Kiewit Hall Announcement
University Communication
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09/16/2019
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The chairman and chief executive officer of Peter Kiewit Sons’, Inc., joined with the chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to announce the Omaha corporation’s support of a significant expansion of Nebraska engineering. The company’s $20 million commitment is a substantial contribution to an estimated $85 million engineering facility planned for Lincoln. To be named Kiewit Hall, the building will serve as engineering’s academic hub and will house Lincoln-based construction management programs.
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- [00:00:06.310]Good afternoon, and welcome
- [00:00:08.130]to the Nebraska College of Engineering
- [00:00:10.130]here at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
- [00:00:12.710]It is an exciting day to be a Nebraskan.
- [00:00:15.840]It's an exciting day to be a Husker
- [00:00:18.070]for the announcements that we'll be making here today
- [00:00:21.620]about how we are growing the stature
- [00:00:24.000]and elevating the Nebraska College of Engineering
- [00:00:26.950]moving into the future.
- [00:00:28.860]We are joined here at Othmer Hall
- [00:00:31.230]in our College of Engineering by guests who you will meet
- [00:00:34.660]as we talk about the new partnerships
- [00:00:36.920]that we're forming to elevate our college moving forward.
- [00:00:40.600]As you've heard us talk about,
- [00:00:42.850]the needs in engineering and computing are great ahead of us
- [00:00:46.970]here in our state and beyond,
- [00:00:49.150]and as our number one priority
- [00:00:51.110]of the University of Nebraska,
- [00:00:53.080]to grow our College of Engineering into the future
- [00:00:55.470]to meet those needs that we have ahead of us.
- [00:00:59.150]We're very excited today to announce a partnership
- [00:01:03.020]that will move us into phase two of the development
- [00:01:05.920]of the capital projects of our College of Engineering.
- [00:01:09.240]As you know, we are starting
- [00:01:11.280]with a phase one $75 million rebuild
- [00:01:15.260]and addition to the link
- [00:01:17.040]and the Walter Scott Engineering Center here on our campus,
- [00:01:21.200]and today you will hear about the launch of phase two:
- [00:01:24.690]the new College of Engineering building here on our campus.
- [00:01:28.930]So welcome to the University of Nebraska,
- [00:01:30.890]it's an exciting day to be here,
- [00:01:33.080]and I would like to introduce to you now our partner,
- [00:01:36.450]Bruce Grewcock, the chairman of the Kiewit Corporation.
- [00:01:39.820]Bruce?
- [00:01:40.898](audience applauds)
- [00:01:48.510]I'd like to thank Chancellor Green and Dean Perez
- [00:01:52.470]for hosting us here to this event here today.
- [00:01:55.940]As he said, the need for engineering education
- [00:01:59.590]and more engineering students is huge in this country,
- [00:02:04.160]and as part of our commitment
- [00:02:06.010]to the engineering school here at Lincoln,
- [00:02:09.270]we wanna be a partner of it.
- [00:02:11.750]We employ about 4,500 engineers
- [00:02:15.400]within the Kiewit organization.
- [00:02:17.870]We have a need, we're hiring about a thousand engineers
- [00:02:20.890]across the United States and Canada every year,
- [00:02:23.450]and so it's very important to us that programs like the ones
- [00:02:27.910]at the University of Nebraska move forward.
- [00:02:32.010]It turns out the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is one
- [00:02:34.390]of the largest campuses that we recruit at,
- [00:02:37.010]and so it's very important to us
- [00:02:38.900]and very self-serving for the Kiewit organization
- [00:02:41.470]to try to promote things
- [00:02:42.820]that will help engineering education.
- [00:02:45.530]It's also part of the Kiewit Company's,
- [00:02:47.560]I think, legacy of commitment
- [00:02:49.800]in giving back to the state of Nebraska.
- [00:02:52.290]I know if Mr. Kiewit was alive today,
- [00:02:54.570]the project that we've got here in front of us would be one
- [00:02:56.930]that he would be very, very supportive of,
- [00:02:59.177]and so I'm definitely pleased
- [00:03:00.890]that we're able to be able to move forward with this.
- [00:03:05.230]The bricks-and-mortar piece
- [00:03:07.120]of what's going on here is important,
- [00:03:09.360]and Dean Perez walked me through some of the facilities,
- [00:03:12.030]and a few of them are a little bit old and tired,
- [00:03:16.080]and there's no doubt about it.
- [00:03:18.170]And again, bricks and mortar though,
- [00:03:19.810]for some perspective, is the easy part.
- [00:03:22.360]The other hard part about getting the right number
- [00:03:24.690]of students to come in here, graduate students,
- [00:03:26.840]undergraduate, the right faculty,
- [00:03:29.220]modern, up-to-date curriculum, whatnot,
- [00:03:31.810]and importantly, I think a distinction
- [00:03:33.730]that the University of Nebraska Engineering is doing is
- [00:03:35.710]what they call their whole engineering program
- [00:03:38.070]of understanding that there's more to teaching people
- [00:03:40.440]going out into the world than just the math
- [00:03:43.700]and science associated with engineering.
- [00:03:46.150]We strongly support Lance's vision,
- [00:03:48.880]and I'm trying to put him on the spot here to make sure
- [00:03:52.510]that he does what he says he's gonna do here.
- [00:03:55.912](audience laughs)
- [00:03:58.322](audience applauds)
- [00:04:02.419]So the bricks-and-mortar part is the easy part,
- [00:04:04.810]but the Kiewit Company is gonna stay engaged
- [00:04:08.007]in lots of different ways with the engineering department,
- [00:04:11.910]'cause, again, it's important, I think,
- [00:04:13.730]for the United States, for the Kiewit Company,
- [00:04:15.450]to develop more engineers,
- [00:04:16.970]and plus I think it's really, really important
- [00:04:18.800]for a big land-grant university
- [00:04:20.910]to have a top-notch engineering program.
- [00:04:23.580]We compete against a lot of top-notch programs
- [00:04:25.950]in the Big Ten,
- [00:04:27.080]and we've got a little bit of catch-up to do,
- [00:04:29.630]but again, I'm confident that Lance and the Chancellor here,
- [00:04:32.810]we're gonna get the job done.
- [00:04:33.930]So we're very happy to be here
- [00:04:36.220]and be able to help out a little bit.
- [00:04:39.491](audience applauds)
- [00:04:45.570]So this partnership involves a lead gift
- [00:04:48.800]of $20 million to support the phase two building project
- [00:04:53.230]that will eventually be known as Kiewit Hall
- [00:04:56.440]on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
- [00:04:58.860]and Bruce, we thank you and the Kiewit Corporation so much
- [00:05:02.410]for that investment in our future and that partnership
- [00:05:06.260]that we know is going to grow Nebraska engineering
- [00:05:08.590]to a new level, so big round of applause, please,
- [00:05:10.830]for the Kiewit Corporation.
- [00:05:12.154](audience applauds)
- [00:05:20.870]And now it's my pleasure to introduce to you
- [00:05:23.020]the Dean of the Nebraska College of Engineering,
- [00:05:25.670]Lance Perez,
- [00:05:27.190]and as you would expect from someone
- [00:05:29.720]of Lance's leadership caliber,
- [00:05:32.410]I'm reading here a quote that they must have put there
- [00:05:35.130]so that I would see it on the column here in Othmer Hall,
- [00:05:38.940]and I will read it to you.
- [00:05:40.410]It's from Lance.
- [00:05:41.440]It says, "We're building a college of engineering
- [00:05:43.457]"that will be a major source of economic development
- [00:05:46.337]"in the state and the region
- [00:05:48.147]"while addressing problems of global importance."
- [00:05:51.130]Please welcome the Dean of Nebraska Engineering,
- [00:05:53.330]Lance Perez.
- [00:05:54.461](audience applauds)
- [00:06:03.410]Good afternoon, everybody.
- [00:06:04.500]Thank you very much for being here.
- [00:06:06.340]Thank you, Chancellor Green, for your kind introduction.
- [00:06:09.780]I'm honored to be here today to represent the faculty,
- [00:06:13.050]staff, and students of the College of Engineering
- [00:06:15.430]and the larger Nebraska engineering community
- [00:06:17.850]on this momentous day.
- [00:06:20.190]Mr. Grewcock, I'd like to thank you
- [00:06:21.780]for this incredible gift,
- [00:06:23.260]and for Peter Kiewit Sons' current and future partnership
- [00:06:27.400]in building a leading college of engineering.
- [00:06:30.470]Nebraska engineering has a long tradition
- [00:06:32.570]of partnership with the construction
- [00:06:34.510]and engineering industry,
- [00:06:36.330]and I cannot imagine a more fitting partner
- [00:06:38.460]to propel us into the future.
- [00:06:41.610]There is no doubt
- [00:06:42.560]that Kiewit Hall will be a world-class facility,
- [00:06:46.060]but more importantly, with today's announcement,
- [00:06:49.210]it becomes a transformative investment
- [00:06:51.240]that will enable the talented faculty
- [00:06:52.960]and staff in engineering to excel
- [00:06:55.510]across our tripartite mission
- [00:06:57.540]of education, research, and engagement.
- [00:07:01.830]Kiewit Hall's focus on education
- [00:07:03.920]and engagement will enable us to meet the engineering
- [00:07:06.970]and construction industries' workforce needs
- [00:07:09.970]and stimulate broader economic development
- [00:07:12.340]within the state of Nebraska.
- [00:07:14.810]Kiewit Hall will attract
- [00:07:15.970]the best student talent to Nebraska,
- [00:07:18.880]young men and women from diverse backgrounds and interests
- [00:07:22.260]who will become complete engineers
- [00:07:24.890]and play an important role
- [00:07:26.300]in the overall health of the state of Nebraska.
- [00:07:30.170]I would be remiss not to also recognize the generosity
- [00:07:33.510]of many other people in the Nebraska engineering community.
- [00:07:36.890]This includes Jim Abel, Robert and Joell Brightfelt,
- [00:07:41.670]Hausmann Construction, Rick and Carol McNeel,
- [00:07:45.640]Dan and Angie Muhleisen, Olsson,
- [00:07:49.260]the Union Pacific Foundation, Don Voelte and Nancy Keegan,
- [00:07:54.219]and many others who are helping us make this a reality.
- [00:07:59.930]Indeed, the gift from Peter Kiewit & Sons is the foundation
- [00:08:03.700]of an effort that really represents a great example
- [00:08:08.100]of the power of one Nebraska,
- [00:08:10.720]what happens when everybody gets together
- [00:08:13.560]to pursue a common goal.
- [00:08:15.340]This is a team effort.
- [00:08:16.670]This involves university leadership from, of course,
- [00:08:19.730]the Chancellor's Office and the President's Office,
- [00:08:22.550]but also the support of the chancellors
- [00:08:24.250]of the other campuses at the University of Nebraska system.
- [00:08:27.620]It has the support of the Board of Regents and Regent Clare.
- [00:08:31.700]It has the support of the citizens of Nebraska.
- [00:08:34.077]It has the support of Nebraska industry.
- [00:08:37.370]And when those are combined, we are unstoppable
- [00:08:39.840]and we can achieve whatever we want to achieve.
- [00:08:43.160]And I know that this broad partnership is the envy
- [00:08:46.410]of institution and colleges of engineering in the Big Ten
- [00:08:49.910]and around the country.
- [00:08:51.800]So Mr. Grewcock, on behalf of all the students,
- [00:08:54.640]staff, and faculty of the Nebraska engineering community,
- [00:08:57.720]thank you so much for this transformative gift
- [00:09:00.710]and for Peter Kiewit & Sons' commitment
- [00:09:02.900]to excellence in engineering.
- [00:09:05.890]I'd now like to introduce the reason why we're here,
- [00:09:09.140]which is a student in the College of Engineering.
- [00:09:12.380]I'm pleased to introduce Delaney Bachman.
- [00:09:15.460]She's a senior chemical engineering major
- [00:09:17.560]from Fargo, North Dakota, and she will graduate in May
- [00:09:20.900]as the first engineer in her family.
- [00:09:23.820]She was also recently named one
- [00:09:25.440]of the nation's top 100 interns by WayUp.
- [00:09:28.960]Delaney, thank you for speaking
- [00:09:30.400]on behalf of the college students.
- [00:09:32.625](audience applauds)
- [00:09:40.340]Chancellor Green and Dean Perez,
- [00:09:42.060]thank you for including me in this announcement today
- [00:09:44.460]and for allowing me to represent the college's undergraduate
- [00:09:47.660]and graduate students.
- [00:09:49.210]Hearing about this new building makes me even more proud
- [00:09:51.890]to be a soon-to-be graduate
- [00:09:53.550]of Nebraska's Big Ten College of Engineering.
- [00:09:56.540]This new building
- [00:09:57.450]and renovations to the engineering facilities
- [00:09:59.760]will make a huge impact for current students
- [00:10:02.660]and especially for those who want to be engineers
- [00:10:05.210]and are considering Nebraska.
- [00:10:07.390]I personally chose the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- [00:10:10.040]because of the numerous opportunities available,
- [00:10:12.700]and it felt like it would be home to me.
- [00:10:14.950]Many engineering students, including myself,
- [00:10:17.410]spend countless hours in these buildings,
- [00:10:19.810]sometimes into the wee hours of the night,
- [00:10:21.820]working on group projects and assignments.
- [00:10:24.270]I'm sure the new facilities will add an even greater sense
- [00:10:27.190]of family and community for engineering.
- [00:10:30.640]I believe the new opportunities this building will provide
- [00:10:33.780]will take Nebraska engineering to a whole new level.
- [00:10:36.820]The students already compete among the best in the nation,
- [00:10:39.880]and this will further show
- [00:10:41.380]what Nebraska engineering is all about.
- [00:10:44.060]And on behalf of the college's engineering students,
- [00:10:46.540]I also want to thank Kiewit
- [00:10:48.120]and the many other generous donors
- [00:10:50.090]who are investing in the students
- [00:10:51.520]to help them become even better complete engineers.
- [00:10:54.860]Thank you.
- [00:10:55.891](audience applauds)
- [00:11:04.525]Thank you very much, Delaney.
- [00:11:05.783]And now to hear the importance
- [00:11:08.650]of engineering to the state of Nebraska,
- [00:11:10.860]I'd invite Interim President
- [00:11:12.340]of the University of Nebraska System,
- [00:11:13.990]Susan Fritz, to the podium.
- [00:11:15.240]Susan?
- [00:11:16.517](audience applauds)
- [00:11:22.120]Thank you, Chancellor Green,
- [00:11:23.230]and congratulations to you and Dean Perez
- [00:11:25.700]on this extraordinary day for Nebraska engineering.
- [00:11:29.370]I join the Chancellor and the Dean
- [00:11:31.010]in thanking Bruce Grewcock, Kiewit,
- [00:11:33.460]and Jim Abel for their generous support.
- [00:11:36.410]We also thank our elected leaders,
- [00:11:38.080]whose partnership on renovation projects
- [00:11:40.250]across the University of Nebraska is helping to ensure
- [00:11:43.470]we have cutting-edge learning and research space
- [00:11:46.540]that our students, faculty, and staff deserve.
- [00:11:49.810]The Nebraska Legislature's and Governor Ricketts' support
- [00:11:52.890]will make phase one of the engineering expansion a reality
- [00:11:56.370]and has paved the way for this exciting new phase.
- [00:11:59.860]Dean Perez, several months ago
- [00:12:01.930]I heard you give a presentation about the urgent need
- [00:12:05.080]for more STEM graduates in our workforce
- [00:12:07.620]and more engineers in particular.
- [00:12:10.270]You pointed out that economic growth
- [00:12:12.130]in the future will be centered around STEM jobs,
- [00:12:15.140]and you said,
- [00:12:15.973]"We either have to make the decisions necessary
- [00:12:18.987]"to participate in that growth
- [00:12:20.887]"or we won't be able to participate in that growth."
- [00:12:24.670]Today, it is clear that Nebraska has made a decision
- [00:12:28.270]to participate in that growth.
- [00:12:30.820]Indeed, the leadership
- [00:12:31.830]of the entire University of Nebraska System,
- [00:12:34.540]including UNO, UNMC and UNK,
- [00:12:38.200]in addition to the flagship campus here at Lincoln,
- [00:12:40.820]is unified in our commitment to growth
- [00:12:42.690]and momentum in engineering.
- [00:12:45.550]The opportunities to expand our reach,
- [00:12:48.260]to serve even more students like Delaney,
- [00:12:51.110]to attract even more talent
- [00:12:52.640]and bring more jobs to Nebraska are as numerous
- [00:12:55.470]as they are exciting.
- [00:12:57.500]The opportunities for collaboration are many,
- [00:13:00.280]and Chancellor Green
- [00:13:01.180]and Dean Perez are commendably focused on partnering
- [00:13:03.990]with the other university campuses
- [00:13:06.250]and with private industry to meet the needs of our state.
- [00:13:10.320]Partnerships with UNK will produce more engineers
- [00:13:13.060]for rural Nebraska, for example.
- [00:13:15.920]Collaborations with UNMC hold great promise
- [00:13:18.620]for growth in biomedical engineering,
- [00:13:21.610]and Dean Perez works hand-in-hand
- [00:13:23.480]with the College of Information Science and Technology
- [00:13:25.980]at UNO to meet Nebraska's STEM needs.
- [00:13:29.890]The bottom line is that when it comes
- [00:13:31.820]to the University of Nebraska's priorities,
- [00:13:34.260]engineering is at the top of the list.
- [00:13:38.220]The needs of our state are great,
- [00:13:40.010]and the stakes are too high
- [00:13:41.400]for us not to be laser-focused on building the best
- [00:13:44.290]and most competitive college of engineering
- [00:13:46.340]that we possibly can,
- [00:13:48.310]so today we are making a significant step
- [00:13:50.730]toward that goal.
- [00:13:52.660]So thank you to all the private and public partners
- [00:13:55.060]who are helping to make our vision a reality,
- [00:13:57.930]to Dean Perez and the talented team
- [00:13:59.880]at the College of Engineering for positioning us for growth,
- [00:14:03.300]and to students like Delaney who every day remind us
- [00:14:06.130]why it's so important to invest in our future.
- [00:14:09.310]Now I'll turn it back to Chancellor Green.
- [00:14:11.132]Thank you.
- [00:14:12.092](audience applauds)
- [00:14:16.970]Thank you, Susan,
- [00:14:17.940]and thank you for your interim leadership
- [00:14:20.070]of the University of Nebraska
- [00:14:21.390]at this really important time for us.
- [00:14:23.650]And now I'd like to invite,
- [00:14:25.580]on behalf of the Board of Regents,
- [00:14:27.230]the Chairman of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents,
- [00:14:29.830]Tim Clare.
- [00:14:30.940]Tim?
- [00:14:32.312](audience applauds)
- [00:14:38.120]Thank you, Ronnie.
- [00:14:39.530]What a great day for the College of Engineering,
- [00:14:42.150]the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
- [00:14:44.160]the University of Nebraska System,
- [00:14:46.370]and our entire state of Nebraska.
- [00:14:48.910]It's an honor to be here with you today,
- [00:14:51.400]and on behalf of the Board of Regents,
- [00:14:53.200]I'm honored to celebrate with all of you.
- [00:14:56.360]We heard from Delaney
- [00:14:58.200]about what the new engineering facility will mean
- [00:15:00.970]for our students, but it also has significance
- [00:15:05.310]with our public and private partners as well.
- [00:15:08.150]The bottom line is that when the University of Nebraska
- [00:15:11.550]serves our students effectively,
- [00:15:13.660]we serve the state and its entire public
- [00:15:16.870]and private workforce also effectively.
- [00:15:20.370]The needs we are referring to are urgent and growing.
- [00:15:24.820]In the very near future,
- [00:15:26.350]the state of Nebraska will need 15,000 new workers
- [00:15:30.730]in engineering, construction, and computing fields.
- [00:15:34.350]This is a unique responsibility,
- [00:15:36.750]but it also has unique opportunity.
- [00:15:39.560]Frankly, we need to be more
- [00:15:41.330]in order to grow a robust STEM workforce
- [00:15:45.070]that will keep Nebraska competitive.
- [00:15:47.650]If we are going to be successful,
- [00:15:49.410]we will need bold new ideas, deeper partnerships,
- [00:15:53.040]and strategic investments going forward.
- [00:15:56.090]Interim President Fritz mentioned
- [00:15:57.800]that growth in the College of Engineering is
- [00:15:59.870]a top priority university-wide for us.
- [00:16:03.380]The Board of Regents stands fully behind that goal.
- [00:16:07.360]Today is a critical step forward.
- [00:16:09.580]Together with our public and private partners,
- [00:16:11.800]we are investing more than $150 million
- [00:16:14.520]to grow our College of Engineering into a premier college
- [00:16:18.410]that will serve many more talented students like Delaney
- [00:16:22.100]and produce more of the highly skilled workers
- [00:16:24.860]that our state desperately needs.
- [00:16:27.070]We are extremely grateful to the generous donations
- [00:16:30.380]of the Peter Kiewit & Sons,
- [00:16:32.930]Jim and Mary Abel, and the other donors,
- [00:16:35.050]along with our legislative partners and others
- [00:16:37.700]who have helped make this vision a real reality.
- [00:16:41.970]You've heard Dean Perez's goal to increase enrollment
- [00:16:44.410]in the College of Engineering by more than 50%.
- [00:16:48.000]I'm confident, in the years to come,
- [00:16:50.320]the College of Engineering will be even more powerful force
- [00:16:53.860]of growth and economic development for our state.
- [00:16:57.030]That is a credit to the leadership we have in place
- [00:16:59.810]and the commitment of so many Nebraskans
- [00:17:02.580]who recognize the critical importance of investing
- [00:17:06.060]in our state's only standalone engineering college.
- [00:17:09.680]Congratulations to all those who made this dream
- [00:17:13.300]and vision a reality and this day possible.
- [00:17:16.920]Great things are ahead for the College of Engineering.
- [00:17:19.590]Thank you.
- [00:17:21.053](audience applauds)
- [00:17:26.100]Thank you very much, Regent Clare.
- [00:17:27.850]I see out in the audience a number of people
- [00:17:31.420]who have served the College of Engineering
- [00:17:33.470]here in the engineering advisory boards
- [00:17:35.860]and capacity on our advisory boards.
- [00:17:37.460]Would you please raise your hand or stand,
- [00:17:39.330]because we have a lot of leadership here,
- [00:17:41.500]those of you who are on the EAB?
- [00:17:43.590]Yep, there's a number of you here.
- [00:17:44.950]We appreciate you being here
- [00:17:46.870]and your guidance in bringing us to this reality
- [00:17:49.890]of a new investment in the College of Engineering.
- [00:17:53.170]And now to hear from the University of Nebraska Foundation,
- [00:17:56.090]I'd invite our CEO of the University of Nebraska Foundation,
- [00:17:59.130]Brian Hastings, to the podium.
- [00:18:00.600]Brian?
- [00:18:02.825](audience applauds)
- [00:18:08.230]Thank you, Chancellor Green.
- [00:18:09.090]What a great day for the University of Nebraska
- [00:18:11.577]and a great day in this,
- [00:18:13.580]our 150th year for the University of Nebraska.
- [00:18:18.600]Dean Perez and Chancellor Green have
- [00:18:20.600]a really compelling vision
- [00:18:22.240]for what Nebraska engineering can be
- [00:18:24.440]and should be and will be,
- [00:18:26.330]and today we are here to celebrate a number of people
- [00:18:31.410]who have had a chance to step up
- [00:18:33.590]and say, "I wanna help make that vision a reality."
- [00:18:36.400]And I wanna start, my message is pretty simple today.
- [00:18:39.640]It's to say thank you.
- [00:18:41.180]And to Mr. Grewcock, we wanna thank you and Kiewit.
- [00:18:44.930]To have this new facility named Kiewit Hall is very fitting
- [00:18:49.390]because certainly, within Nebraska,
- [00:18:51.000]the Kiewit name is synonymous with engineering,
- [00:18:53.910]and your partnership is much more
- [00:18:55.730]than just building a building.
- [00:18:56.890]It's about growing the workforce
- [00:18:58.900]and growing the economy for this state,
- [00:19:00.610]and we're very, very grateful
- [00:19:02.620]for your leadership commitment.
- [00:19:03.960]Every big project needs a big champion,
- [00:19:06.540]and we really appreciate Kiewit being that champion
- [00:19:09.530]to kick this forward.
- [00:19:12.560]To Jim and Mary Abel, I know Jim could not be with us today.
- [00:19:16.040]I can't see through the crowd
- [00:19:18.120]if his son and nephew, Jack and Phil, are here,
- [00:19:23.400]but I do see Bob Miller from the NEBCO Company.
- [00:19:28.670]The Abel family is synonymous
- [00:19:30.510]with civic leadership at Lincoln certainly.
- [00:19:32.940]They've been supporters of the College of Business,
- [00:19:34.810]the College of Engineering,
- [00:19:36.120]Haymarket Park, where the Husker baseball team plays,
- [00:19:41.360]and without the gift from Jim and Mary Abel
- [00:19:45.220]and NEBCO Company of the parcels of land,
- [00:19:49.760]this site specifically might not be possible,
- [00:19:52.640]and so we're extremely grateful
- [00:19:54.390]for what the Abel family has done and continues to do.
- [00:19:57.480]I mean, literally, their gift will serve as the foundation
- [00:20:00.240]for where this new building will go.
- [00:20:03.380]And last, I want to acknowledge the same donors
- [00:20:05.860]that Dean Perez did.
- [00:20:09.160]Again, early supporters in a leadership capacity
- [00:20:12.270]for this project to help move it forward:
- [00:20:14.820]Robert and Joell Brightfelt, Hausmann Construction,
- [00:20:18.980]Rick and Carol McNeel, Dan and Angie Muhleisen,
- [00:20:23.640]Olsson, Union Pacific Foundation,
- [00:20:27.460]and Don Voelte and Nancy Keegan,
- [00:20:29.760]and I wanna echo Chancellor Green's support and gratitude
- [00:20:33.550]to the College of Engineering Dean's Advisory Board,
- [00:20:36.020]who have just been stalwart champions
- [00:20:38.430]and advocates for this project,
- [00:20:40.980]all phases of this project, over the last many years.
- [00:20:45.709]We're grateful at the foundation to play a part
- [00:20:47.650]and be a partner with the Chancellor and the Dean in this,
- [00:20:50.120]and we just wanna say thanks to all of our donors
- [00:20:52.730]and to everybody who will help make the rest
- [00:20:54.630]of this project a reality.
- [00:20:55.900]Thank you.
- [00:20:57.268](audience applauds)
- [00:21:04.000]We often talk about how the University of Nebraska
- [00:21:06.487]and the state of Nebraska have grown up together,
- [00:21:09.480]have developed together, are intertwined together
- [00:21:12.320]through our past 150 years here
- [00:21:14.630]as the University of Nebraska.
- [00:21:16.740]If you combine the partnership today
- [00:21:19.750]that we're talking about here in terms of its impact
- [00:21:22.810]on the state of Nebraska, it's 386 years in total:
- [00:21:28.390]150 for the University of Nebraska,
- [00:21:31.140]135 for Kiewit & Sons,
- [00:21:34.350]111 for NEBCO that you just heard about,
- [00:21:38.220]talking about growing this state and building this state.
- [00:21:41.600]That's a powerful partnership.
- [00:21:43.360]We're so excited about the future
- [00:21:45.610]and what it holds for the College of Engineering.
- [00:21:48.500]I'd like to now draw your attention to a short video
- [00:21:51.160]that will talk about Kiewit Hall.
- [00:21:54.652](dramatic music)
- [00:22:45.160]It's a new era for Nebraska engineering.
- [00:22:47.750]Thank you, Kiewit Corporation and Mr. Abel.
- [00:22:50.690]We can't wait to get started.
- [00:23:03.266](audience applauds)
- [00:23:09.700]As I said when we started,
- [00:23:10.850]it's a great day to be in Nebraska.
- [00:23:12.510]We thank the Kiewit Corporation, Bruce,
- [00:23:14.390]so much for your partnership,
- [00:23:16.200]and for all of the donors
- [00:23:17.290]who are helping to make this happen.
- [00:23:19.560]We have time for a few questions if you would like,
- [00:23:23.690]and then we'll stand adjourned
- [00:23:25.690]for a wonderful reception afterwards.
- [00:23:27.750]So are there questions
- [00:23:28.980]that we might address from the audience?
- [00:23:33.220]And if the media have any questions, wait.
- [00:23:35.930]I got a mic.
- [00:23:41.280]Yes, Rick.
- [00:23:42.320]How much has been raised?
- [00:23:44.220]So the phase one project is a $75 million project
- [00:23:48.340]that is now underway.
- [00:23:49.720]That is, all the funding is in place
- [00:23:51.890]from the state of Nebraska
- [00:23:53.320]as well as some philanthropic dollars.
- [00:23:55.940]Phase two, the Kiewit Hall project
- [00:23:58.410]that we're talking about here today,
- [00:24:01.130]we are significantly advanced in our fundraising
- [00:24:03.920]and have expectation that will be complete
- [00:24:06.870]within the year, this next year.
- [00:24:18.870]Yes?
- [00:24:22.570]I'm sorry I missed the first part of it,
- [00:24:24.270]but how important is actually having this facility grow
- [00:24:28.900]in, I guess, expanding to 5,000,
- [00:24:31.150]getting 5,000 more students?
- [00:24:32.680]I'm gonna let Dean Perez address that.
- [00:24:40.210]So this facility is a critical part
- [00:24:42.450]of the college's strategic plan
- [00:24:44.810]to grow into 5,000 undergraduate students,
- [00:24:47.910]and that growth is necessary
- [00:24:49.700]so that we can support the economic development
- [00:24:52.150]of the state of Nebraska.
- [00:24:53.730]As Regent Clare said in his remarks,
- [00:24:55.800]the state of Nebraska is projecting 15,000 engineering jobs
- [00:25:00.740]to occur in the near future.
- [00:25:02.660]We have to grow to meet the needs of,
- [00:25:05.890]meet those workforce needs,
- [00:25:07.580]and this building is going to enable us to do that.
- [00:25:11.890]And this phase two building, it should be added,
- [00:25:14.350]is primarily an instructional building,
- [00:25:17.990]so it will be for student success
- [00:25:20.470]and for the student success instructional needs
- [00:25:22.980]of the college moving forward.
- [00:25:28.740]Well, let's enjoy the,
- [00:25:29.573]we have one more question over here.
- [00:25:31.873]What is the link?
- [00:25:33.387](audience laughs)
- [00:25:37.865]Lance will do, he does a very nice job
- [00:25:40.570]of describing the need for the replacement of the link.
- [00:25:46.210]So the link is a building,
- [00:25:47.940]approximately 37,000 square feet,
- [00:25:50.820]you can tell I've said this before,
- [00:25:53.380]that was built in 1984
- [00:25:55.180]which connects the Scott Engineering Center
- [00:25:57.030]to Nebraska Hall, so it is a building
- [00:25:59.897]that's very expensive to operate and maintain,
- [00:26:03.390]and the decision was made after some careful analysis
- [00:26:06.100]that it would be better just to tear that building down
- [00:26:08.100]and rebuild it, and that's being done as part of phase one.
- [00:26:15.260]Thank you all for being here,
- [00:26:17.020]and we appreciate the investment of our partners.
- [00:26:20.950]It's a great day to be in Nebraska.
- [00:26:22.410]It's great day for Nebraska engineering.
- [00:26:24.310]Thank you very much.
- [00:26:25.418](audience applauds)
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