With an influx in enrollment and additional degree programs, the College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) at Jackson State University hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday, June 18, for a new 24,000 square-foot, two-story wing to its structure on the main campus.
JSU President Carolyn W. Meyers welcomed state and local government officials and corporate supporters to the event. Others joining the celebration included faculty, staff, alumni and students.
The new building, slated to open in late 2016, will house classrooms, laboratories and faculty offices to accommodate the university’s growth in teaching and research activities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Before an audience of more than 250 people, Meyers described the occasion as a special moment. “This event enhances the realization about the future of tomorrow’s leaders, who will impact the entire world.”
‘Promise for our students’
Meyers said the groundbreaking “holds much promise for our students and Mississippi’s future. We must have a place for faculty and students to do their best work. This enables us to give every student the best education possible.”
State Speaker of the House Philip Gunn, commended JSU for its remarkable successes. As well, the legislator acknowledged the extraordinary work of state Rep. Angela Cockerham, a JSU alum who helped secure funding for the proposed facility.
Also, Gunn said the expansion project “overlays perfectly for the future of America because engineering is a vital part of Mississippi.”
The existing engineering building houses the civil and environmental engineering programs, along with computer and electrical engineering and shared laboratories and classrooms. However, as the largest- and fastest-growing academy on campus, the facility has reached its maximum capacity.
Another phase of growth
The Phase II addition will accommodate student areas of the Department of Computer Science and the newly renamed Industrial Systems and Technology Department.
In fall 2014, CSET added new baccalaureate degree programs in statistical science and biomedical engineering. Also, it gained doctoral programs in engineering and computational and data-enabled science and engineering. As a result, CSET is expecting record-breaking enrollment.
JSU’s CSET Dean Richard A. Aló said, “The new edifice will help support efforts to boost Mississippi’s economy with colossal opportunities for the state. It will help nurture the unceasing curiosity of our students who will help shape the 21st century by maintaining the security and longevity of our world.”
Speaking on behalf of the governor’s office, chief fiscal director Dr. Brian Pugh, a JSU alum, shared Gov. Phil Bryant’s support of JSU’s expansion efforts, saying, “The governor recognizes the importance of this institution and has always been impressed with its ability to innovate,” even expressing the governor’s aura over CSET’s exhibition of its programmed drones during a previous campus visit.
Finally, before the ceremonial groundbreaking with luminaries donning hard hats and hoisting shovels, Myers said, “None of this would be possible without people from all levels: state and local government officials, industry partners, professors and friends of Jackson State University.”