Daniels state of the university: Slow construction, accelerate Purdue Moves

So he had to laugh when small talk in his office produced this question: Anything else up on campus?

“Beyond that?” Daniels asked, looking up from a tray that had a late lunch of soup, crackers and a small dish of blueberries.

“It’s pretty much all there. I’m not sure I have too much more to add — other than: There’s a lot of work to do, as you can see.”

The open letter to campus was Daniels’ third since moving into Hovde Hall in January 2013. It rounded up the past year and it laid out goals — some familiar, some new — for the coming year.

Along the lines of affordability, Daniels touted steps already taken to reduce student debt— Purdue’s tuition freeze, less expensive meal plans and initiatives to help students graduate in four years.

Now, he’s taking aim on new construction and the cost of operating nearly 400 buildings containing more than 12 million square feet on the West Lafayette campus.