With its Indianapolis urban expansion one of Purdue University’s strategic initiatives, the Board of Trustees held its October public meeting at the Sigma Theta Tau building in the capital city today (Oct. 10).
“Our board is fully engaged in Indianapolis, and by meeting here it gives us the opportunity to see firsthand the progress we are making at this location,” chairman Gary Lehman said. “The growth — and plans for future development — both from an academic-offering and facility standpoint has been significant and strategic, and we know there is continued work to be done to fully make our mark here.”
The Sigma Theta Tau building is Purdue’s Indianapolis administration headquarters.
Recognizing the continued strong demand for affordable, on-campus housing, Purdue University trustees approved housing and dining rates for the 2026-27 academic year. Trustees approved a tiered increase in housing rates, with 89% of beds increasing by less than $50 per month. The new rates allow for continued reinvestment in student support, enhanced facilities and common spaces, residence hall wireless internet upgrades, and sustainable increases in future housing capacity.
The Board of Trustees approved two property purchases from the Purdue Research Foundation (PRF) positioned at strategic locations adjacent to existing Indianapolis operations. Under the approved agreement, PRF will acquire Canal Square Apartments from Canal Square Associates LP with the goal to close before the end of the 2025 calendar year. In the coming months, the university will execute the acquisition of Canal Square Apartments from PRF. University ownership will require state approval.
The Purdue University trustees voted to approve the base employment term for President Mung Chiang through June 30, 2031 — extended from the current expiration date of June 30, 2029 — and to convert it to a five-year rolling term, with automatic one-year extensions unless the board elects, in a given year, not to extend beyond the then-current five-year term.
In his report to the Board of Trustees, President Mung Chiang recognized faculty who received significant sponsored research awards from June to September and thanked friends of the university for their recent generous contributions. He also led a discussion about Purdue’s presence in Indianapolis that is bringing a new and fully integrated expansion of the university to the capital city.
David Umulis, senior vice provost and chief academic officer for Indianapolis, also shared an update with the board about the Indianapolis Student Trailblazer Fund, which is geared at accelerating the support and launch of additional student clubs, student activities and organizations, and to promote opportunities for more student engagement and achievement. With over 70 student clubs started in Indianapolis, this fund will serve as seed money to help them launch to even greater heights as they chart new paths toward the future.
Steve Schultz, Purdue University general counsel, updated the Board of Trustees on the upcoming search to locate Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Electra 10-E plane. Purdue Research Foundation and Archaeological Legacy Institute
are embarking on a joint effort to locate Earhart’s lost aircraft and help complete the heroic journey she began almost a century ago. The search, named the Taraia Object Expedition, will begin when a field team organized by ALI visits the Pacific island Nikumaroro in November to confirm whether a visual anomaly known as the Taraia Object
, seen in satellite and other imagery in the island’s lagoon, is what remains of Earhart’s plane.
In his presentation to the Board of Trustees, Santokh Badesha, Distinguished Professor in the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, highlighted his contributions to Purdue’s innovation ecosystem through teaching, research and service. Drawing on more than 40 years of experience at Xerox and Purdue, Badesha provided an overview of his innovation courses, which incorporate examples from his extensive patent portfolio to illustrate idea generation, patent filing and the business aspects of intellectual property management. He also shared updates on his research into PFAS chemical alternatives.
Purdue Today is the official Purdue University communication for faculty and staff
COPYRIGHT 2025 PURDUE UNIVERSITY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
