Science Center plans under construction

Klariza Alvaran
Web Editor

Only a few years out from the launch of North Central’s Legacy of Science campaign for a “21st century science facility,” the buzz about a new science center has died down.

So what happened to the College’s grand plans of constructing a building to succeed the aging Kroehler Science Center?

Funding the facility

According to Vice President of Institutional Advancement Rick Spencer, finding a major donor to offer a naming gift that would finance at least half of the science center’s projected $50 million-60 million cost of construction has been one roadblock to moving forward in the process.

“To build a new science center, you need resources,” Spencer said. “That’s hard to find.”

“We are looking for a person with a giving heart and who has the resources to finance the science center,” he added. “We don’t have a lot of alumni in that position. There are members of the Naperville community who have the resources and the interest (to contribute), and we’re trying to uncover more people like that.”

It has been a challenge for the institutional advancement team to find a donor to commit roughly $30 million to the science center as a naming gift in addition to finding other donors to cover the difference, but taking on a mortgage loan and tapping into tuition money are not options in funding the facility.

The college has taken a stance of ensuring that it has enough money accumulated through fundraising efforts to finance the construction of new buildings and not use debt. This was the case for the Wentz Concert Hall for which $30 million was successfully raised, according to Spencer.

The science center is also just one of several capital projects for which the institutional advancement team has been working to raise funds. The Legacy Project is composed of two other capital projects that are specifically part of the College’s active “beautification” efforts, according to Spencer.

Phase one of the Legacy Project involves enhancing the Riverwalk to connect it to the south end of campus near the stadium. Phase two of the project improves the walkway referred to as the “spine” that runs through the main campus, past Pfeiffer Hall and to the residence halls in the middle of campus — a path that students often take.

Spencer also said the institutional advancement team has its sights set on growing the college’s endowment, which stands at $94.2 million, according to the college’s 2011 annual report.

“One goal is for endowment to be at $150 million,” he said. “The endowment fund supports scholarships, endowed chairs and keeping the cost of college at a reasonable amount. Tuition alone is not enough to educate students, and we have been working to generate revenue to balance student expenses through the endowment.”

In the meantime, the institutional advancement team will continue its “quiet” efforts to find a major donor for the science center before more persistently searching for donors to finance the difference. Spencer has not given up hope that a major donor will soon be found.

“I’m optimistic that we will find someone,” he said.

An academic perspective

The process of planning for the new science center began in 2003, according to Jeffrey Bjorklund, professor of chemistry and a member of the science center planning committee.

“In 2003, [faculty and administration] started becoming active with Project Kaleidoscope whose objective is to help colleges’ design facilities to work well into the future,” Bjorklund said.

“The spaces we have now are not in line with where we want to be in the future,” he added. “Our current science center was built in the 1970s, and the building reflects the teaching of that era when research was not that important.”

Kroehler Science Center broke ground in 1969 and was eventually dedicated on Nov. 11, 1970. At the time, the science center was designed to promote individual student work with professors acting as resources for students in their pursuits.

Faculty members in the sciences now want to put an emphasis on group work and interdisciplinary work. For example, to house a strong neuroscience program, the new facility needs to accommodate work that draws from the psychology and biology departments, Bjorkland said, something that is difficult with the departments being housed in separate buildings as they are now.

Bjorklund also described the changes in pedagogical preferences in the sciences. Faculty members would now like to be able to combine lecture and lab work in a single room, allowing for smoother transitions and the ability to go back and forth between the two. Such teaching is difficult when lectures and labs are on different floors, according to Bjorklund.

The new science center would also foster the growth that the college would like to see in the sciences. This academic year, the college introduced a new bachelor’s degree program in chemical microscopy and interdisciplinary minors in neuroscience and bioinformatics. The college also recently hired Marguerite Degenhardt to serve as a pre-health advisor for students seeking to work in the health field or pursue further studies in health sciences after graduation.

The newly introduced programs and services, in addition to decisions on whether to add bachelor’s degree programs in areas such as allied health sciences and engineering, must also be taken into account in the science center planning, Spencer said.

The committee has been planning extensively, taking into account the state of the college’s current science programs and directions for the future, and further research regarding the science center is slated to take place over the summer.

Although the planning committee must look into a number of factors pertaining to the construction of the new science center, one of the most important considerations for the planning committee is ensuring the viability of the facility over the long term.

“We want [the new building] to last 100 years, not one that will become inadequate for our needs five years later,” Bjorklund said.