September 14, 2006

College of Technology to have space in new Anderson center

The groundbreaking for the 53,000-square-foot, $7 million facility, located at the Flagship Enterprise Center, will be at 3 p.m. Tuesday (Sept. 19) at the Interstate 69 and Pendleton Avenue site. The facility will be used by both Purdue's College of Technology and Anderson University.

"Anderson University and Purdue's College of Technology have been educational partners in this community for nearly 30 years," said Purdue College of Technology Dean Dennis R. Depew. "A new facility will make Purdue's and Anderson's programs even stronger, providing students with an enhanced educational experience and offering more classroom space in a big, beautiful, modern building.

"Purdue is proud to be partnering with Anderson University on this joint endeavor, and we're eager to see the impact that this facility will have in revitalizing and providing more academic and economic opportunity to the residents of Anderson and east-central Indiana."

Construction on the building is scheduled to be completed by June 30, with the facility opening for classes in fall 2007.

Programs in four of Purdue's technology fields are currently housed at Anderson University and will relocate to the Flagship Education Center. Purdue offers bachelor's degrees in both industrial technology and organizational leadership and supervision, and associate's degrees in computer and information technology, electrical and computer engineering technology, and organizational leadership and supervision.

The Anderson University programs that will be housed in the new facility are the master's of business administration and master's of education programs, as well as adult studies programs and new programming in entrepreneurial studies.

Niaz Latif, assistant dean for Purdue's Statewide Technology, said there will be several benefits to relocating its programs to the Flagship Education Center.

"One of the most obvious benefits will be that it gives us much more visibility because the facility will be easily seen from the heavily traveled I-69," he said. "We will be able to meet current and emerging needs and have the space to accommodate new students into our programs."

Latif said the location within the Flagship Business Park will expose students to a variety of high-technology businesses that offer mentorship opportunities and support to faculty researchers.

"This location will give students a chance to supplement their classroom work with hands-on projects in collaboration with those in their chosen fields," he said. "That will be an invaluable benefit not just to students, but also to nearby businesses and the economy of Anderson as well."

About 96 students are enrolled for the fall semester for all the programs at the Anderson location. Latif said that in addition to growing enrollment in Purdue's programs, the university would also like to eventually offer more bachelor's degree programs to better prepare students for highly technical careers.

The non-profit Flagship Enterprise Center was created through a partnership between Anderson University and the city of Anderson and serves as a small-business incubator and early business accelerator in the Flagship Business Park. The center emphasizes development of emerging manufacturing and electronic technologies. Among services the center provides are access to university researchers and scientists, ongoing contact with management consulting, student mentoring opportunities for research and development support, and access to state-of-the-art telecommunications.

The new facility will be divided into three floors of operational space. Purdue's programs will be located on the second floor, where Purdue and Anderson University will share 16,400 square feet for classrooms, breakout spaces and administration. The first floor will provide about 27,000 square feet for classrooms, faculty and staff offices, and a professional development center accommodating 150 people. The third floor will provide 9,700 square feet for efficiency apartments to house daytime MBA students and/or upper-division entrepreneurship students at Anderson University.

The architectural firm of K.R. Montgomery and Associates in Anderson will design the project in coordination with GDI Construction Corp., the primary contractor. Funding for construction of the education center will come from tax-exempt debt financing.

Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu

Sources: Niaz Latif, (765) 494-1101, latif@purdue.edu

Brian A. Alenskis , director of Purdue's College of Technology at Anderson, (765) 641-4551, alenskis@purdue.edu

Dennis R. Depew, (765) 494-2552, ddepew@purdue.edu

Michael T. O'Hair, associate dean for statewide engagement, (765) 494-2554, mtohair@purdue.edu

Chris Williams, Anderson University director of university communications, (765-641-4235, cjwilliams@anderson.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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