It may be among the least recognizable buildings on the Purdue campus. Located between the Krannert Building and the Wesley Foundation, and largely obscured from street view by trees, the Krannert Center for Executive Education and Research is nearing the end of its existence. The building, and the Wesley Foundation structure, will be demolished later this year to make room for the new $125 million Daniels School facility, which will open in 2027.
While not a campus icon, Krannert Center played a vital role for the business school during its 40-plus-year run. It served as the longtime home for executive education programs, housed faculty and staff offices, and hosted a number of events for the school.
The school had discussed adding executive education programs to its portfolio as early as the mid-1960s, but that idea remained dormant until Keith Smith assumed the deanship in the late -‘70s. Smith had been associate dean at UCLA before returning to his alma mater, and he approached Professor Dan Schendel to put together a formal program.
Similar to today, technology and computers were a strength at Purdue then. Program organizers put together a structure that allowed students to combine on-campus residencies with WATS lines and modems to keep them connected during times away from West Lafayette. Executive education also needed a building to house those class residencies, and construction was started on the new Krannert Center.
Around that time, General Electric was seeking a program that would train its managers while allowing them to keep their current jobs. GE selected Purdue over a number of schools, including MIT and Carnegie Mellon, and the first class of 25 students began in summer 1983. The building was formally dedicated on October 21, with Indiana Governor Robert Orr, Purdue President Steven Beering, and Interim Dean Dennis Weidenaar participating in ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
As the Executive MBA program grew under the leadership of Professor Bill Lewellen, including the addition of an International Master’s in Management program, students attended lectures in two main classrooms on the main floor of the two-story building. Breakout rooms allowed them to work in their cohort teams. Meals were served in a separate room and a pair of lounges provided opportunities for more informal conversations.
Weiler Lounge, named after Emanuel Weiler, the business school’s inaugural dean, featured a fireplace that has become a favorite backdrop for photo and video shoots. A letter from President Ronald Reagan was framed in the room. Reagan praised Purdue’s creation of “advanced studies in the business community” and said that “such a facility will enhance the important ties between higher education and private industry and demonstrates a clear understanding on the part of the University of the challenges American business faces in the future.”
He was quick to add the school “can take great pride in the fact that the funds for the Center were raised entirely from the private sector through the support of corporations, foundations, and individuals.”
The second floor of the Krannert Center featured office space and a boardroom, which was named after R.B. and Mary Stewart. R.B. was the chief financial and business officer at Purdue from 1925-61. His strong friendship with Herman and Ellnora Krannert, along with the couple’s interactions with Dean Weiler, were instrumental in convincing the Krannerts to endow the Krannert Graduate School of Management and the Krannert Building.
Following R.B.’s death, Mary remained active with the school, funding a faculty fellowship and teaching award at the school. Their portraits hang in the boardroom, along with paintings of the first six deans — Weiler, John Day, Smith, Ron Frank, Weidenaar, and Rick Cosier.
Meals were eaten on the first floor. Cara Cray, who now serves as associate director of student support at the Daniels School, was the logistics and outreach manager for executive programs from 2015-23. She says it sometimes was a challenge coming up with the appropriate meal plans.
“The EMBA students are trying to change so many things at once in their lives, and it was like many of them also decided to try to lose 20 pounds on top of everything else,” Cray says. “It seemed like each cohort tried to get healthier and healthier, and there was one year where we got to the point of just ordering grilled chicken and salads.”
That’s not to say calories were never available. Christo’s, started by two immigrants from Greece, became the preferred caterer for the program. The restaurant’s owners would occasionally pay homage to their home country with a lavish Greek buffet for students and staff.
COVID created a challenge for the program in 2020. An in-person residency was switched to virtual in May, and strict protocols were in place when students came to campus in July. Later, an international trip had to be cancelled, but staff adjusted by arranging a virtual French wine tour with an expert on the topic.
Students worked from sunrise to past sunset before heading out to dinner or a nightcap at Harry’s. Cohort teams studied together in breakout rooms, where they also carried out several class projects. One such assignment involved a children’s toy, Legos.
“The Lego exercise in David Schoorman’s class was to show workplace power dynamics through a simple and not so playful task,” says Aldas Kriauciunas, who served as executive director of Krannert Executive Education Programs from 2012-22. “Student teams representing different levels of management were to assemble a Lego vehicle. The rub was that no team had all the requisite pieces.
“Rules were provided for trading pieces, but the team representing senior management had the power to create any rules they saw necessary. That led to other teams hiding parts and locking study room doors to prevent ‘senior management’ from entering. Professor Schoorman then led the students during a sometimes emotional debrief and connected the activity to their workplaces and how they could create a more inclusive environment.”
Students regularly watched other competitions together, with the Olympics and World Cup Soccer providing great viewing entertainment for attendees in Weiler Lounge. Students could also compete in their own games at the foosball table donated by one of the graduating classes.
Other class gifts included a mantle above the Weiler Lounge fireplace and Chinese statues to place on it, a world map made from mother of pearl, a stained-glass panel with the school logo, a silk tapestry from Japan, and a globe. Another class provided scholarship funds in the name of Donna Steele, who served as senior program manager.
While Krannert Center wasn’t in plain sight for the Purdue community, it still provided a welcoming space for its inhabitants.
“It was tucked back from the street behind some trees, so many people, including pizza delivery drivers, didn’t know it existed,” Kriauciunas says. “But the coziness meant everyone knew everyone else. Krannert Center was like a pair of leather gloves — not new, but fit just right.
“I will definitely miss the building.”
