INDIANAPOLIS — Daniel J. Hasler, a former Indiana Secretary of Commerce and an executive at Eli Lilly & Company who has also held several senior positions for Purdue University and the Purdue Research Foundation, will return to the university to help launch Purdue University in Indianapolis to support.
Purdue President Mitch Daniels said Hasler combines a unique depth of experience as an innovative leader in higher education with a broad range of business knowledge and an understanding of economic development and entrepreneurship – essential ingredients necessary to forge important relationships and strong industry partnerships forge that will expand Purdue University to Indianapolis and equip the next generation of Boilermakers for thriving tech careers in the Circle City.
“Once again, Dan has agreed to restart his Purdue career by leading one of the most important efforts in our university’s 153-year history: the founding of Purdue University in Indianapolis,” said Daniels. “Dan knows Purdue and he knows Indianapolis, both very well. He understands the Boilermaker story and the significant role we play as the state’s land grant university. With Dan on the team, we are in excellent hands to advance Purdue University’s mission in Indianapolis, accelerate our state’s STEM talent pipeline, and set the stage for Indianapolis to become a top 10 tech hub.”
Purdue and Indiana University announced plans in August to convert 52-year-old Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis — a joint venture between Purdue and IU known as IUPUI — into separate academic organizations, each administering its own programs. Purdue will expand its flagship West Lafayette operation with a next-generation subway campus in Indianapolis that leverages its academic strengths and research portfolio while expanding its collaborative efforts.
About 5,100 students are currently pursuing Purdue degrees in Indianapolis. An estimated 86% of these graduates will find their first job in Indiana and make a significant contribution to the state’s economy in the 21st century.
“Purdue’s reputation has never been better,” Hasler said. “People across the country understand and appreciate the value and capabilities of our world-class institution. We can leverage this awareness with our strong alumni and industry partners to catapult our presence in Indianapolis to a new level.”
In creating a new vision for its Indianapolis campus, Purdue will focus on increasing Indianapolis engineering, technology, and computer science enrollment while also creating exciting opportunities for current West Lafayette students to “learn away” and internship in Indianapolis. and collaboration opportunities with businesses in Indianapolis to pursue that city.
Purdue expects Indianapolis’ enrollment today to increase by more than 1,000 students, many of whom will be housed together in a new residential building near their academic buildings. In addition, Purdue will explore opening a branch of its Purdue Applied Research Institute as part of the initiative.
Hasler’s primary responsibility will be to coordinate the activities of the various research groups supporting Purdue University in Indianapolis, while also:
- Serve as the primary point of contact to advance Purdue’s vision and mission for Indianapolis expansion with business, community and government leaders, industry and nonprofit organizations and community stakeholders in central Indiana.
- Developing opportunities with Indianapolis-based companies to support research and academic activities at Purdue University in Indianapolis.
- Working with Indiana University School of Medicine to explore plans for a possible joint research institute.
Hasler joined Purdue in 2013 as President and Chief Entrepreneurship Officer for the Purdue Research Foundation and quickly began restructuring its technology commercialization processes. The result of Hasler’s leading PRF over five years: Record number of patents and license agreements based on ever-growing Purdue research. In addition, Hasler instituted programs and policies to facilitate the commercialization and creation of startups through a variety of avenues, including Purdue Foundry, Purdue Startup Fund, and an express license for faculty and staff entrepreneurs with pre-set terms.
He then led Purdue’s year-long 150th Anniversary initiative as Executive Vice President of Communications, Marketing Strategy Oversight, Strategic Communications, Media Relations, Advertising, Licensing and Digital Marketing working with colleges and units throughout the university system. As Head of Marketing from 2018 through early 2020, Hasler began rebuilding an organization that was named Higher Education Marketing Team of the Year by the American Marketing Association in November 2020.
Hasler was appointed by the then governor. Daniels in 2011 as Chief Executive of Indiana Economic Development Corp. and also served as Indiana Secretary of Commerce. In 2012, in his first year as head of the IEDC, Hasler attracted a record 254 companies to Indiana.
During his 31-year career at Lilly, the Indianapolis-based Fortune 500 global pharmaceutical company, Hasler has held a variety of leadership positions. After leaving Lilly in 2010, Hasler received the Lilly Lifetime Achievement Award.
Hasler is also the Founder and President of Hasler Ventures LLC, a company working to advance breakthrough technologies by bringing them to the public through industry collaborations.
Hasler is a native of Paris, Illinois, a graduate of DePauw University and an MBA from Duke University. In 2019, he received the Robert C. McDermond Medal for Excellence in Entrepreneurship from DePauw.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a leading public research organization developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. For each of the last five years, Purdue has been ranked by US News & World Report as one of the 10 Most Innovative Universities in the United States, delivering world-changing research and extraordinary discoveries. Purdue is committed to real-world, hands-on and online learning, providing transformative education for all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, allowing more students than ever to graduate debt-free. Watch how Purdue never stops making the next big leap at https://purdue.edu/.
Author and media contact: Phillip Fiorini, [email protected], 765-430-6189
