Engineering school to break ground on new building

LAWRENCE -- Formal groundbreaking for a new University of Kansas School of Engineering building will take place at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 7, on the Learned Hall lawn.

The new $15 million structure is the largest construction project funded entirely through private gifts on KU's Lawrence campus since the Lied Center, which opened in 1993 and cost a similar amount. The new engineering building, which will be named at a later date, will sit next to the School of Engineering's current structures, Learned Hall and Spahr Engineering Library, and will become the school's front door on campus.

"We are so excited about this newest addition to the facilities housing the faculty, staff and students in the School of Engineering," said Dean Carl E. Locke Jr. "As I complete the last year of my 16 years as dean, it gives me great personal pleasure to see the construction of this building under way. It will allow the KU School of Engineering to have a more impressive presence on campus and meet the competition for outstanding students as they choose between other engineering schools and KU."

The building is significant on a variety of levels but perhaps is most notable for its funding source. The need for additional space for engineering programs was foreseen many years ago, but the state's economic climate wouldn't support the vision. The KU School of Engineering sought and received generous gifts from alumni and friends to fund the construction of a building essential to the school's educational mission and, in the process, eased the burden on the state's taxpayers.

"We are indeed blessed with a loyal, generous group of alumni who have made this building possible," said Locke. "Their support of this major project provides tangible evidence of how important the alumni are to the School of Engineering." The building is one of the first visible achievements on the Lawrence campus of the KU First capital campaign led by the KU Endowment Association.

"This new facility fills an urgent need on campus," said Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor David E. Shulenburger. "It is a most fitting tribute to the years of leadership Dean Locke has given to engineering and to the esteem in which engineering alumni and friends hold their school and the university."

Donations from individuals have helped support key sections of the building. Charles and Jane Spahr, of Shaker Heights, Ohio, donated funds for the building's state-of-the-art lecture hall and included an endowment to provide technological upgrades for the 230-seat facility. The classroom will be named in their honor. Charles Spahr is a 1934 KU civil engineering graduate and the former president of Standard Oil Co. of Ohio.

Additional features of the building include a grand entry, the dean's office suite, a computer commons and computer classrooms. The Engineering Career Services Center will move into the new building and will offer seven interview rooms for use by students and potential employers. An open-air, circular plaza will connect the new building, Spahr Engineering Library and Learned Hall.

The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science also will move into the new building. The department's facilities are split among Learned, Snow and Nichols halls. The new building will bring the faculty and staff together and offer them offices, classrooms and laboratories. The department's move should help ease overcrowding elsewhere on campus.

Several representatives from the university are expected to attend the groundbreaking. In addition, Endowment will be represented by Forrest Hoglund, chairman of KU First and a 1956 KU mechanical engineering alumnus. Several alumni -- including key donors -- faculty, staff and students will attend the ceremony.

The construction is expected to be completed in June 2003. The school is acquiring a Web cam so interested people can follow the building's construction progress. A virtual tour of the building and its facilities is already available online. Go to www.engr.ku.edu and follow the construction links.

Building facts:
 • 82,000 square feet; 49,000 assignable square feet.
 • Design by Gould Evans and Associates, Lawrence.
 • Contractor is Ferrell Construction, Topeka.
 • Three stories and a ground floor.
 • Enclosed walkway will connect second floor of new building to Learned Hall.
 • Project includes an open-air courtyard that connects the new building, Spahr Engineering Library and Learned Hall. The project also includes a new loading dock for Learned Hall.