05/29/2026
So proud to be part of this program!! Congratulations to and Dr Nancy Lollar!!
Honored and humbled to share that Purdue Polytechnic Institute Columbus’ capstone project, Engineering Belonging: Becoming a Community Partner Through Curriculum, Commitment, and Reciprocity, was selected as the recipient of the 2026 Dr. George Giacumakis Innovation Award presented by the National Association of Branch Campus Administrators.
Dr. Nancy L. Lollar is incredibly honored to present this work at the NABCA Annual Conference and share how branch campuses can intentionally design belonging, partnership, and workforce development through curriculum-embedded community engagement.
This work centered around a powerful realization:
“A campus can exist within a community for years and still never truly belong to it.”
Through our GoBabyGo initiative and first-year engineering experiences, we challenged ourselves to move beyond episodic outreach and instead build a sustainable model where curriculum, community partnership, workforce development, and student identity development are intentionally connected.
This recognition means so much because this work could never have been accomplished alone. It was built through the dedication, collaboration, and shared vision of an incredible group of people who believed in creating meaningful impact together.
Deeply grateful to the amazing key players who helped make this possible:
• Dr. Ruiji Sun
• Dr. Poonam Jayal
• Melissa Allen Ressino
• Our students
• Families and clinicians- Rebecca Rebber Scholl and Denisa Nelson
• Industry partners including Cummins Inc. , Qualtronics, KPIT, Toyota Material Handling, Honda Manufacturing of Indiana, LLC
• Community partners including The Arc of Bartholomew County and Assisted Independence, LLC,
• The Purdue Polytechnic Institute Columbus team and broader Purdue community
• National Association of Branch Campus Administrators including my mentor Dr. J. Gary Adcox, and BCLI Directors Cyndee M. and Walter P. Collins, III
Most importantly, thank you to the children and families who trusted us to be part of their journey. You reminded all of us that engineering is not just about designing systems — it is about designing opportunities, dignity, independence, and human connection.
This award represents more than a project. It represents what is possible when institutions intentionally build structures rooted in reciprocity, accountability, and belonging.
I am truly grateful for the opportunity to represent Purdue Polytechnic Institute Columbus and share this work on a national stage.
