SCHENECTADY — Union College announced a $60 million Engineering and Computer Science Initiative that includes the addition of a new building and renovations to Butterfield Hall and other spaces that will strengthen the College’s offerings.
The $60 million project, funded fully by gifts, will be completed in two phases. The first phase involves the construction of a three-story, 30,500-square-foot building for engineering programs. The first floor will feature three new classrooms, the 3D print lab and collaborative spaces for students. [rendering of buildings seen above]
The second and third floors will feature teaching labs for civil engineering, environmental engineering and biomedical engineering. There will be research lab facilities for faculty in those disciplines, along with gathering/resource spaces for students. The project also includes an additional 10,700-square-feet of programmable space in the basement of the new building.
The new building, in the courtyard area adjacent to Olin, Wold and ISEC, will connect to the Integrated Science and Engineering Complex, enhancing a fully unified and integrated space.
A groundbreaking is planned for this summer, with the building expected to open in fall 2027.
The second phase involves the renovation of the first and second floors of Butterfield Hall, which was built in 1917-18. These spaces will be relocated to the new building, and engineering and computer science faculty offices in Steinmetz Hall will be relocated to Butterfield. As part of the project, Steinmetz, built in 1930, will be demolished.
In addition, the project includes enhancing the size and quality of space for the burgeoning Department of Computer Science. Currently, the department is spread out across several buildings.
Renovations to the Olin and Wold centers will create more spacious classrooms and additional labs and student resource/lounge space, all designed to create a vibrant environment on the ground floor of those two buildings to facilitate teaching, learning and discovery.
Funding for the ECSI project was provided by Union donors, including a previously announced $40 million lead gift from Class of 1980 graduates Mary and Rich Templeton.
“We are extremely grateful for the generous support from the Templetons, along with other donors,” said President David R. Harris. “Their generosity is a testament to their deep commitment to Union’s future, and to the importance of engineering and computer science as a key component of a Union education.”
As the first liberal arts college to offer engineering in 1845, Union holds a distinctive place in higher education. The liberal arts school has 2,031 undergraduate-only students.
“When complete, the project will best showcase Union’s engineering and computer science to prospective students, upgrade the experience of students in these programs, enable faculty scholarship, and cement Union as a premier national undergraduate institution offering engineering and computer science in a broader liberal arts context,” said Michele Angrist, the Stephen J. and Diane K. Ciesinski Dean of Faculty and vice president for Academic Affairs.
