Trustees OK land purchase, facility namings

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Thursday (April 2) approved the purchase of a parcel of land at North 375 West in West Lafayette from the McKinnis Farm Corp. The 225 acres, located immediately east of the Agronomy Center for Research and Education (ACRE) and the Animal Sciences Research and Education Center (ASREC), will expand ACRE and ASREC from a combined 2,900 acres to 3,125 acres (an approximately 8% increase).

The board also approved the following facility namings:

* Assigning the name Griffin Residence Hall North to Third Street North and the name Griffin Residence Hall South to the existing Third Street Suites on the West Lafayette campus. The Griffin Residence Hall North is scheduled to open in July for the fall semester.

* The new STEM Teaching Lab facility as the Chaney-Hale Hall of Science. The naming recognizes the joint leadership gifts from Jeannie (Bachelor of Science 1961, Pharmacy) and Jim Chaney, and Judy (BS ’61, Pharmacy) and Dave Hale (BS ’59, Electrical Engineering).

* The Ag Alumni Seed Controlled Environment Phenotyping Facility in honor of the generosity of Ag Alumni Seed for its gifts to support the approximately 7,300-square-foot facility located at 160 S. Russell St.

* The Dr. Arthur W. Friedel Lecture Hall (Room 168 of the science building on the Purdue Fort Wayne campus) in honor of Friedel’s longtime commitment to Purdue Fort Wayne as a professor from 1967-2019 and as a generous donor in support of scholarships and athletics.

* Transferring the name Patty Jischke Early Care and Education Center to the New Child Care Facility, the previously announced approximately 16,600-square-foot facility expected to be built on the two-acre parcel adjacent to 2550 Northwestern Ave. in West Lafayette.

In addition, the board approved an authorization for the treasurer to plan, design and award construction contracts for future renovation to the ground floor of the Purdue Memorial Union.

Source: Michael B. Cline, mbcline@purdue.edu