From: Ann Pence
Columbus
I was honored to introduce Paul and Pat Bippen to our Morning Kiwanis group on Monday, Nov. 7, to share the story of their incredible experience with Atterbury-Muscatatuck primary mission areas. These are the state-of-the-art multi-domain training opportunities at Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck Urban Training Centers, where Paul and Pat have been dedicated and brave volunteers along with many other civilians for 15 years.
Pat is a former flight attendant with US Airways, with recognition as agent of the year before moving to sales work with IHG Hotel Corporation, there recognized for excellent performance.
When the wars in Iraq and then Afghanistan ramped up some 15 years ago, her desire was to try to help, but unable to serve and Paul having had an honorable discharge, she approached the chaplain at Camp Atterbury about bringing home-baked cookies to give to the troops. She then proceeded to prepare dozens of fresh baked cookies for the thousands of military men and women in the last stateside training and transfer site. This was an incredible gift of caring for our brave men and women.
Paul worked his way up the ladder to a doctorate in education and business through summertime hard work with his dad; he was a school bus driver to pay tuition and a resident assistant to pay for housing. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in business, part-time job skills helped earn a debt-free master’s
degree at Indiana University. He then went on to become assistant to the chancellor at IU for all regional campuses and was later appointed assistant to the IUPUI vice chancellor for academic affairs.
In 1977, Paul came to Columbus as director of the center and later dean of IUPUI in Columbus. Under Paul’s direction, massive positive changes were made, thereby creating a permanent university in Columbus, installing state-of-the-art science labs; redirecting academic authority from Indianapolis to Columbus; enabling completion of IU and Purdue degrees locally; establishment of six baccalaureate and two master’s degree programs; and he presented the
first local official IU and Purdue graduation.
Paul and Pat Bippen are a very notable couple in our community.
