ONLINE EXCLUSIVE BY JESS LYNK
Drake University broke ground on the newest academic building this morning, Collier-Scripps Hall. The building will house the School of Education, the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center.
This is the first academic building to be built at Drake in 20 years.
“Today is a monumental day in the history of Drake University,” President Marty Martin said, according to a press release this morning.
Scenes from today’s groundbreaking @DrakeUniversity pic.twitter.com/fOdprtJi4X
— Drake President (@drakepresident) February 27, 2016
The hall is a part of the $52 million STEM @ DRAKE initiative, which brings to campus two new buildings, renovations of existing facilities and six new academic programs. This new building is the first to break ground within the STEM initiative, even though preparations began in January.
With the groundbreaking, also came the release of the hall name, Collier-Scripps. The name comes from three Drake Alumni, Jim Collier, Ric Scripps and Debbie Engstrom Scripps.
Collier earned his Masters in Education in 1970 and is now a retired English teacher. R. Scripps and D. Scripps are retired teachers as well, who received their Bachelor of Arts in Teaching in 1970 and 1972, respectively.
All three of the alumni made significant contributions to help propel the STEM initiative forward.
“The generosity of Jim Collier, Ric and Debbie Scripps, and many other loyal supporters will be recognized at Drake University for generations to come,” Martin said. “They understand that the pace of change and the growing complexity of our world requires bold, innovative, agile thinkers—and they have embraced our vision to address this global need.”
The facility will also bring back the education building to campus, which has been on the western edge of campus since 1990.
Phase one of the initiative is completed, which was renovating Harvey-Ingham. Phase two is an ongoing project, which is the completion of the two new building on campus. The construction began today and is set to end Summer 2017. Phase three is renovating Olin Hall but is still yet to be approved by the Board of Trustees.
The initiative and the hall is all a part of Martin and the university’s plan to further its mission statement.
“Collier-Scripps Hall represents a bold step forward for the university in its commitment to prepare students for local and national workforce needs, and to build on Drake’s core focus on integrating liberal education with practical preparation,” Martin said.
