Date: January 21, 2009
Contact: Carol Connelly, Director,
Media & Communication Services, ext. 5267, cconnelly@pnc.edu
PNC's Patricia Carlisle Earns the Purdue Dreamer Award
A photo of Carlisle is available at http://www.pnc.edu/cd/news/newsphotos/carlisle.jpg
WESTVILLE – Patricia A. Carlisle, Purdue University North Central special assistant to the chancellor and equal opportunity/affirmative action officer, has earned the Purdue's University 2009 Dreamer Award.
James J. Foster, the Purdue University diversity and community coordinator for University Residences in West Lafayette , also earned the award.
"The award is presented annually to individuals or organizations within the university whose contributions embody Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision of service to others and further the university's commitment to diversity," said Alysa Rollock, Purdue University vice president for ethics and compliance. "The award, established in 2004, continues to shine a spotlight on those who are walking the talk."
Carlisle has been with Purdue North Central, since 1982 and the award was presented to her during an event to celebrate her retirement.
Carlisle was the founder and director of the PNC Student Support Services, a project funded by the U.S. Department of Education that assists students with disabilities, low-income students and first generation college students. Through the years, Carlisle worked on many projects that promote diversity, equal opportunity and multiculturalism.
“Purdue North Central and Northwest Indiana today enjoy the benefits of many programs, policies and practices championed by Pat through the years,” said Dr. James B. Dworkin, chancellor of Purdue North Central. “She is a soft-spoken, but firm advocate for fairness, equality and justice. It would be difficult to calculate how many students, particularly women, she advised, motivated and provided a role model for. Many had no support network at home, no one to talk to, no one to encourage them, no one to answer their questions; Pat became the person they relied on.”
To recognize her commitment to PNC and higher education, donations are being collected in Carlisle 's honor to provide one or more annual scholarships for PNC undergraduates. Recipients will be selected based on academic merit and financial need.
To make a donation contact Joseph Goepfrich, PNC vice chancellor for Advancement, at 219-785-5200, ext. 5672 or jgoepfrich@pnc.edu .
Carlisle is a member of many university, local, state and national organizations, committees and associations dedicated to advancing women's issues, enhancing diversity, equal opportunity and multi-culturalism.
She is a longstanding member and past chair of the LaPorte County Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee, past president of the Indiana Affirmative Action Association and the Indiana Chapter of the Mid-America Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel. She has been active in the Race Relations Council of Northwest Indiana, El Puente Community Center, Dunebrook children's advocacy center, Michiana Resources, Healthy Communities of LaPorte County, Chesteton/Duneland Chamber of Commerce; and the United Way . She was presented the Athena Award from the Michigan City Chamber of Commerce, the March of Dimes “Mission in Motion” award, and the Violet Haas Regional Campus Award for outstanding efforts on behalf of women, presented by The Council on the Status of Women at Purdue University .
As special assistant to the chancellor, she has been a driving force in the PNC Chancellor's Leadership Seminar, a program designed to help students attain leadership skills. She has been involved with Indiana Campus Compact and has helped advance service learning on campus and in the community.
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