The Anderson University Flagship Center is located at 2705 Enterprise Drive at Interstate 69 and Pendleton Avenue in Anderson.

Press Release

Anderson, Ind. -- A building that will house programs from both Purdue and Anderson universities, as well as provide students an opportunity to connect with local entrepreneurs, will be dedicated Aug. 16 in Anderson.

The Anderson University Flagship Center, located at 2705 Enterprise Drive at Interstate 69 and Pendleton Avenue, will be dedicated by local leaders and officials from both universities at a 9:30 a.m. ceremony. A reception will follow at 10 a.m., and tours of the new facility will be available at that time.

A Chamber of Commerce breakfast, sponsored by the Anderson University School of Adult Learning, will precede the dedication at 6:30 a.m.

The three-story, 53,000-square-foot, $7 million facility will provide classroom space for programs from both universities that were previously located at Anderson University. The facility is part of the Flagship Enterprise Center.

"Purdue's College of Technology and Anderson University have been educational partners for more than 20 years, and we are proud that the collaboration will continue - and indeed strengthen - with the opening of this modern learning space," said Purdue College of Technology Dean Dennis R. Depew. "This new facility will be aesthetically pleasing, and it also will give students invaluable exposure to high-technology businesses that offer mentorship opportunities within the Flagship Business Park.

"Anderson and the east-central Indiana region have been faced with many economic challenges as the manufacturing sector has undergone significant changes in the last couple of decades. But with the opening of the Anderson University Flagship Center, we are revitalizing a partnership that will produce exciting, powerful results for students and the community."

James L. Edwards, president of Anderson University, said he is eager to see the further development of the university and the location.

"The Anderson University Flagship Center now completes a strategic plan that brings the best of this university to the major corridor of development and at the very doorway to our community," he said. "We are excited about the programs that will attract outstanding students and extend the purposes of the Flagship Enterprise Center as learning and entrepreneurship are married in such a dynamic way. The facilities are inspiring, and we are excited about the future for all the programs that will be developed in this new learning center."

Jody Pierce, assistant director of the College of Technology at Anderson, said the new location will give Purdue's programs more visibility since the signage is easily seen by those traveling on nearby Interstate 69.

"We are confident that housing our programs in such an attractive building will draw attention from not only Anderson and Muncie residents, but also from those who live in the I-69 corridor communities such as Pendleton, Carmel, Lapel and Frankton.

"We want to put out the welcome mat to those who are considering furthering their education in the east-central Indiana area, and this is a great way to show off what we have to offer. It's an exciting time for Anderson and Purdue."

Purdue's programs, which had been located at Anderson University, will be housed on the building's second floor. Purdue offers bachelor's degrees in both industrial technology and organizational leadership and supervision, and associate's degrees in computer and information technology, electrical engineering technology, and organizational leadership and supervision at the Anderson location.

The Anderson University programs that will be located 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.

The first and third floors will be used by Anderson University for its new residential MBA program, the School of Adult Learning and new programming in entrepreneurial studies. In addition, the facility will support a state-of-the-art professional development center accommodating nearly 160 people with conferencing amenities and breakout rooms for academic and corporate development sessions.

The nonprofit 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.

Source: Purdue University