Purdue’s First African-American Homecoming Queen to Present Papers to Archives, Deliver Lecture as Part of Black History Month Celebration

January 25th, 2018

In early February, Purdue University alumna Kassandra Agee Chandler will be back on the West Lafayette campus to present “My Pieces of History: A Queen’s Journey to Archival Peace (and Release).” Agee Chandler — who was crowned Purdue University’s first (and currently only) African-American Homecoming Queen in 1978 — will deliver her lecture as part of a lecture and presentation program to begin at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6, in the Krannert Auditorium (Krannert Building, Room 140).

Sponsored by the Zeta Theta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Agee Chandler’s visit to her alma mater will also include the presentation of her papers to the Purdue University Archives and Special Collections (a division of Purdue University Libraries). A reception in the Krannert Drawing Room will follow the formal lecture and presentation program. The event is free and open to the public.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to return to my alma mater and share my experience as Purdue’s first African-American homecoming queen,” said Agee Chandler. “During this critical time of divisiveness in our nation, I hope that revisiting this significant milestone in Purdue history inspires students to engage in an enlightened dialogue on race, class, gender equality, and other relevant issues facing us today.”

Agee Chandler, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Management in 1980, is the founder and principal consultant at Systematic Design Consultants, a boutique information-technology consulting firm based in the Houston, Texas area.

While at Purdue, Agee Chandler distinguished herself academically and as a student leader, serving as a counselor for the Business Opportunity Program (BOP), member of Mortar Board, and a founding member of the Society of Minority Managers.

After earning her degree from Purdue, Agee Chandler worked in the private sector for such companies as Proctor & Gamble, Dow Chemical, and Exxon. Additionally, she served as Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s Chief Information Officer, as well as Director of Computing Services at the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station.

In July 2015, she and two other Purdue alumni formed the Dr. Cornell A. Bell Business Opportunity Program (BOP) Alumni Network, a Purdue alumni group “committed to continuing the legacy and vision of Dr. Cornell A. Bell” (see http://bopalumni.org/about/ and www.krannert.purdue.edu/centers/bop/about-us/dr-cornell-a-bell.php).

Agee Chandler’s visit is co-sponsored by the Black Cultural Center (BCC) and the Purdue Archives and Special Collections.

For more information about Agee Chandler’s lecture, contact BCC Director Renee Thomas at rathomas@purdue.edu or Emma Noelke (Delta Sigma Theta) at enoelke@purdue.edu.

For inquiries regarding Agee Chandler’s gift of her papers, contact University Archivist/Head, Archives and Special Collections Sammie Morris at morris18@purdue.edu.

Purdue GIS Day Conference Set for Nov. 9; Conference Features Student Poster and GIS Software Competitions

October 9th, 2017

The 2017 Purdue GIS Day Conference is set from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9 in Stewart Center, rooms 206 and 214. The daylong event is open free to Purdue students, faculty, staff, and to the public.

The Purdue GIS Day Conference 2017 includes a variety of events and activities, including the 10 a.m. keynote presentation, “Spatiotemporal Computing for Enabling Scientific Research and Engineering Development” by Chaowei (Phil) Yang, Professor of Geography and Geoinformation Science, George Mason University, and Purdue University Honor College’s Visiting Scholar.

The conference also includes career discussions, a GIS Career Luncheon, student lightning talk presentations, a poster competition, and, new this year, the Esri Development Center (EDC) Student of the Year Award at Purdue, which will recognize one Purdue University student who demonstrates advanced GIS knowledge and innovation with an emphasis on development and programming (see below or www.lib.purdue.edu/gis/edc for more information).

The full 2017 Purdue GIS Day Conference schedule is below, with links to: the Career Luncheon registration (required) and the instructions and entry form for lightning talk and poster presentations, which are due by 11:59 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3.

EDC Student of the Year Award Competition

More information about the EDC Student of the Year at Purdue Award competition is available at www.lib.purdue.edu/gis/edc.

Entries are due by 11:59 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3 and should be entered via the online form at https://purdue.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6mtqdiq7mvDG6tT.

The winner of the EDC Student of the Year at Purdue contest will be awarded limited travel reimbursement (from Purdue Libraries) to attend the Esri International Developer Summit in Palm Springs, CA, during the spring of 2018.

GIS Day: A Global Celebration

Across the globe, GIS Day is a celebration of geospatial research and geographic information systems technology. At Purdue University, Purdue Libraries faculty and staff work with the GIS Day planning committee, which is comprised of faculty, staff, and graduate students from various departments across the University, to organize this multidisciplinary, campus-wide event.

For more information, contact Nicole Kong, GIS specialist at Purdue Libraries, at geohelp@purdue.edu.

Purdue GIS Day Conference 2017 Schedule

9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9
Stewart Center, rooms 206 and 214

• 9-9:30 a.m. – Coffee Social and Poster Presentation Sessions Setup
• 9:30-10 a.m. – Lightning Talk Presentations: Submit 250-word abstract by 11:59 p.m. Nov. 3 at https://purdue.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3ldwBIgBm1OaG57&Q_JFE=0
• 10-11 a.m. – Keynote Address: “Spatiotemporal Computing for Enabling Scientific Research and Engineering Development,” by Chaowei (Phil) Yang, Professor of Geography and Geoinformation Science, George Mason University and Purdue University Honor College’s Visiting Scholar
• 11 a.m.-noon – GIS Presentations: “Leveraging Space Observations for Understanding the Changing Planet,” by Kumar Navulur, Director of Next Generation Products in Labs, Digital Global; as well as others
• Noon-1 p.m. – GIS Career Luncheon. Please register at https://purdue.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1TZ0EBCFmtc7Zjv. Registration is required.
• 1-1:30 p.m. – Poster Presentations: Submit 250-word abstract by 11:59 p.m. Nov. 3 at https://purdue.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3ldwBIgBm1OaG57&Q_JFE=0
• 1:30-2 p.m. – What Are the Exciting GIS Resources at Purdue?
  Presented by Purdue University Libraries and Information Technology at Purdue (ITaP)
• 2-3 p.m. – First Round of Display Table and Lightning Talks*
• 3-4 p.m. – Second Round of Display Table and Lightning Talks*
• 4-4:30 p.m. – Award Ceremony: Poster Session Competition and EDC Contest

* Featured roundtable discussions include:

• Spatial Modeling Using Purdue’s High Performance Computing GIS Servers, Patrick Zollner’s lab, forestry and natural resources
• Integrated Spatial Education Experience (Isee), Darrell Schulze, agronomy
• GIS application in social studies, Fenggang Yang’s lab, sociology
• Applying geographic information in classroom teaching, Catherine Dossin, Patti & Rusty Rueff School of Visual and Performing Arts, and Adam Watkins, Honors College
• Augmented and Virtual Reality, Fabian Winkler and Shannon McMullen, Patti & Rusty Rueff School of Visual and Performing Arts
• Unmanned Airborne Systems for Agricultural Management, Ayman Habib’s lab, Lyles School of Civil Engineering;
• Visual Analytics for Command, Control, and Interoperability Environments Center (VACCINE)
• Purdue Center for Environmental and Regulatory Information Systems (CERIS) and BoilerApps
• Purdue Center for Regional Development (PCRD)
• Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (INLTAP)
• Purdue Facilities Information Service
• Tippecanoe County GIS Service

Provost’s Working Group to Review Libraries at NW, FW, and WL Campuses

August 24th, 2017

The unification at Purdue Northwest (PNW) and the coming separation of Indiana University (IU) and Purdue at IPFW (Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne) are resulting in significant changes at those campuses. For the libraries at Purdue Northwest, soon-to-be Purdue Fort Wayne, and Purdue West Lafayette, these changes come at a time when libraries are in flux as more resources and services are available online. These circumstances create an opportunity to explore strategies to more fully integrate the three libraries.

As a commitment to positive change, the Purdue University Office of the Provost has created a Purdue System Library Working Group.

Principles for the work of this group are outlined below.

The goal—enhance the research and learning at each campus:

• Libraries are crucial to the work of universities;
• Faculty and students at each campus need quick and easy access to information and materials;
• The campus members on this group are committed to collaboration;
• The workloads of faculty and staff in the libraries will be considered and their input will be valued; and
• Communication with faculty/staff/students is important.

Charge to the Purdue System Library Working Group

Members of the task force include:

• Rebecca Richardson, Assistant Dean for Collections and Access (West Lafayette)
• Scott Brandt, Interim Associate Dean for Research (West Lafayette)
• Alexis Macklin, Dean (Purdue Fort Wayne)
• Tammy Guerrero, Director of University Libraries (Purdue Northwest)
• Rob Wynkoop, Managing Director Procurement Services will represent the Office of the Treasurer (West Lafayette)
• Candiss Vibbert, Associate Provost for Special Initiatives, will represent the Provost Office (West Lafayette)

Candiss Vibbert and Alex Macklin will serve as co-chairs for the Working Group.

To see full charge, see Purdue System Library Working Group Charge on the Purdue Libraries’ website.

The Purdue System Library Working Group is asked to explore the following points:

• What services or relationships are needed that would improve library services?
• What are the potential benefits of a system-wide approach?
• Are there any perceived disadvantages to operating as a system library? How might these issues be managed?
• How can library faculty and staff benefit from the Purdue System Library?

After the data is provided to answer these questions, the larger more inclusive questions follow:

• What would a system library look like in terms of organizational structure; shared services, IT backbone, and campus responsibilities etc.?
• What investments, one-time and recurring, would be necessary to develop the Purdue System Library?
• How does a steady state budget for the Purdue System Library compare to the current provision of library services (FY18) on the three separate operating budgets for the campuses?
• If the Purdue System Library is pursued, what would be the timeline for actions and investments? What are the key milestones?

Questions and comments to assist the work of this group are encouraged. Contact one of the individuals below for comments or questions.

• At PNW Tammy Guerrero @ tsguerre@pnw.edu
• At IPFW Alexis Macklin @  macklina@ipfw.edu
• At PWL Rebecca Richardson @ rarichar@purdue.edu