Board of Regents approve expansion construction project Friday

Due to increased enrollment in mechanical engineering, larger classrooms, new laboratory rooms and faculty offices will be added to the McCoy School of Engineering building as a result of a gift approved by the Board of Regents last Friday. The expansion project will provide a more practical setting conducive for learning to both current and future engineering students.

The project, fully funded by donors, including James McCoy, Frank Stevens and the Bolin family, will cost approximately $1,665,000.

The project is actually phase two of the McCoy School of Engineering building expansion project. The first stage involved renovating classroom 207 and altering it into a computer lab.

“Our department has grown tremendously in the past three years and in fact our enrollment has more than doubled,” Sheldon Wang, chair of the engineering program, said. “Right now we have 230 students in our degree program, and although this building was recently renovated, we need larger classrooms and larger computer labs. The purpose for the expansion is to add a new classroom with 75 seats and also to add new labs. One lab will be an energy lab and the other an electronics lab.”

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Administrators in the engineering department said students and the community will be pleased with the expansion. They are aware that this is a major ‘stepping stone’ to enhance recruiting efforts on campus.

“Our current students will be happier that we have larger classrooms and larger lab facilities,” Wang said. “Also we are going to have two new faculty offices and we will hire three new faculty members. This will send a positive message to the community that engineering discipline is a good discipline and we hope we can attract more students to major in science and engineering.”

The expansion project although a major “stepping stone” for the department it is not complex.

Wang confirms that the construction will begin right after the parking lot is completed and will be finished by fall of 2013.

“The expansion will be very simple” Wang said. “The building will be extended on the west side. On the right hand side there will be three new labs and on the left hand side there will be faculty offices and a classroom.”

Raul Hazel, senior in mechanical engineering, said he is more than pleased with the new expansion.

“The McCoy School of Engineering expansion is a wonderful idea and a great step towards the enhancement of the engineering school,” Hazel said. “Hopefully this expansion will help the McCoy School with its growth in both students and recognition.”