June 16, 2000
Purdue Athletic Director Morgan Burke has announced four more changes in the Athletic Public Relations and Communications Office.
The status of two associate sports information directors is changing as Tom Schott is promoted into the position of sports information director effective July 1, while Andrew Punzal is resigning effective June 25 to join auto racing as senior account manager with Campbell & Co. in Dearborn, Mich., doing public relations work for Ford in the CART Series.
Schott started at Purdue as a graduate intern in July of 1990 and subsequently was promoted to assistant sports information director (1991-95) and associate sports information director (1995-2000). He is in his third year as the primary contact for football and will continue in that role.
Punzal started at Purdue in 1998 and completed his second year as the primary contact for men's basketball. Jim Vruggink, director of media and public relations, will assume duties as primary contact for men's basketball.
In addition, two sports information assistants have been hired to fill two of the three positions vacated by the departures of Pat Connolly, Matt Rector and Brian DeBenedictis whose assistantships ended this spring. Anthony Greco, a 1998 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and a two-year intern with the Pittsburgh Steelers, will start July 1 in a 12-month position while Laura Schwenk, a 2000 graduate of Valparaiso where she worked for four years as a student assistant in sports information, will start August 15 in a 10-month appointment.
Earlier this month, Burke announced a reorganization of the athletic public relations office with the hiring of Jay Cooperider as director of athletic communications and information services.
"I am pleased that we now have three experienced veterans of Purdue in the lead positions in our public relations and communications functions," says Burke. "As we move into the 21st century, this facet of our athletic department becomes more and more important. Cooperider's strengths are in the areas of technology, Vruggink's strengths are in media and public relations, and Schott's strengths are in publications and information services. We have good, hard-working people throughout this public relations and communications staff, all of whom are eager to help enhance the Purdue athletic image."
Also part of the staff are associate sports information director Kathleen Offer, entering her fifth year at Purdue and her second year as primary contact for women's basketball, assistant SID DaVida Smith, entering her second year as primary contact for volleyball and secretary/receptionist Jan Winger, entering her 18th year in the department.