Purdue to celebrate current, new and future campus facilities
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University will dedicate a recently opened building, detail plans for several future buildings, mark the opening of a new library and celebrate the 10th anniversary of Discovery Park during the last two weeks of April.
Marriott Hall, the new home of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, will be dedicated at 1 p.m. April 17.
J.W. Marriott Jr., executive chairman and chairman of the board of Marriott International, is expected to attend. The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation made the lead gift of $4 million for the $12.2 million building, located at State and University streets. Marriott Jr. is a member of the foundation's board.
Marriott Hall includes the new John Purdue Room, Boiler Bistro and Lavazza Espressions dining options, which also are teaching labs.
A celebration for three structures in the new Life and Health Sciences Park will be at 11 a.m. April 18 in Stewart Center.
The three buildings are Lyles-Porter Hall, the Drug Discovery Building and a multi-level parking structure.
Lyles-Porter Hall will be home to the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences; the Indiana University School of Medicine - Lafayette program; the A.H. Ismail Center for Health, Exercise and Nutrition; Nursing Center for Family Health; Nutritional Training and Research Center; and Purdue Psychology Treatment and Research Clinics.
The Drug Discovery Building is a $25 million facility that will replace aging existing lab space in Wetherill Laboratory of Chemistry and allow for environmental controls needed to successfully develop new drugs.
The Life and Health Sciences Park will be in an area bordered by State, University and Harrison streets and Martin Jischke Drive.
The 10th anniversary of Discovery Park will be marked by a reception and program from 3:30-6 p.m. April 20 in Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center.
Planning for Discovery Park was launched in 2001 with a $5 million commitment from the state of Indiana for a nanotechnology center. Today, it's a $750 million research and learning complex with eight core centers and five buildings, with a sixth research facility slated to begin construction later this year. More than 4,000 faculty members and students at Discovery Park use an interdisciplinary approach to tackle today's challenges.
The planned Center for Student Excellence and Leadership will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. April 27 at Third Street and Martin Jischke Drive.
The center will include space for student retention and success programs; student organizations; and student meeting, work, study and counseling areas.
The Roland G. Parrish Library of Management and Economics will be dedicated at 1 p.m. April 27. It is located in the Krannert Building.
Roland Parrish, a Purdue graduate and entrepreneur, gave the $2 million lead gift to support the $4.2 million state-of-the-art library, laboratory and learning commons.
Parrish is the president, CEO and owner of Parrish McDonald's Restaurants, which owns 25 McDonald's franchises in northern Texas.
Writer: Judith Barra Austin, 765-494-2432, jbaustin@purdue.edu
Source: Richard Rodner, University Development Office executive director of philanthropic communications and donor relations, 765-494-2181, rrodner@purdue.edu