Vincennes University officials are hoping to continue a development plan to expand educational programming at Indiana's first college with the construction of a new math, science and engineering facility in the heart of campus.
President Dick Helton said the proposed facility is intended to become the “signature building” on the VU campus..
The current facility, the McCormick Science Resource Center, is one of the oldest on campus, and Helton said with extended collaborations with program partners like Purdue University, more space is needed.
“We need more lab space, we need more opportunity for our students as we’ve increased our relationship with Purdue University, and we could see new partnerships as we move forward into the future,” he said. “We also would like to see more opportunities for (science, technology, engineering and math programs), which are being emphasized as we speak throughout our state and throughout our region.
“When you put all of that into the discussion, it would bode well for VU to have a state-of-the-art facility for science, mathematics and engineering.”
Helton said the facility does not have a time table in place for the new development, but the university will take the plan to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education as a part of the school’s legislative package next month.
“We’re doing a fair amount of planning for the facility at this point, a lot of discussion, we’ve talked with our board, with the areas that would be impacted, the mathematics, science and engineering departments,” Helton said. “We’re getting to the place now where we’re ready to move forward for consideration at the state level.”
Another unknown on the project, he added, is the price tag. The intention is to ensure it’s a state-of-the-art facility, with hopes of expanding educational opportunities and partnerships on a national level in engineering and technology, but that will cost.
The plan comes just days after a groundbreaking ceremony for a new student center. As plans developed for the student center, Helton said, a larger project to add a cohesive flow throughout the campus and encourage expansion pushed to the forefront.
Construction is expected to begin on the new $4.35 million student center still this fall, which will be on the site of the former VU baseball field next to the PE complex with the proposed math, science and engineering building to be built nearby.