\n Media contact:<\/strong> Derek Schultz, dcschultz@purdue.edu<\/a> <\/a> <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 Purdue University celebrated a milestone Sept. 17 as the final steel beam was lifted into place \u2014 or topped out \u2014 on the south side of the Academic Success Building (ASB) in Indianapolis, marking the highest point of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":23697,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[308],"tags":[],"department":[],"source":[29],"purdue_today_topic":[],"coauthors":[245],"class_list":["post-23701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-purdue-university-in-indianapolis","source-purdue-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23701"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23702,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23701\/revisions\/23702"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23701"},{"taxonomy":"department","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/department?post=23701"},{"taxonomy":"source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/source?post=23701"},{"taxonomy":"purdue_today_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/purdue_today_topic?post=23701"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=23701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/David-Umulis-podium.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
\u201cI can think of no better symbol for this building as the Indianapolis center of Purdue\u2019s main campus,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Umulis emphasized that the ASB represents more than a construction achievement; it will be a place where students will develop academically, professionally and personally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is something very fitting about Boilermakers helping build a building that will shape future Boilermakers,\u201d he said. \u201cHere, knowledge will be built. Confidence will be built. Community will be built. Careers will be built.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the beam ascended above the construction site, the ceremony offered an opportunity to reflect on the building project, which stands as a visible expression of Purdue\u2019s long-term commitment to Indianapolis, and what the building itself will mean for future students who choose this city for their Purdue journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jay Wasson, Purdue\u2019s vice president for physical facilities and chief public safety officer in Administrative Operations, highlighted the collaborative effort behind the project \u2014 now more than 60% complete \u2014 recognizing the architects, engineers, construction teams and university partners whose work has transformed plans on paper into a new downtown Indianapolis landmark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe aren\u2019t pouring concrete just to add square footage to a campus map,\u201d Wasson said. \u201cWe are constructing the physical bridge between Purdue\u2019s academic rigor and real-world impact. That is Purdue\u2019s land-grant mission meeting the velocity and economic power of Indianapolis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Davyd Postolaki, a sophomore studying electrical engineering, spoke about the impact Purdue Indianapolis has already had on his life and the opportunities he sees emerging around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIndianapolis has changed my life forever,\u201d Postolaki said. \u201cIt taught me that I need to work for everything that I want, the value of perseverance and the true value of giving back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The presence of the ASB and the new spaces the building will provide \u2014 including a dining hall, classrooms, labs and student housing \u2014 show that Purdue shares his beliefs, he said. \u201cThe ASB is, most importantly, going to give the opportunity for students to dream about their future and the future at Purdue in Indianapolis,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ASB-beam-being-raised.jpg\" "\\"\\"")