Purdue University Northwest breaks ground on new residence hall

Purdue University Northwest has broken ground on its new residence hall, Calumet Hall, which is planned to open in the fall of 2026. Calumet Hall is the university’s third residence hall. At the ground breaking ceremony on April 17, 2025, which was attended by school leaders and community partners, an emphasis was placed on the new hall representing not just a space for students to live and study and eat, but a place for them to form connections with other students and foster a sense of community.

According to an article on Purdue University Northwest’s website, during the ground breaking ceremony, the university’s Chancellor Kenneth C. Holford commented on the community aspect of the new building and the effects it will have on campus. Holford is quoted as saying, “Today marks an exciting step forward in our ongoing efforts to create a vibrant, engaging and student-centered experience here on campus. We’re deeply committed to providing not only an outstanding academic environment, but a complete college experience — one that fosters community, connection, and a sense of belonging. This new residence hall is more than just a building — it’s a space designed to be a home away from home and a place where students can gather, unwind and build lifelong friendships.”

Calumet Hall, named in reference to the geographic area of Northwest Indiana in which the Grand Calumet and the Little Calumet rivers join together for drainage and called the Calumet Region, will be located at the corner of 173rd Street and Woodmar Avenue. It will be situated close by the Student Union Library and near academic classrooms, placing the new student residences near the heart of campus. The building, on which construction is already underway, will be 42,000 square feet and will hold 150 beds, a student lounge, kitchens, study areas, and laundry facilities.

Malcolm S. DeKryger, a Purdue University Board of Trustees member, expressed his enthusiasm for the new building and the campus at the ground breaking ceremony. He said, “PNW is a school that warmly receives students, cares compassionately about their education and teaches them to be contributing citizens to the Region and beyond. PNW is transforming itself from a commuter campus into a residential campus. That comes with all the student life and activities that a big university has. It is meeting the needs of young people, and they are responding with their feet – they are coming to PNW.”

Calumet Hall is expected to be open for students at the beginning of the Fall 2026 semester.

Student Government Association President Chloe Belford was present at the ceremony and made remarks about the nature of student living and the importance of finding community. Belford said, “Residents support one another through tough times, support each other’s victories and grow in ways they never imagined. I felt that sense of community that makes a dorm more than a place to sleep – it makes it a home. That’s why today’s groundbreaking is so meaningful. We’re not just adding another building to our campus. We’re creating new spaces for connection, for belonging, and for students to write their own stories just like I did. Calumet Hall represents the future of student life at Purdue Northwest.”

For more information about Purdue University Northwest, visit the school’s website.