Breaking ground for Science II
The 65,000-square-foot building will serve as a central location for the marine science departments as well as biology and chemistry. The new facility will help meet the needs of the growing science program at CCU, which has increased from 1,800 students in 2007 to nearly 4,000 in 2014.
"Here we grow again," said CCU President David A. DeCenzo in his opening remarks at the ceremony, noting that half of this fall's incoming freshmen are science majors. He stressed the importance of providing classroom and laboratory facilities that reflect the high quality of CCU's science programs.
The facility will offer more than 30 teaching and research spaces, 10 lab preparatory rooms, two graduate student rooms, a seminar room, a conference room, an animal facility, four information technology service rooms, an aquarium, a roof terrace, several specialized storage rooms and 60 faculty offices.
James Wright, vice chair of the College of Science board of visitors, called the proposed building "a tangible expression of our commitment to the bright future of our college."
Also wielding ceremonial shovels at the event were Michael Roberts, dean of the College of Science; Jessica Bruce, a senior marine science major from Omaha, Neb.; CCU Provost Ralph Byington; and representatives from LS3P Architects and from Contract Construction Inc.
The new building will feature a central courtyard connecting it to the Smith Science Center and the Kenneth E. Swain Science Hall. The floors and walls of Science II will feature decorative artistic representations of the scientific disciplines housed in the building. For example, a shimmering fabric made to flutter by the air conditioning will suggest an oceanic environment.
The project is expected to be completed in the spring in 2016.