Faculty dedicated to students’ futures

Purdue University Northwest benefits through new scholarship opportunities

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) faculty members are devoted to teaching and passionate about helping students succeed. Their drive to help tomorrow’s leaders and influencers impact the world often extends to giving back to the university in ways that support students.

An excellent example was Nils K. Nelson, a retired organic chemistry professor who left an estate gift of approximately $8 million to

PNW. A substantial amount of Nelson’s gift will be directed toward students through a scholarship fund, while another portion will establish named professorships in the College of Engineering and Sciences. The remaining amount supports the Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building, under construction on PNW’s Hammond Campus and named in his honor.

Now the faculty members of the College of Nursing, who will be based in that building once it opens next year, have stepped up with a significant gift of their own. The faculty voted unanimously to commit $500,000 to the Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building. The lobby of the building will be named in their honor in recognition of the donation.

The funds were made available from proceeds built up over the past decade from the College of Nursing’s successful online RN-to-BSN program.

“We were saving to make the right strategic investment that would be meaningful for the college and the community,” said College of Nursing Dean Lisa Hopp. “We saw the opportunity to invest in this new, state-of-the-art building. With this commitment from our faculty, the money will be used to support and sustain a crucial initiative so that we really are a futureforward College of Nursing offering all the learning resources that students need.”

Chemistry lecturer establishes scholarship

Meanwhile, in PNW’s College of Engineering and Sciences, faculty member John Cox has turned his passion for the chemical coatings field into opportunities for PNW students. Cox, a past president of the Chicago Society for Coatings Technology, has established the Dr. John Cox Chicago Society for Coatings Technology scholarship.

Cox, who earned a doctorate degree in organic chemistry from the University of Louisville and has been active in the chemical coatings industry for more than 40 years, has a unique understanding of this continually evolving field. From household paints made with organic compounds to applications providing soundproofing for military aircraft, he believes that the chemical coatings specialty promises endless job opportunities for new graduates.

Creating a scholarship became a top priority for Cox after hearing from numerous colleagues that there is growing demand for young people to enter this field.

“Companies need young and forward-thinking people,” Cox said. “There is a bright future for students interested in coatings, and I hope this new scholarship will pique the interest of students at Purdue Northwest.”

With jobs available throughout the Chicagoland area, the Midwest and beyond, the objective is to match students with industry leaders looking for new talent.

Cox routinely helps students find jobs.

“Through networking and introducing students to distributors, I am able to help match up students with employers who are desperately seeking new talent,” Cox said.

Cox teaches courses in coatings and resin in the Chemistry department at PNW. He also currently is a consultant at Aqua Coat in Elgin, Ill., and a member of the Chicago Paint and Coatings Association.

Purna Das, professor of Physics and chairman of the Chemistry and Physics department at PNW, describes Cox as “a true friend and benefactor of the department for many years.”

“We are truly grateful for his generous donation and for caring about our students,” Das commented.

An investment in Purdue Northwest is truly an investment in the future of Northwest Indiana.

To learn more, visit www.pnw.edu/giving.