[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 20118-20119]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                CONGRATULATING PURDUE UNIVERSITY CALUMET

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 28, 2000

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise 
before you to congratulate Purdue University Calumet as it holds its 
Chancellor's Gala and Hall of Fame Reception tonight, September 28, 
2000, at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster, Indiana.
  Part of the internationally renowned Purdue University system, Purdue 
University Calumet, located in Hammond, Indiana, is a comprehensive 
regional university with some 9,300 students and 80 academic programs 
focused on the educational needs of the people in Northwest Indiana. 
Tonight's dinner will be in recognition of the people who helped make 
Purdue Calumet what it is today. As part of the gala event, Purdue 
Calumet Chancellor James Yackel and new Purdue University President 
Martin Jischke have the honor and privilege to induct this year's 
honorees into Purdue Calumet's Hall of Fame. The Purdue University 
Calumet Hall of Fame was founded in 1996 in honor of Purdue Calumet's 
50th Anniversary. It is awarded to alumni and friends of Purdue Calumet 
who have made significant accomplishments and have displayed a lifelong 
dedication to the university, the community, and the world. This year's 
honorees include Steven C. Beering, the recently retired Purdue 
University President, Adam Benjamin,

[[Page 20119]]

Jr., the late Northwest Indiana Congressman, and the Northern Indiana 
Public Service Company.
  Steven C. Beering, Purdue University President Emeritus, will receive 
the Chancellor's Award for Dedication to Higher Education and 
Extraordinary Public Service, and will be inducted into the Purdue 
University Calumet Hall of Fame for his long-time support of the Purdue 
Calumet campus. He served as president of Purdue University for 17 
years before his retirement last month. During his tenure, the Purdue 
system experienced significant growth in both enrollment and 
facilities. Clear examples of his commitment to expanding facilities 
and services at Purdue Calumet can be seen in the development of the 
Donald S. Powers Computer Education Building, the Classroom Office 
Building, the Charlotte R. Riley Child Center, the Challenger Learning 
Center of Northwest Indiana, and Purdue Calumet's newest facility, the 
Center at Purdue University Calumet, a conference and special events 
facility. His colleagues at Purdue Calumet will sincerely miss 
President Beering and his commitment to educational and administrative 
excellence.
  The Chancellor's Award for Extraordinary Public Service will be 
presented posthumously to Congressman Adam Benjamin, Jr. Congressman 
Benjamin represented Indiana's First Congressional District from 1976 
until his death in 1982. Prior to his election to Congress, Benjamin 
served as the zoning administrator and the executive secretary to the 
mayor in Gary, Indiana. He was elected to the Indiana State House in 
1966 and to the Indiana State Senate in 1970. The late Congressman 
Benjamin tirelessly devoted himself to advancing the interests of his 
constituents in Northwest Indiana. He was characterized by many as a 
dedicated and effective public servant, sharing the hopes and dreams of 
the people he served and the community he represented.
  Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) will receive the 
Carl H. Elliott Award for exceptional Philanthropy for its extensive 
support of non-profit organizations in Northwest Indiana. Notably, 
NIPSCO has established an endowed scholarship at Purdue Calumet, and 
has provided start-up funding for the University's Resource Center and 
Entrepreneurship Center. The company's investment in the educational 
opportunities of those in its community has earned it the acclaim of 
students, educators, and administrators at Purdue Calumet.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my other distinguished colleagues to join 
me in congratulating Purdue University Calumet and this year's Hall of 
Fame inductees for their lifetime dedication not only to the 
university, but to all of Northwest Indiana.

                          ____________________