Longtime Purdue exec who helped launch university’s Indianapolis expansion to retire

Purdue University’s campus extension in Indianapolis will have a new leader next year following the retirement of Chief Operating Officer Dan Hasler.

In a news release Thursday, the university announced Michael B. Cline, the current senior vice president of administrative operations, will also become the chief operating officer for Purdue University in Indianapolis beginning in January. He will succeed Hasler, who will retire at the end of the year after leading the university’s launch of the downtown Indianapolis operation as part of the split of IUPUI.

Purdue President Mung Chiang said in a written statement that he expects a “smooth transition” that will implement a variety of initiatives and goals established by the university for its Indianapolis campus.

Cline will also continue working in administrative operations and will collaborate with David Umulis, the chief academic officer for Indianapolis, to “unlock unique opportunities for Purdue students and faculty while advancing jobs, workforce and innovation in our capital city,” Chiang said.

Cline is already entrenched in Purdue’s urban expansion efforts, playing a key role in the development of the university’s 50-year master plan approved last week by the board of trustees.

That plan calls for space for up to 15,000 students by 2075, with 16 new buildings across the university’s 28-acre campus at West and Michigan streets. The concept considered as much as 4.5 million square feet of space, including 5,320 university residence beds. 

“Having witnessed firsthand the impressive growth in Indianapolis over the past few years, I’m excited to help shape Purdue’s next chapter in the capital city,” Cline said in a statement. “As a Purdue alumnus and longtime Indianapolis resident, I’m especially energized by the positive impact Purdue will have on the city I call home.

“With our expanding physical presence, strong foundation of industry collaborations and continued help from our civic and neighborhood partners, we’re well-positioned to make a lasting difference in Indianapolis and the broader central Indiana region.”

Cline graduated from Purdue with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, returning to the school in 2013 as its vice president for physical facilities. He manages over 1,300 employees in West Lafayette with a annual $300 million capital program and $200 million operating budget.

Hasler, a former state secretary of commerce and Eli Lilly and Co. executive, originally retired from Purdue in 2020 before returning in 2022 to help launch the Indianapolis extension of the West Lafayette campus after the IUPUI split was announced.