> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://circuitpress.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Board of Trustees approved new housing rates and outlined Indy plans
- URL: https://circuitpress.org/board-of-trustees-approved-new-housing-rates-and-outlined-indy-plans/
- Published: 2026-10-24T01:40:48.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T01:46:45.000Z
- Description: At an October 9 meeting in Indianapolis, Purdue University’s Board of Trustees laid out their strategy for the downtown campus, from new housing and academic facilities to expanded degree offerings.
- Author: Liam Ramos
- Tags: News

*Published at 9:40pm ET on October 23.*

At an October 9 meeting in Indianapolis, Purdue University’s Board of Trustees laid out their strategy for the downtown campus, from new housing and academic facilities to expanded degree offerings.

The early hour did little to dampen the mood inside the Sigma Theta Tau building. Trustees and university officials traded jokes between agenda items, lending an unexpectedly informal tone to a room filled with powerful administrators. As one of the few attendees dressed less formally, I stood out amid the business attire.

For Indianapolis students, the most immediate news concerned upcoming housing and dining prices and availability. Longer-term proposals outlined how Purdue intends to accommodate a much larger student population.

## **Highlights**

- **Proposal for a new building:** Administrators proposed a $275 million, 13-story Health, Science & Engineering Hub, with four floors for academics and nine for housing geared toward upperclassmen. The project is in early planning stages and requires state support.
- **Research space:** The university is working on acquiring or leasing an 80,000 square foot northwest Indianapolis (not walking distance from campus) research facility which includes 50,000 square feet of lab space. They are trying to get it ready for activation in 2027.
- **Housing and dining:** The Board approved 2027–28 rates and discussed new residential capacity and dining operations.
- **More students:** Interim President Mitch Daniels has committed to a Board-backed goal of doubling undergraduate enrollment in Indianapolis over the next five years.
- **Expanded degrees:** The university discussed construction management, hospitality and tourism management, sport management, and additional pre-health pathways planned for 2027.

## **What Students Would Pay for Housing**

The Board approved 2027-28 Indianapolis housing rates, which vary substantially by building and room type. At the Academic Success Building, annual prices run from $7,600 for a quad configuration dorm to $12,350 for a single capacity dorm. At Canal Square, single-occupancy apartments with laundry and office space cost as much as $20,770 per academic year.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a6/72/a672cfcd-b2a2-4a75-ac56-038a867e0942/content/images/2026/10/data-src-image-4acc9285-519c-4e46-9b88-36f50da7dc83.png)

Slide from the meeting showing the Indy housing rates which the Board approved.

The Academic Success Building is expected to add 520 beds (on our tour of the ASB, we were told 530 beds) in Fall 2027, with another 348 beds at Canal Square. Purdue’s master lease at Lux on Capitol is set to end after the 2026–27 academic year.

Additionally, the Board approved Chartwells, the operator of Tower Dining, to also run the dining facility in the Academic Success Building (contract til 2037), which will have seating for a little more than 200 students. The Board also approved 2027–28 meal plan prices, shown in the slide below, which will apply to West Lafayette and the Indianapolis dining hall in the ASB at least for the first year, after which the University will re-evaluate Indy's pricing based on utilization. The ASB’s dining hall will be open from 7am to 8pm M-F with (unstated) adjusted hours for the weekends. They are also looking into making dining hall access seamless with both Tower and the ASB through partnership with IUI.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a6/72/a672cfcd-b2a2-4a75-ac56-038a867e0942/content/images/2026/10/data-src-image-59028dd8-2c64-4dff-abe1-8e4a690ca406.png)

Slide from the meeting showing the dining plan rates which the Board approved.

## **Doubling Enrollment in Five Years**

At the Board’s meeting in Indianapolis last October, they set performance targets for former President Mung Chiang tied to “at-risk” compensation (also known as performance bonuses). In their meeting this year, the Chair of the compensation committee, Theresa Carter, laid out former President Chiang’s performance, noting that the university fell short of their target for the size of the starting freshmen class in Indianapolis this year. She added, “We wanted to see a bit more focus and forward movement here in Indianapolis with respect to our incoming enrollment and really thinking through that strategic vision for the campus here”. Interim President Daniels doesn’t have “at-risk” compensation in his pay package, and the Board says they will re-evaluate their performance metrics and add “at-risk” targets once a new president is selected.

Interim President Mitch Daniels has publicly committed to doubling undergraduate enrollment at Purdue Indianapolis within five years. The commitment puts a specific timeline on Purdue’s plans to expand its downtown campus. During the meeting, Provost Patrick Wolfe described it as a “very, very explicit and board-backed goal” and said the university’s academic and facilities plans should be viewed with that target in mind.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a6/72/a672cfcd-b2a2-4a75-ac56-038a867e0942/content/images/2026/10/vlcsnap-2026-10-22-23h36m35s072-2.png)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a6/72/a672cfcd-b2a2-4a75-ac56-038a867e0942/content/images/2026/10/vlcsnap-2026-10-22-23h39m00s568-1.png)

Slides from the meeting showing the university's strategy for Indianapolis.

Reaching these enrollment goals will mean accommodating substantially more students while expanding course offerings, housing, and campus services. The proposed academic buildings and new residential spaces are part of that effort, and time will tell if these additions can attract significantly more prospective students to Indianapolis given that enrollment has been dropping year over year for the three years of Purdue Indy’s existence so far.

## **Student Government VP Provides Student Perspective**

The Board also called upon a student speaker to present a student perspective on life at the Indy campus. Lily Anna Starmer, Purdue Student Government’s vice president from Indianapolis and a sophomore mechanical engineering student, talked about why she chose Purdue Indy and gave her thoughts on what students need from a campus that is still establishing its identity.

When asked by Board Chairman Gary Lehman what the Board could do to provide a “more fulfilling student life experience”, Starmer answered: “More money basically, for clubs … kickstarting more clubs”.

She stated that Indianapolis students should have opportunities to join and build organizations comparable to those long established in West Lafayette. “You don’t want Indy students to feel like they’re missing out on all the fun that West Lafayette has had with their established clubs,” she told the board.

Starmer also pointed to a less visible frustration: finding reliable information about the Indianapolis campus online. “A lot of the time in Indy when you look up something regarding campus either IU stuff comes up or Purdue West Lafayette stuff comes up,” she said.

She described the inter-campus shuttle as useful but said transportation and parking “are still somewhat hindrances” for students to take advantage of activities and resources in West Lafayette.

And when asked by Provost Wolfe about the need and desirability for expanding Living Learning Communities in Indianapolis, Starmer observed that since Indy is “currently such a small campus compared to West Lafayette, it’s not really needed”.

## **Faculty Senate Seeks Data about Indianapolis**

University Senate Chair Julio Ramirez gave an update on the University Senate’s priorities for this academic year. Top of the list, ahead of responding to AI’s challenges and improving the Senate’s communications with administration, was the success and expansion of the Indianapolis campus, which Ramirez clarified means “supporting the administration, supporting Interim President Daniels, the Board of Trustees, Provost Wolfe, and all of our colleagues here in Indianapolis”.

On tackling that first priority, Ramirez said the Senate is working on a “solutions oriented climate survey” to better identify the needs of Indianapolis faculty. He noted, “the biggest challenge” is in not having accurate data on which professors are in Indianapolis and need more support. Ramirez outlined a tentative schedule: release the survey in early 2027, hold focus groups in March, and complete a report by June.

He also addressed artificial intelligence in coursework, urging instructors to make their expectations clear from the outset. “The one thing you shouldn’t do is have nothing and then have rules in the middle of the road,” Ramirez said, referring to AI guidance in course syllabi.

## **Extras**

Some other details mentioned in the meeting which may be of interest to you:

- The State of Indiana provided $60 million to support the ASB.
- Provost Wolfe provided some history by noting that the hope for the former IUPUI campus was “to build a research university presence akin to a University of Texas at Austin, for example”. But since IUPUI didn’t pan out that way, it was “largely \[in\] the city and state’s best interest” to pull IUPUI apart.
- A Board member said that the university needs a marketing strategy for Indianapolis to help attract donors for their new buildings.
- Board Chairman Gary Lehman noted that the university’s vision for the Daniels School of Business is to “embrace free markets, and that we would encourage free expression and open expression, that we would support capitalism, and that our research would be focused on finding answers and solutions through things that we didn’t know, rather than things we already believe in”.

---

*We check every Circuit article for accuracy. If you spot an error or omission, please email contact@circuitpress.org.*