Purdue expands DC presence

Purdue University is expanding its physical footprint to the nation’s capital to heighten the university’s presence in the national security, microelectronics and applied research sectors. The school announced the formation of Purdue@DC, which includes the establishment of a local headquarters.

The D.C. HQ will house Purdue’s semiconductor and microelectronics program, the Purdue Applied Research Institute, the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue, Purdue Policy Research Institute, and Purdue’s federal relations team.

“As the most consequential public university in America, Purdue has a special responsibility to bring all that Boilermakers have to offer to the capital,” said Purdue President Mung Chiang. “Through Purdue@DC, we will both strengthen the impact of existing programs in D.C. and deploy new ones that bring many more faculty and students to national public service.”

In addition to raising Purdue’s profile, the new initiative intends to build a stronger talent pipeline from West Lafayette to Washington D.C by providing opportunities for more internships, networking and engagement opportunities.

The school also wants to broaden its C-SPAN Boilers Go to D.C. program, which is an experiential learning program to study the historic interconnections of political communication, government, news media, non-profits, and other organizations.

C-SPAN was founded in 1979 by Purdue alumnus Brian Lamb.

The Purdue@DC’s offices will be headquartered in a co-working space at 1301 K Street NW in Washington, D.C.