Purdue University is a large public university located in the college town of West Lafayette, Indiana. Surrounded by farm land and situated about one third of the way from Indianapolis to Chicago, Purdue is not hard to get to from most points in North America or the world. Indianapolis is known as the “Crossroads of America” for its many intersecting interstate highways that link this Midwestern town with the rest of the country, by car. Purdue University is one of the “Land Grant” universities ushered in by the “Morrill Act,” signed by President Abraham Lincoln during the U.S. Civil War years. Roughly 40,000 students enjoy the sprawling and bustling campus that is alive with activity twelve months of the year.
Campus maps can be found at www.purdue.edu/campus_map/
IND is the three-letter designation for the Indianapolis International Airport, otherwise known as “Weir Cook Field.” Built as a S.A.C. base during the cold war years, IND has 10,000-foot runways to accommodate the largest of military and commercial aircraft. Although the newest air terminal in the United States, IND has few direct international flights, as most arrive through Chicago (ORD) or Detroit (DTW). This makes Indianapolis International a very easy airport to navigate once you arrive. The volume of passengers is low, rental cars are located at the terminal, and a shuttle bus can take you directly to the Purdue Union in about 75 minutes.
ORD, or Chicago O’Hare Airport, is also close by. O’Hare is about a 3-hour shuttle ride from Purdue and renting a car is easy, as well. MDW, Chicago Midway Airport, is not served by the shuttle bus, but is an alternative option for the more adventurous! Take a train to South Bend, Indiana and hitchhike across Northern Indiana to Purdue! …or, not! (seriously, I do not recommend hitchhiking)
Lafayette Limo provides bi-hourly service between IND and the Purdue Union Club Hotel for about $25 US. You can arrange a reservation at the following link:
https://lafayettelimo.ontimereservations.com/index.php
You should select “Indy Int’l Airport” as your departing location and “Purdue Memorial Union” as your destination location. Fill in the date, etc. If your flight is delayed, you can take a later bus on the same day. (See schedule for times.)
Renting a car is not too expensive and gives you mobility while at Purdue. (You will have to pay for parking at the hotel.) From the airport, take I-70 east to I-465 north, then take I-65 north about 1 hour until you see signs to Purdue.
Lafayette Limo provides scheduled service between ORD and the Purdue Union Club Hotel for about $60 US. You can arrange a reservation at the following link:
https://lafayettelimo.ontimereservations.com/index.php
You should select “OHare Airport” as your departing location and “Purdue Memorial Union” as your destination location. Fill in the date, etc. If your flight is delayed, you can take a later bus on the same day. (See schedule for times.)
The conference hotel is the Union Club Hotel located right on the Purdue Campus:
There is a special nightly rate of $99+tax at the Union Club Hotel for the SSRR conference. You CANNOT get this reduced rate if you make a reservation online. To reserve you must call +1 800-320-6291 or email moore37 [at] purdue [dot] edu and specify:
50 rooms have been reserved at the Union Club Hotel for each night of the conference. This reduced rate will only be available until October 7th.
If, for some reason, you prefer other accommodations, or want to compare rates, other suggested hotels in the Purdue area are listed below.
IND is 75 - 90 minutes from the Purdue Union and ORD is about 3 hours. If you are getting in to the airport late, an option is to stay one night at a hotel near the airport.
IND
The last shuttle leaves IND at 10:30 pm and the first shuttle arrives at the Purdue Union at 8:00 am. (The Union has a Starbucks!) Several local hotels near Indianapolis International Airport have free shuttle service to/from the airport including:
ORD
The last shuttle leaves ORD at 7:00 pm and the first shuttle arrives at the Purdue Union at 12:20 pm. Several local hotels near O’Hare have free shuttle service to/from the airport including:All normal presentations will take place in the Burton Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship on the southwest side of campus. It is about a 15 minute walk straight down State Street from the Union Club Hotel (also known as the “Purdue Memorial Union”) to the Burton Morgan Center.
There is also a free shuttle bus ("The Connector") that runs Monday through Friday to take you from the Union Club Hotel to the Morgan Center. Unfortunately this shuttle does not run on Sundays. The shuttle runs every 15 minutes from 7:00am to 5:00pm and every 20 minutes from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. Board the shuttle on State Street just south of PMU and exit the bus in front of the Morgan Center at the corner of State Street and Martin Jischke Drive. The most direct way back to the hotel will be to walk back along State Street as the shuttle loops around to other stops around campus. If you prefer to take the free shuttle back to the Union Club Hotel from the Morgan Center, board the bus in front of the Morgan Center at the corner of State Street and Martin Jischke Drive and ride the bus until it loops back to the corner of State Street and Marsteller just South of the Memorial Mall. You will have to walk the short distance back to the hotel.
CityBus offers many other bus routes around the Purdue campus with a bus fare of just $1. On Sunday you can take the 4B bus from the Union Club Hotel (“PMU”) with the same stops as The Connector to arrive at the conference site. To take the 4B bus back to the hotel from the conference, board the bus at the SW corner of State Street and Jischke Drive and exit at the corner of State Street and Marsteller just South of the Memorial Mall. You will have to walk the short distance back to the hotel. Check out Google Maps or https://www.gocitybus.com/ for alternate routes and directions from other hotels.
Indiana called the “Hoosier State” -- is in the heart of the agricultural midwest. Known for its friendly people and agrarian work ethic, food and entertainment are simple and hearty. To show you a little “Hoosier Hospitality,” we plan to travel to a farm in the southeast corner of the county for some farm food and fun! We will have an authentic corn maze to get lost in, hay rides, and some good old fashion meat-and-potatoes to eat. The food will be simple, but the conversation will be engaging, so we look forward to hosting you! Since we’ll be out in the farmland, CASUAL CLOTHES are suggested. Leave the suit and tie in the hotel, as jeans and a flannel shirt will be more in character. (Though not required.)
We have the special treat of a PURDUE-THEMED corn maze. See if you can find the SAR robot!! (See below.)
Temperatures average a high of 65 F (18 C) and a low of 43 F (6 C) so come prepared with layers of warm clothing, just in case!
