University breaks ground on new Daniels School of Business building

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday (April 11) for a new Mitch Daniels School of Business facility. The future building will give the school three facilities, joining the Krannert Building and Jerry S. Rawls Hall — all connected above- and belowground.

The private event featured remarks from Purdue President Mung Chiang; Purdue President Emeritus Mitch Daniels; Jim Bullard, the Dr. Samuel R. Allen Dean of the Mitch Daniels School of Business; Gary Lehman, chair of the Purdue University Board of Trustees; and Ted Maple, vice president for education with Lilly Endowment Inc.

“As we educate future leaders and advance the research of a technology-driven, free-market economy, new world-class facilities for the Daniels School of Business will help us achieve excellence at scale,” Chiang said.

With plans for the reimagined Daniels School approved in early 2023, demand has never been higher for a Purdue business education. Named in honor of the university’s 12th president and recently ranked among the world’s best business schools, the school prepares tomorrow’s leaders and entrepreneurs, grounding them in the hallmarks of a Purdue education, including STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and business analytics.

“Practiced with integrity, business careers are the noblest of life choices,” Daniels said. “They create new jobs and wealth for others and bring into being the resources which the public and nonprofit sectors take to pursue their goals. This modernized school of business will send out its graduates armed with a sense of mission and the tools to fulfill that mission in the most complex of enterprises.”

Occupancy of the building is expected in fall 2027. The 164,000-square-foot facility will become Purdue’s second-largest classroom building in West Lafayette, behind only the Wilmeth Active Learning Center. In addition to flexible space for academic instruction and conferences, it will also feature modern teaching and research labs for financial trading, data visualization, behavioral research and experiential learning.

“This magnificent facility will serve as a beacon for excellence on the Purdue campus,” Bullard said. “Not only will this building illustrate the university’s commitment to the future of business education, it will also serve as a focal point for the seamless integration of business and technology, reflecting our mission to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow. It will foster an environment where students, faculty, staff, alumni and corporate partners can thrive, innovate and lead while showcasing what building the future of business is all about.”

The Daniels School represents a key focus of Victories & Heroes: Your Campaign for Purdue, the $4 billion comprehensive fundraising campaign the university launched in February.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.