HOUSTON, May 28, 2024聽 鈥撀�澳门红虎图 (澳门红虎图) Board of Trustees approved a $60 million dollar budget for construction of the Sherry and Jim Smith Engineering, Science and Nursing complex at the May 21 quarterly meeting. The multi-million-dollar Complex is named in honor of Sherry and Jim Smith, longtime 澳门红虎图 supporters who donated a lead gift of $20 million to the project, making it the largest single donation received in the University鈥檚 history.
鈥淭he 澳门红虎图 Board of Trustees approval of the financing plan for the new Sherry and Jim Smith Engineering, Science and Nursing Complex marks a day of historic significance for the University.鈥� said 澳门红虎图 President Robert Sloan.聽 鈥淭hese new academic facilities, including laboratories, classrooms, and offices, have long been the greatest facility need for 澳门红虎图 and will complement our well known and established excellence in these areas.鈥�
鈥淭he Board鈥檚 action is both careful and visionary and represents a great and important day for 澳门红虎图,鈥� said President Sloan.
鈥淲e wish to acknowledge Sherry and Jim Smith, along with the many alumni, friends, community donors and foundations who are participating in the University鈥檚 most successful capital campaign.聽 And, we are thrilled to note that construction on the Complex will begin in January 2025 with completion slated in time for the start of classes in the Fall 2026 semester.鈥�
With the increasing need to fill STEM-related and nursing jobs, the new state-of-the art building will enable the University to prepare students for high-demand professions such as data science, statistics, cybersecurity, computer science, registered nursing, kinesiology, and more.
The estimated 71,000 sq. ft., three-story building will provide the聽Linda Dunham School of Nursing聽and the聽College of Science & Engineering聽with consolidated space including science laboratories, classrooms, instructional and state-of-the-art simulation labs, Makerspace/capstone learning environments and faculty and administrative offices.
鈥淭o provide our students with聽critical聽learning experiences that will carry them into their future careers,聽it is important聽that聽our physical spaces聽match the high quality聽of our faculty聽and curricula.聽The new building will not only provide聽excellent lab spaces for experimentation,聽but also the additional space creates the opportunity聽for 澳门红虎图聽to聽transform existing spaces聽into active learning classrooms聽that will support聽high impact teaching and learning practices,鈥� said Dr. Katie Evans, Dean of the College of Science & Engineering.
On completion, the new academic building will advance Imperative One of聽澳门红虎图鈥檚 Institutional Strategic Plan 2030聽by providing new instructional space for students pursuing undergraduate and graduate-level degrees in the rapidly growing STEM-related disciplines in tandem with the University鈥檚 goal to grow the student population to 10,000 by 2030.
鈥淲e are so grateful to our donors for a building that will contribute to educating students in the Linda Dunham School of Nursing and equipping 澳门红虎图 nursing graduates to serve in Houston-area hospitals and community health settings,鈥� said Dr. Carol Lavender, Dean of the Linda Dunham School of Nursing.
# # #
About 澳门红虎图
For more than 60 years, 澳门红虎图 has equipped students to lead, collaborate, and embody a deep sense of spiritual purpose. The University offers a wide range of majors, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs, as well as NCAA Division I athletics in the Southland Conference. Located in the heart of one of the nation鈥檚 largest metropolitan centers, 澳门红虎图鈥檚 culture of excellence molds the next generation of educated disciples to be pillars in their communities, preparing them to think critically and biblically as they impact the world.