Faculty and staff summit highlights Purdue successes and growth in Indianapolis

The growing state of Purdue’s expansion in Indianapolis in its second year — and impactful plans well beyond — were the subject of the Purdue faculty and staff summit Jan. 23.

Held at the NCAA Hall of Champions Conference Center in downtown Indianapolis, nearly 200 people attended the summit to hear from Purdue administrators like David Umulis, senior vice provost for Indianapolis and chief academic officer, who touted the university’s significant momentum in the capital city and the ecosystem of support for students.

“We’re changing lives every day,” Umulis said. “We’re helping students — fulfilling the land-grant mission and bringing them more opportunities for academic and career advancement than they would ever have had otherwise. For many, including myself, that time you spend on these students is transformational.”

Collaborating to highlight student opportunity and success, several Purdue leaders provided updates on the progress of building a talent pipeline of career-ready students through internships, co-ops, and other industry experiences inside the classroom and throughout the city.

Derek Schultz, lead media and public relations specialist in Indianapolis, discussed how student, faculty and engagement successes are making an impact in Indianapolis and beyond. Patrick Francis, director of career relations for Indianapolis, outlined how the new structure built around the Indianapolis Career Council is growing more opportunities for students, and Renee Thomas, associate vice provost for student access and community engagement, presented key accomplishments including the incorporation of community voices into the campus master plan, opening of the LaunchPad and new initiatives to support student belonging.

Student engagement with each other was also a key topic as many are continuing to grow their presence on campus through club formation and participation with Student Life and University Residences offerings. Sara Dickey, associate dean of students in Indianapolis, shared that 341 events were attended by 9,328 Purdue students in fall 2025. Chris Krull, executive director of teaching and learning in Indianapolis, focused on student engagement through the lens of teaching and learning programs. Krull reported that students in Indianapolis scheduled a total of 8,252 appointments in BoilerConnect last fall, taking advantage of academic advising, academic support resources such as tutoring and career support services.

Campus growth was a key topic of Evan Hawkins, senior director for administrative operations in Indianapolis, who discussed the university’s transformative 50-year campus master plan, which outlines innovative plans for Purdue’s enhanced presence in the city. Hawkins’ presentation focused on recent property acquisition and activation highlighted by the Student Center, which created a new sense of place for students, as well as three new mechanical engineering machine shops that opened for student use in January. The most visible sign of Purdue’s growth in Indianapolis — the 248,000-square-foot Academic Success Building — is 20% complete, with construction underway on the ninth floor out of 15. Scheduled to open in July 2027, the facility will serve as a flagship for Purdue in the capital city providing lecture halls, classrooms, a makerspace, a dining hall and student residential space.

“This building is Purdue’s largest capital project, right in the heart of our capital city and state — and that’s incredible,” Hawkins said. “Last week, President (Mung) Chiang and others visited, and we had the opportunity to tour. It was great — just the view, the perspective — it’s humbling to think about what the future impact of this building will be.”

Highlighted during the summit were student opportunities in both research and industry, including the Indianapolis Explorers program, which will fund undergraduate research scholarships as well as provide seed funding to the host faculty members, and the Bowen School of Construction Endowment, which will provide scholarships and experiences for students majoring in construction management technology. Both are recent examples of how industry is partnering in large-scale projects that directly support Purdue students in Indianapolis.

“We are in Indianapolis,” Umulis said. “We are the platform for partnerships. Partners are core to our programs, and industry is supporting what we are doing in Indianapolis and supporting the launch of careers for our Purdue students in new and robust ways.”

Closing out the program with a call to action, Umulis encouraged faculty and staff to scan the QR code on the giant screens and sign up to work with one of the many student-facing programs available in Indianapolis.

“This is a room full of Boilermakers and entrepreneurs,” Umulis said. “I’m just so excited for what your contributions continue to do for our future as we grow and build this startup in the heart of the capital city.”