A transformation is occurring in West Lafayette. It's certainly evident to anyone with a television tuned to a sports channel. People walk taller. The air breathes with renewed freshness.
While what has been visible to a national audience deserves attention, it's what has happened underground - literally - that has become the latest point of pride within Purdue Athletics.
The roots of success at Purdue are built in the academic foundations of its student-athletes. That culture not only remains with renewed on-the-field success but is emboldened with renovations to the former football footprint. The Brees Academic Performance Center has expanded, nearly seven-fold, and improved its technological resources.
"We're talking 10,500 square feet," says Ed Howat, senior associate athletics director for student services. "Right now, our academic space is 1,600 square feet."
What was the former football locker room, lounge and equipment room has been transformed into a state-of-the-art learning space for Purdue's 500-plus student-athletes. Previously, the academic learning spaces consisted of a few study rooms (converted from old offices following the Mackey Complex project in 2011) and a computer lab.
"We knew where we were deficient, which was group study rooms and basic tutoring space," Howat says. "So that was the start of it. Then we added where we could."
Athletics administrators and project planners researched rival campuses, but ultimately found inspiration just steps away at active learning centers on Purdue's campus.
Large study and collaboration areas were inspired by the active learning center at Shreve Hall, which converted a former cafeteria into study spaces. Modern use of space is evident in Purdue's main library.
"We went through Wilmeth Hall, the new active learning center – and that place is amazing," Howat says. "It seemed like every time you took a corner, there was some type of different study environment."
More amazing was the usage, per a conversation Howat had with Frank Dooley, Purdue's senior vice provost for teaching and learning.
"He said they averaged 300 students in there at 2 a.m.," Howat says.
Howat gleams with an ear-to-ear smile as he walks through the new space, which is more lounge than cave, more boardroom than classroom.
"We wanted to make it functional," he says. "We tried to get as many seats as possible. But it had to be a place our student-athletes want to spend their time. We needed a place that is welcoming and functional."
You can count law and society junior Tario Fuller from the football team as an advocate for improved study space.
"When I first got here, it was one big room, packed around big tables," Fuller says. "Twelve guys in a room for one resource. Focus was a struggle."
Fuller, who aspires to become a police officer and, eventually, a detective, is one of the most fervent customers of Purdue's career advancement and placement programming.
"I think a lot of us actually realize how much they do for us and build our opportunities," he says. "The people who help me, in particular Sam Planz, my learning specialist, do a lot of work to help me manage time and keep track of classes, assignments and tutors."
Don't call it coddling. Academic support staff assess each student-athlete's time requirements and curriculum, and build a plan of attack for success, somehow, when day after day is consumed with sport and academic responsibilities from before dawn to bedtime.
"It's not easy," Fuller says.
Prior to the Mackey expansion, the second floor of Brees housed former athletics director Morgan Burke's office, the business operations staff and the academic services staff.
"There were tutoring sessions in the hallways," Howat says. "It was sorely lacking. It was cramped. If you had a tutor and the rooms were full, you may have had to default into the computer lab. And with 60 computers in there, it could get loud quickly."
But Howat believes that the academic and career programming, systems like the John Wooden Leadership Institute, made up for the shortcomings in space.
The new academic environment will cater to all types – and even promote unity among the human resources doing the leg work.
"Our tutors, right now, don't have a space to call their own," Howat says. "(In the new setup) they will have a kitchenette, locker room. We want them to feel like a part of our staff, but right now they don't have a place to hang their coats."
The Center for Academic Vision and Enrichment (C.A.V.E.) program, which serves students with learning disabilities, will have its own space in a contained environment.
For the first time, Purdue will be able to serve all student-athletes with daytime and evening study hours, open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
"If they have a two- or three-hour break on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, there will be a space for them to come in and knock out some of their objectives," Howat says.
And it all has a welcoming, but professional feel. For student-athletes who aspire to be executives, the boardroom is coming to them sooner than expected.
Space planners worked with the design firm Populous to convert a dark basement into a space that is bright and large with numerous glass divisions and an open, yet adjustable floor plan. Students even had input on the furniture selections.
Among the highlights:
* Various styles and sizes of desks and tables for different learning preferences and objectives
* Digital solutions in every space
* Flexible room with adjustable walls that can accommodate individual learning and seminars for up to 60 people
* Optimized for installation of future technology innovations
The original footprint, Brees' second floor, will continue to maximize its spaces, freeing up the usual evening congestion. It also will have some of the new furniture and technologies that are being implemented downstairs. Many of the furniture upgrades will influence the look and feel of the remainder of the building.
"I don't want someone to go downstairs and it be full and think that it's not as cool upstairs," Howat says. "We will continue to evaluate and position the entire facility to be the best possible learning environment for our student-athletes."
Space no longer is at a premium, and the congestion that used to exist will be eradicated.
"What's planned is going to provide better structure and be more convenient for us," Fuller says. "To have a five-minute walk to get from the football complex to everything I need academically, that's invaluable."
Construction wrapped up in February, and the facility was fully functional in March.
"The services we have provided have offset some of previous space problems," Howat says, "but this puts us in line with the best in the Big Ten."
While what has been visible to a national audience deserves attention, it's what has happened underground - literally - that has become the latest point of pride within Purdue Athletics.
The roots of success at Purdue are built in the academic foundations of its student-athletes. That culture not only remains with renewed on-the-field success but is emboldened with renovations to the former football footprint. The Brees Academic Performance Center has expanded, nearly seven-fold, and improved its technological resources.
"We're talking 10,500 square feet," says Ed Howat, senior associate athletics director for student services. "Right now, our academic space is 1,600 square feet."
What was the former football locker room, lounge and equipment room has been transformed into a state-of-the-art learning space for Purdue's 500-plus student-athletes. Previously, the academic learning spaces consisted of a few study rooms (converted from old offices following the Mackey Complex project in 2011) and a computer lab.
"We knew where we were deficient, which was group study rooms and basic tutoring space," Howat says. "So that was the start of it. Then we added where we could."
Athletics administrators and project planners researched rival campuses, but ultimately found inspiration just steps away at active learning centers on Purdue's campus.
Large study and collaboration areas were inspired by the active learning center at Shreve Hall, which converted a former cafeteria into study spaces. Modern use of space is evident in Purdue's main library.
"We went through Wilmeth Hall, the new active learning center – and that place is amazing," Howat says. "It seemed like every time you took a corner, there was some type of different study environment."
More amazing was the usage, per a conversation Howat had with Frank Dooley, Purdue's senior vice provost for teaching and learning.
"He said they averaged 300 students in there at 2 a.m.," Howat says.
Howat gleams with an ear-to-ear smile as he walks through the new space, which is more lounge than cave, more boardroom than classroom.
"We wanted to make it functional," he says. "We tried to get as many seats as possible. But it had to be a place our student-athletes want to spend their time. We needed a place that is welcoming and functional."
You can count law and society junior Tario Fuller from the football team as an advocate for improved study space.
"When I first got here, it was one big room, packed around big tables," Fuller says. "Twelve guys in a room for one resource. Focus was a struggle."
Fuller, who aspires to become a police officer and, eventually, a detective, is one of the most fervent customers of Purdue's career advancement and placement programming.
"I think a lot of us actually realize how much they do for us and build our opportunities," he says. "The people who help me, in particular Sam Planz, my learning specialist, do a lot of work to help me manage time and keep track of classes, assignments and tutors."
Don't call it coddling. Academic support staff assess each student-athlete's time requirements and curriculum, and build a plan of attack for success, somehow, when day after day is consumed with sport and academic responsibilities from before dawn to bedtime.
"It's not easy," Fuller says.
Prior to the Mackey expansion, the second floor of Brees housed former athletics director Morgan Burke's office, the business operations staff and the academic services staff.
"There were tutoring sessions in the hallways," Howat says. "It was sorely lacking. It was cramped. If you had a tutor and the rooms were full, you may have had to default into the computer lab. And with 60 computers in there, it could get loud quickly."
But Howat believes that the academic and career programming, systems like the John Wooden Leadership Institute, made up for the shortcomings in space.
The new academic environment will cater to all types – and even promote unity among the human resources doing the leg work.
"Our tutors, right now, don't have a space to call their own," Howat says. "(In the new setup) they will have a kitchenette, locker room. We want them to feel like a part of our staff, but right now they don't have a place to hang their coats."
The Center for Academic Vision and Enrichment (C.A.V.E.) program, which serves students with learning disabilities, will have its own space in a contained environment.
For the first time, Purdue will be able to serve all student-athletes with daytime and evening study hours, open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
"If they have a two- or three-hour break on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, there will be a space for them to come in and knock out some of their objectives," Howat says.
And it all has a welcoming, but professional feel. For student-athletes who aspire to be executives, the boardroom is coming to them sooner than expected.
Space planners worked with the design firm Populous to convert a dark basement into a space that is bright and large with numerous glass divisions and an open, yet adjustable floor plan. Students even had input on the furniture selections.
Among the highlights:
* Various styles and sizes of desks and tables for different learning preferences and objectives
* Digital solutions in every space
* Flexible room with adjustable walls that can accommodate individual learning and seminars for up to 60 people
* Optimized for installation of future technology innovations
The original footprint, Brees' second floor, will continue to maximize its spaces, freeing up the usual evening congestion. It also will have some of the new furniture and technologies that are being implemented downstairs. Many of the furniture upgrades will influence the look and feel of the remainder of the building.
"I don't want someone to go downstairs and it be full and think that it's not as cool upstairs," Howat says. "We will continue to evaluate and position the entire facility to be the best possible learning environment for our student-athletes."
Space no longer is at a premium, and the congestion that used to exist will be eradicated.
"What's planned is going to provide better structure and be more convenient for us," Fuller says. "To have a five-minute walk to get from the football complex to everything I need academically, that's invaluable."
Construction wrapped up in February, and the facility was fully functional in March.
"The services we have provided have offset some of previous space problems," Howat says, "but this puts us in line with the best in the Big Ten."