
Editor
Purdue's board of trustees received applause Friday
morning when it approved using $46 million in gift funds and $5 million
in state appropriations to build the University's new nanotechnology
center.
The Ultra Performance Nanotechnology Center, which
will be built on part of the land currently in the Purdue Village, will
cost about $51 million. President Martin Jischke said Purdue would break
ground and begin construction next year.
The largest monetary gifts include a $30 million
donation from the Birck family and $10 million from the Scifres family.
Accordingly, the center will be called the Birck Nanotechnology Center
and a wing of it will be named after the Scifres family.
Michael Birck is a University trustee and he said
his donation and the new center are one way Purdue can achieve the "next
level of excellence."
The center will support nanotechnology and interdisciplinary
research as well as industry partnerships.
The Schools of Engineering
The new dean of the Schools of Engineering is proof
of the caliber of Purdue and the engineering program.
Trustee William Moreau said at the board's meeting
that the fact that Linda Katehi, associate dean for Academic Affairs
and professor of electrical and computer science at the University of
Michigan, chose to come to Purdue is impressive.
The board of trustees voted to approve Katehi's
appointment as dean Friday; she will begin Jan. 1, 2002.
The board also approved the creation of a new endowed
chair for the school. Daniel Hirleman Jr. was named the William E. and
Florence E. Perry head of mechanical engineering and received $10.5
million to distribute throughout the department.
Charter schools
Purdue's board of trustees turned down an invitation
to be a charter schools' sponsor saying the University is not yet ready
for such a system.
"The board decided it's not the proper time to
be a sponsor," said trustee Lewis Essex.
He said that if Purdue became a charter school
sponsor the board of trustees would become similar to a board of education.
"We're not against charter schools, but at this
time we have a lot on our plate," Essex said and he added the board
would probably leave the idea open for the future.
Strategic planning update
Provost Sally Frost Mason told the board of trustees
the strategic planning committee will meet this week to go over the
information it received at the three open forums that were held this
month to let the public provide feedback.
"It's quite likely there will be some changes made
to the wording," Frost Mason said.
She said the committee will probably meet at least
two more times to discuss the wording and possible changes and Jischke
said Purdue is still on track to present the final plans to the board
of trustees in November.
He said the final plans would be presented in November
and if approved by the board they would be implemented soon after.
Satellite chiller plant
The board of trustees awarded contracts for the
construction and installation of a new water chiller plant and a distribution
system for the water.
The new plant will be a three-cell cooling tower
and have the capacity to house 12,000 tons of water.
A new distribution system will also be installed
to transport the water to various areas on campus.
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