Purdue Trustees Make Several Approvals

Purdue President Mitch Daniels says the collaboration "will move us forward in areas core to both institutions."

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Purdue University Board of Trustees made a number of high-profile approvals Friday. Trustees approved the university’s biennial legislative budget requests, the appointment of the university’s new athletic director and various campus development projects.

Purdue says the trustees have approved the 2017-2019 legislative request for eight line-item appropriations totaling $37.2 million, as well as more than $9 million for its Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, which the university operates for the state. The request now heads to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, which will make a final recommendation to the Indiana General Assembly.

The trustees also approved a legislative capital request of $173 million to help cover the costs of five projects at three of Purdue’s campuses. Those projects include:

• West Lafayette: Agricultural and Biological Engineering Building renovation and addition – $69 million requested from the state 
• West Lafayette: Brown Laboratory of Chemistry teaching lab renovations – $34 million requested from the state
• West Lafayette: Applied Learning Building and Knoy Hall renovation – $18 million requested from state
• Calumet Campus of Purdue Northwest: New Bioscience Innovation Building at the Calumet campus of Purdue Northwest – $35.1 million requested from the state.
• IPFW: South campus renovations – $17 million requested from the state. 

The trustees approved a resolution asking the Purdue Research Foundation to proceed with the development of the $1 billion Purdue Innovation District. Purdue says development on the district could begin late this year or early next year. 

The trustees also ratified the appointment of Michael Bobinski as the university’s new athletic director. The final terms of Bobinski’s contract are still being negotiated, however the initial term of his contract will run through 2021. The trustees also agreed to the extension men’s basketball head coach Matt Painter’s contract, which now runs through the 2021-2022 season.