WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) — Purdue trustees will vote Friday to move plans forward on a large construction project.

The university announced Wednesday that it is looking to build a $40 million data science facility that is "designed to help the university meet its goal to be a national and global leader in the field of data science research and education for all students," according to a news release. 

The College of Science building would be four stories and 86,000 square feet. It will feature classroom and teaching space aimed for all of campus. 

“Data science and related fields will transform every sector of our economies and societies in the coming years and decades,” said Purdue President Mitch Daniels. “This facility will ensure that Purdue’s students and faculty alike remain at the forefront of this acutely important new field.”

Construction is scheduled to begin in November 2020 with completion in June of 2022, pending the vote from the trustees.

“By bringing together Purdue’s research strengths in mathematics, statistics, and computer science within an innovative building design, we will further cement our leadership in a critical STEM area and fulfill our commitment to make Purdue the first school for which data science is a part of every student’s education, no matter their field of study,” said Patrick Wolfe, Frederick L. Hovde Dean of the College of Science. “Data science is the new language of life, cutting across all disciplines and fields of research, and so it’s crucial that our students are prepared for this future.”

The location of the proposed building was not made immediately available.