News Release

FORT WAYNE — The symbolic start of construction on a new $25 million, 26,000-square-foot music industry building on the campus of Purdue University Fort Wayne will take place at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10.

Scheduled to be in attendance are members of the university community and other key supporters. Among those who have been invited by Purdue University Fort Wayne Chancellor Ron Elsenbaumer and John O’Connell, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, to take part in the program are state Rep. Matt Lehman, R-Berne; Ian Hyatt, Purdue University chief of staff to the president; and Chuck and Lisa Surack.

Fundraising for the state-of-the-art facility received a major boost in May 2023 with a $15 million budget allocation from the Indiana General Assembly. Forty percent of the money came from private donors, including matching $3 million lead gifts from the Auer Foundation and the Suracks, which were announced in August 2022.

The final decision to create an on-campus music industry building was made primarily in response to growing enrollment in Purdue University Fort Wayne’s popular music, music industry and music technology programs, but the original vision is just about as old as the School of Music itself. It opened in 2018.

In addition to giving current and prospective students more room to maneuver, university leaders believe this expansion also helps Fort Wayne with its goal of becoming a “Top 10 Music City” by the end of 2031.

The building will be connected via a second-floor sky bridge to the existing Music Center on the north side of the university’s main campus. The location along Mastodon Way is also where Tuesday’s groundbreaking ceremony will take place.

An announcement about the name of the building, which is expected to be ready in time for the fall 2026 semester, will also be made during the program.