WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University is enhancing its presence at the Lafayette-West Lafayette 2008 Chamber Business Expo, which will take place Feb. 27 at University Plaza Hotel.

“Different areas of the university have had exhibits over the years,” said Mike Piggott, director of community relations and visitor information at Purdue. “The idea is to get everybody together in one booth and make a big presence.”

The Purdue booth will include community relations, Purdue Memorial Union, Intercollegiate Athletics, WBAA Radio, Information Technology at Purdue, Purdue Research Park, Discovery Park, service-learning and conferences.

Several Purdue officials will be on hand to meet the public at the event, which includes exhibitor booths and workshops and is from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Purdue officials will include: 11 a.m. – Morgan Olsen, executive vice president and treasurer, and Leroy Keyes, former Purdue football player; Noon – Richard Feinberg, professor and director of the Center for Customer Driven Quality; 1 p.m. – Joseph L. Bennett, vice president for university relations; 2 p.m. – Morgan Burke, director of Intercollegiate Athletics; 3 p.m. – Richard Cosier, Krannert School dean and Leeds Professor of Management; 4 p.m. – Murray Blackwelder, senior vice president for advancement; and 5 p.m. – Jay Ackridge, interim vice provost for engagement.

“Purdue University is very involved in the community, so we wanted to give everybody a chance to meet people at Purdue and have an opportunity to see what we’re doing,” Piggott said.

Purdue representatives also will present two workshops at the expo. Feinberg will lead one titled “Develop Your Inner Leader” at 2:15 p.m. At 3:45 p.m., Beth Forbes, news and public affairs coordinator for agricultural communications, and Jane Anderson, program director of the College of Agriculture, will present “Develop Effective Networking.”

All workshops are one hour in length and are by reservation only. To sign up, call (765) 742-4041 or e-mail Kstewart@lwldc.org.

University Plaza Hotel is located at 3001 Northwestern Ave. in West Lafayette.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Art Museum of Greater Lafayette is hosting a free public lecture entitled, “The Life and Work of Robert Reed”
presented by artist and Purdue professor emeritus Al Pounders. The lecture begins at 7:00p on Tuesday, February 19th.

Professor emeritus Robert Reed (1922-2007) taught printmaking and drawing at Purdue from 1958 until 1987. Reed’s life works include drawing, painting, sculpture, pottery, and printmaking. He also created silver jewelry, masks, mobiles, and birdhouses.

The Robert Reed: A Retrospective exhibition at the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette spans fifty years of Reed’s life. It is clear that he enjoyed experimenting and creating artwork in various media. He had many visions, both somber and humorous, which he interpreted through his art. This exhibition is sponsored by Westminster Village.

The Art Museum of Greater Lafayette is located at 102 South Tenth Street, Lafayette, Indiana. For more information, visit www.artlafayette.org or call 765-742-1128.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University’s police department, in response to a request from Purdue Student Government, announced Sunday (Feb. 17) that it will double its student security patrol staff by next fall.

The patrol, which consists of specially selected and trained students who offer evening security escorts around campus to students and staff, will increase from its current level of 25 to a staff of 35 by the end of this semester and to 50 in the fall.

The university also is urging students, faculty and staff to register for emergency text messaging. So far, 11,333 people have signed up for the service, one of several layers in the Purdue Alert program that also includes sirens, e-mail, a Facebook emergency notification group and the Purdue home page.

Students in the security patrol carry two-way radios to report vandalism or suspicious activities to the police. The students on patrol also help make sure the emergency telephones placed at more than 200 campus locations are working. They patrol the parking garages, report lighting problems and provide police support at campus events.

Some also take part in Safe Walk, a service to escort people safely to and from university residences, the academic campus and the village business district. The escort service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round by calling (765) 494-SAFE (7233).

“Purdue Student Government also has suggested that we expand the area served by the patrol further into the West Lafayette community, and we are exploring that possibility with the West Lafayette Police Department, as well,” said Carol Shelby, senior director of environment, health and safety at Purdue.

The positions are paid $6.20 to $7 hourly, and the university will reallocate $40,000 by the fall to pay for the extra patrollers.

Purdue police also partner with the Purdue Physical Facilities’ training department to offer a Workplace Violence Awareness and Prevention training class. The class is a three-hour, thirty-minute program, led by Dan Larson, training specialist in Physical Facilities.

Anyone interested in signing up for a a spring class can call Larson at (765) 496-1064 or e-mail him at dalarson@purdue.edu

To sign up for text messaging, go to http://www.purdue.edu/securepurdue, click on “Change My Password,” enter your account name and password, and select the “Emergency Contact Information” link.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A lecture by Wilma Mankiller scheduled for Tuesday (Feb. 19) in Stewart Center’s Loeb Playhouse has been canceled due to illness.

Mankiller, the first principal female chief of the Cherokee Nation, was to speak at the feature event of Project Respect, an annual series designed to increase awareness of diversity. She was going to talk about the role of positive thinking and women’s leadership in the 21st century.

Katie Pope, director of the Women’s Resource Office, said Mankiller’s talk would not be rescheduled.

The Project Respect series began Monday (Feb. 18) and runs through March 7 at various campus locations. For more information, go to http://www.purdue.edu/projectrespect

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. –– Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union (PEFCU) invites the Greater Lafayette community to attend a no-cost, educational auto-buying seminar at 6:30 p.m., on Wednesday, February 27, at the PEFCU Financial Mall located at 1551 Win Hentschel Blvd., in West Lafayette.

Purchasing a vehicle can be an overwhelming experience, from hunting for the ideal vehicle to negotiating a great deal. PEFCU wants to help people get into the driver’s seat with no hassle and no pressure. Seminar attendees will learn from auto-buying expert Michael Raff of Members Auto Source about the pros and cons of leasing versus buying, the hidden costs of auto buying, and the benefits of using a personalized auto-buying service.

This is a no-cost seminar and is open to the public. Complimentary refreshments will be provided. Seats are limited. Reserve your spot by Monday, February 25, by calling 765.497.3328, extension 1790, or registering at www.purdueefcu.com under the “Events Calendar” link at the left.