Purdue announces reduction in Washington lobbying

Purdue University announced earlier this week it will now aim to reduce the amount of money it uses to lobby in Washington, D.C.

This announcement came right after President Mitch Daniels’ announcement that merit pay raises would be eliminated through 2015 for senior administrators, deans and administrative and professional staff earning more than $50,000.

The initiative is expected to save approximately $5 million over the next biennium, according to a press release from the university.

These cuts will offset the $40 million financial impact of a two-year tuition freeze that Daniels recently announced, according to a Purdue press release. Daniels hopes to make college more affordable through this tuition freeze, according to the press release.

“At Purdue, we will make our first goal affordability, accommodating our spending to students’ budgets and not the other way around,” Daniels said in a letter to employees, according to the press release.

This tuition freeze was announced March 1. It was the first time Purdue announced it would not increase tuition since 1976.


— Bridget Ameche