Fall Launch open house showcases Purdue’s growing Indianapolis presence
Purdue University faculty and staff stop for a group photo on a bridge spanning the Central Canal during a tour of the Indianapolis campus as part of the Fall Launch: Welcome Back + Orientation Open House. (Purdue University photo/John Underwood)
View a gallery of the event here.
INDIANAPOLIS — More than 130 Purdue University faculty and staff from Indianapolis and West Lafayette spent Sept. 11 building connections with colleagues and exploring the growing campus in the capital city while gaining a closer look at the vision shaping its future.
Hosted by the Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Indianapolis, the Fall Launch: Welcome Back + Orientation Open House invited attendees to explore resource tables, connect with campus partners, take professional headshots, enjoy refreshments, and participate in guided tours highlighting Purdue’s newest facilities and instructor resources.
Attendees were able to order a free coffee or grab an ice cream bar at a food truck before heading inside the Sigma Theta Tau building to learn more about Indianapolis with representatives from units including Administrative Operations, Purdue Libraries and Student Life — picking up flyers and swag along the way.
“I liked the different resource tables supporting students, staff and faculty — particularly the OWL, undergraduate research, tutoring resources and Visit Indy — and also the iced latte from the truck outside,” said Mustafa Abdallah, assistant professor in the School of Applied and Creative Computing.
“I really enjoyed the resource fair and walking vision tour,” said Chelsea Cummings, senior staff specialist in the College of Engineering. “But my favorite part was getting to meet staff in Indianapolis and finally put faces with names.”
Cummings and many others were wearing a button featuring one of Senior Vice Provost David Umulis’ favorite sayings, “stay scrappy.” The phrase, which alludes to Indianapolis’ agile and tight-knit startup mentality, has become an unofficial motto for faculty and staff.
“One of the things that stood out to me was how closely the different areas in Indianapolis seem to work together,” Cummings said. “There was a real sense of community and collaboration that almost felt like a family atmosphere.”
Evan Hawkins, executive director of administrative operations for Indianapolis, led a campus vision tour, guiding participants to new facilities beyond Purdue’s original 28-acre footprint before concluding at the College of Health and Human Sciences’ facilities in Canal Square Apartments.
Hawkins spoke of Purdue’s campus master plan for Indianapolis, a 50-year framework that will shape campus growth through thoughtful development, increased density, vibrant outdoor spaces and stronger connections to surrounding neighborhoods. “This plan was developed to be inclusive of our community stakeholders, our city, our partners and our neighbors,” he said.
Odalys Torres-Luquis, graduate student success lead in Indianapolis and senior program manager in West Lafayette for the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars, called the vision tour “especially helpful” in giving her a better sense of what the Indianapolis campus will look like as it grows.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect from a campus in the middle of the city,” said Torres-Luquis. “But now that I’ve spent more time here, it makes so much sense, and I definitely see the vision. I really like how connected the campus is to the surrounding community and the opportunities that creates for students.”
As Purdue continues to expand its presence in Indianapolis, events like Fall Launch help ensure that growth is accompanied by something equally important: even stronger connections among the faculty and staff who support students across both campuses.
Learn more about Purdue University in Indianapolis.
Fall Launch Photo Gallery
Photos by John Underwood/Purdue Brand Studio
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a research institution ranked among the top 10 public universities in the United States. More than 111,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, including more than 57,000 at our main campus locations in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. As a land-grant university committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free.