GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY ON FRIDAY KICKS
OFF $35 MILLION PROJECT
TO CONSTRUCT NEW ACADEMIC BUILDING AT UH SYSTEM AT SUGAR LAND
A groundbreaking ceremony for a new $35 million academic building
at the University of Houston System at Sugar Land (UHSSL) begins
at 11 a.m., Friday, April 20 at the Fred and Mabel R. Parks Rotunda,
14000 University Blvd., in Sugar Land.
Among the dignitaries who will speak during the ceremony are David
G. Wallace, mayor of Sugar Land; Leroy Hermes, chairman of the UH
System Board of Regents; Jay Gogue, chancellor of the UH System;
Tim Hudson, president of UH-Victoria; P.D. “Danny” Gertson
III, chairman of the Wharton County Junior College Board of Trustees;
Betty McCrohan, president of Wharton County Junior College; and
Denise Adams, alumna of Wharton County Junior College, UH-Downtown
and UHSSL. Guests are by invitation only.
The building is scheduled for completion in fall 2008. The project,
which has the potential to create 200 jobs, is part of the “Building
Futures Together” campaign started in May 2005 to support
construction of a new academic building at the UHSSL site to be
shared by the UH System and Wharton County Junior College.
“The building to be constructed at the UH System in Sugar
Land would not have been possible had it not been for the collaboration
of many,” Hudson said. “This partnership is receiving
rave reviews in Austin as a model for moving forward at this time
of competing funding priorities in the Legislature. Every stakeholder
has recognized they have a vested interest in meeting the educational
needs of the Fort Bend area and the state. The return on investment
will be enormous.”
The new building will add 145,000 square feet of classroom and instructional
space to the existing Sugar Land campus. The junior college will
lease about two-thirds of the space from the UH System.
In addition to meeting the educational needs of this growing population,
housing both UHSSL and the junior college on the same campus will
help each institution devote more of its funds to educational activities
rather than to infrastructure. Both institutions will reduce duplication
of services by sharing certain administrative expenses, technology
resources, labs, classrooms and student service functions. The joint
facility also will allow students to fulfill most or all of their
educational needs on a single campus that offers lower-level and
upper-level courses.
“We at Wharton County Junior College look forward to working
alongside the University of Houston System at Sugar Land in serving
the educational needs of the emerging population of Sugar Land,”
said WCJC President Betty McCrohan. “Although we have operated
a campus in Sugar Land since 1990, this new facility will provide
students with the convenience of obtaining their freshman-, sophomore-,
junior- and senior-level courses at one location. We realize the
need to keep education affordable and accessible and encourage potential
students to consider the joint admissions agreement between the
WCJC and UHSSL, which was intended to save our students’ time
and expenses.”
The plan calls for more than 50 new classrooms of various sizes,
as well as a performance hall/auditorium; computer, science and
nursing skills labs; faculty offices; a bookstore; a weight room;
an aerobics room; and a student lounge. The new classrooms will
provide seating for about 2,500 students. The current facility,
the Albert and Mamie George Building, will serve as an instructional
site and as the administrative headquarters for UHSSL and Wharton
County Junior College.
The building is being designed by the joint-venture team of Archi*technics/3,
in association with PageSoutherlandPage, both of which have a history
of working with higher education institutions. The contractor is
Skanska USA Building Inc., one of the world’s leading construction
groups, with expertise in construction, development of commercial
and residential projects and public-private partnerships.
“Skanska is helping the University of Houston build today
to be ready for the demands of tomorrow and to ensure that higher
education is available for all,” said Frank Roetzel, Skanska’s
area general manager for Texas.
Previously, the project site was used to farm crops. Therefore,
Skanska, the designers and the University of Houston System have
spent the last several months working together to address all the
design and construction issues related to this site, including utilities,
site drainage and logistics, and are confident the project will
be completed as scheduled.
WHAT: |
Groundbreaking ceremony for new
$35 million academic building at the University of Houston at
Sugar Land |
WHEN: |
Gathering begins at 11 a.m., Friday,
April 20. Remarks begin at 11:30 a.m. |
WHERE: |
University of Houston at Sugar Land,
Fred and Mabel R. Parks Rotunda, 14000 University Blvd. |
For more information about UH visit the universitys Newsroom
at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
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