Kiewit Hall Groundbreaking

College of Engineering Author

06/28/2021 Added

90 Plays

Description

A groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the beginning of construction for the privately funded $97 million Kiewit Hall at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on June 28, 2021. The event was held adjacent to the new building site at 17th and Vine streets at the College of Engineering in Othmer Hall.

Searchable Transcript

Search:

[00:00:04.070]My name is Ronnie Green,
[00:00:05.350]I have the pleasure of serving as the chancellor
[00:00:07.550]here at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
[00:00:09.970]It is a big day for us at the University of Nebraska,
[00:00:13.970]it's a big day for the state of Nebraska,
[00:00:16.270]it's a big day for the field of engineering
[00:00:19.300]as we turn ground here
[00:00:21.590]on the largest academic facilities project
[00:00:25.630]in the 152 year history
[00:00:28.410]of the University of Nebraska.
[00:00:30.330]We're very, very excited about it,
[00:00:33.130]and had the opportunity today
[00:00:34.980]to tell you more about it
[00:00:37.090]and see more about what this is going to look like
[00:00:39.780]as we commence
[00:00:40.710]and get underway with the construction
[00:00:42.590]of this new instructional facility
[00:00:45.130]for Nebraska engineering.
[00:00:47.760]I want to recognize several special guests
[00:00:51.710]that we have with us here today
[00:00:53.630]to help us celebrate this momentous occasion.
[00:00:57.130]First, we're very,
[00:00:58.530]very pleased to have Lincoln mayor,
[00:01:00.490]Leirion Gaylor Baird with us,
[00:01:02.030]thank you for being with us,
[00:01:03.340]mayor Gaylor Baird. (audience clapping)
[00:01:09.210]Very pleased to have two of our sitting members
[00:01:11.950]of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents
[00:01:14.240]here with us today,
[00:01:15.180]regent Jack Stark from Omaha,
[00:01:17.310]and regent Tim Clare from Lincoln,
[00:01:19.150]thank you both for being here today.
[00:01:21.236](audience applauding)
[00:01:25.250]And very pleased to have
[00:01:26.810]the University of Nebraska system president with us,
[00:01:29.670]Ted Carter,
[00:01:30.840]who you've all kind of gotten to know really well,
[00:01:32.810]Ted, thank you for being here today
[00:01:34.417]and for your leadership. (audience applauding)
[00:01:39.400]You might remember
[00:01:40.690]that we stood in this very same spot
[00:01:43.180]a little under two years ago
[00:01:45.340]to announce this major project,
[00:01:47.520]and it was on the heels of the renovation
[00:01:50.780]of the Scott Engineering Center,
[00:01:52.320]that as you go down the street here below us,
[00:01:54.410]you see happening in real time
[00:01:56.230]and on schedule
[00:01:57.150]and on budget,
[00:01:58.340]very pleased about that,
[00:02:00.110]to be the first major expansion
[00:02:02.700]of Nebraska engineering,
[00:02:04.130]primarily for our research enterprise
[00:02:06.870]and enhancing our research enterprise in the college.
[00:02:10.250]And at that event here two years ago,
[00:02:12.900]September of 19,
[00:02:14.190]I think it was,
[00:02:15.610]where we announced the launch of Kiewit Hall
[00:02:19.260]and the naming of what will become Kiewit Hall
[00:02:21.920]as the home,
[00:02:23.030]all in-house home for Nebraska engineering
[00:02:25.990]as our world-class instructional facility.
[00:02:29.310]And you might remember,
[00:02:30.770]Bruce Grewcock, current CEO at the time
[00:02:34.080]of the Kiewit Corporation
[00:02:35.430]was here to celebrate that with us
[00:02:37.730]and to lend the name of Kiewit to that new hall.
[00:02:41.770]Here we are,
[00:02:42.830]a year and a half later,
[00:02:44.800]almost two years later,
[00:02:46.160]and a lot of water under the bridge,
[00:02:47.920]as you know in that time period,
[00:02:50.180]and we're about to launch on
[00:02:52.070]that $97 million project,
[00:02:55.780]totally but privately fund raised
[00:02:59.330]as a partnership with philanthropists
[00:03:01.700]and with supporters of the university
[00:03:04.290]now in being able to move that forward.
[00:03:06.970]I want to acknowledge several of our major donors
[00:03:10.260]and contributors who are here
[00:03:11.780]to celebrate this with us today,
[00:03:13.590]and you'll hear more about them
[00:03:15.500]throughout the course of our program.
[00:03:18.010]First, certainly the Kiewit Corporation,
[00:03:20.400]that I've mentioned earlier,
[00:03:21.990]and who are building this facility with us
[00:03:24.630]as we move forward,
[00:03:26.370]so Rick, you and your team,
[00:03:27.760]and a number of people who are here,
[00:03:29.110]you'll hear Rick here in a few moments.
[00:03:31.890]The Suzanne & Walter Scott Foundation,
[00:03:34.230]major contributor to this project,
[00:03:36.460]and I saw Calvin Sisson
[00:03:37.860]and Laura here with us this morning,
[00:03:40.490]thank you for your support of the project.
[00:03:43.320]The Abel Foundation are here in Lincoln,
[00:03:46.010]Jim Abel and his team,
[00:03:47.730]a group of the team here,
[00:03:49.260]and Jack with us this morning,
[00:03:51.730]not only for the philanthropic support,
[00:03:54.450]but the land upon which we are building this facility
[00:03:58.100]comes from the Abel Foundation as well.
[00:04:01.130]The Peter Kiewit Foundation is also here,
[00:04:04.040]Wendy, welcome,
[00:04:05.640]a major supporter of the project,
[00:04:08.070]as well as a major supporter
[00:04:10.430]of a new initiative for our College of Engineering
[00:04:13.460]to support scholarships for students
[00:04:16.380]moving forward in the future.
[00:04:18.260]The Robert B. Daugherty Foundation,
[00:04:19.563]now, they were unable to be here this morning,
[00:04:22.110]but our friends at the Daugherty Foundation,
[00:04:24.080]also a major contributor to the project.
[00:04:27.040]And last but not least,
[00:04:28.410]certainly the Acklie Charitable Foundation
[00:04:30.720]here in Lincoln,
[00:04:31.570]the Acklie family, Phyllis, Tonn,
[00:04:33.980]and others who have been supportive of this project
[00:04:36.127]and are a major contributor to it as well.
[00:04:40.780]There has been an architect of this plan,
[00:04:43.790]and I've had the pleasure
[00:04:45.000]and privilege of being able to work with this architect
[00:04:48.080]for a number of years.
[00:04:50.410]You will know
[00:04:51.243]that he became the dean of the College of Engineering,
[00:04:53.860]of Nebraska engineering in 2016,
[00:04:57.490]is the same time I became chancellor,
[00:04:59.720]and I was very fortunate
[00:05:01.370]that those two things came together at the same time,
[00:05:04.760]as Lance Pérez assumed the interim leadership
[00:05:08.240]at that time of Nebraska engineering.
[00:05:11.700]You'll hear the term complete engineer
[00:05:14.330]from this college a lot,
[00:05:15.630]it's a standout of Nebraska engineering,
[00:05:18.670]and this is a complete engineer
[00:05:21.240]that I'm introducing to you here this morning
[00:05:23.760]to tell you more about the project,
[00:05:25.303]dean Lance Pérez,
[00:05:27.150]please welcome Lance.
[00:05:29.298](audience applauding)
[00:05:30.570]Thank you so much Green.
[00:05:32.748](audience applauding)
[00:05:38.350]Well, thank you very much chancellor Green
[00:05:40.020]for that kind introduction.
[00:05:42.230]As chancellor Green said,
[00:05:43.810]this is really a culmination of a really
[00:05:48.510]statewide partnership involving the president's office,
[00:05:52.720]president Carter has been a big supporter of the college,
[00:05:55.070]the chancellor's office,
[00:05:56.620]the board of regents,
[00:05:58.120]of course, the Nebraska business
[00:05:59.810]and philanthropic communities,
[00:06:01.620]and I can tell you,
[00:06:02.453]as someone who's spent my career at this university,
[00:06:04.280]how gratifying it is to see
[00:06:05.620]that kind of investment in the College of Engineering,
[00:06:08.240]it is really just humbling,
[00:06:09.730]and I can't tell you how happy everybody is
[00:06:13.000]that with this major project.
[00:06:15.520]Of course, things don't happen in a vacuum,
[00:06:18.450]I'm fortunate to have,
[00:06:19.930]I think the best external advisory board at the university,
[00:06:23.610]for 20 years,
[00:06:24.610]they've been championing the College of Engineering,
[00:06:27.390]I'd particularly like to mention Bob Brightfelt
[00:06:29.047]and his leadership,
[00:06:30.550]they've given their time, effort,
[00:06:32.310]and resources to this,
[00:06:33.530]and this is really a reflection
[00:06:35.310]of their commitment to engineering
[00:06:37.070]and construction education in the state of Nebraska.
[00:06:40.850]It also wouldn't be possible
[00:06:42.150]without a really impressive leadership team,
[00:06:45.840]in the audience,
[00:06:46.673]you'll see members of my executive team.
[00:06:49.310]I get to be up here up front
[00:06:50.410]and get a lot of credit,
[00:06:51.340]they're the ones that actually do all the work,
[00:06:53.240]so I'd like to thank all of you,
[00:06:54.660]and I can't tell you how grateful I am to work with you.
[00:06:57.620]The College of Engineering is also...
[00:06:59.580]We're a big organization,
[00:07:00.860]we have almost 250 faculty,
[00:07:02.820]we have a hundred staff,
[00:07:04.270]again, these are the people
[00:07:05.770]that actually deliver in the quality education
[00:07:08.460]that has benefited so many of you in the audience
[00:07:10.600]and is what's going to drive economic development
[00:07:13.060]in the state of Nebraska as we move forward,
[00:07:14.970]so thank you to all the faculty
[00:07:16.250]and staff in the College of Engineering.
[00:07:18.760]As focused as we are today on this building,
[00:07:20.960]and that of course is very important,
[00:07:23.370]what really matters
[00:07:24.203]is what's gonna happen in that building.
[00:07:26.160]What I'm proudest of
[00:07:27.790]is that the Nebraska philanthropic community
[00:07:30.360]got behind a building
[00:07:31.340]that's focused on education, all right?
[00:07:33.900]This is about educating
[00:07:36.000]the next generation of construction, computing,
[00:07:38.320]and engineering professionals
[00:07:39.480]for the state of Nebraska.
[00:07:41.090]For the first time in over a generation,
[00:07:43.140]we'll have a facility
[00:07:44.500]that is actually about
[00:07:45.730]teaching engineering and construction.
[00:07:47.840]It's going to be a game changer
[00:07:49.330]for the state of Nebraska
[00:07:50.550]and for the next generation of students,
[00:07:52.720]and to see that kind of private support behind
[00:07:55.030]that mission is really, again,
[00:07:57.070]just extremely gratifying and important,
[00:07:58.980]it's a longterm investment in the state of Nebraska.
[00:08:02.630]Chancellor Green already mentioned the complete engineer,
[00:08:04.830]you'll see posters about it up all around the building.
[00:08:08.470]It really is an important program,
[00:08:10.520]a differentiator for the College of Engineering,
[00:08:13.000]our big 10 peers do not have a program like this,
[00:08:16.360]it's about not just creating engineers
[00:08:19.240]with strong technical capabilities,
[00:08:21.570]but students, engineers who have communication skills,
[00:08:24.980]leadership skills,
[00:08:26.300]are committed to community,
[00:08:27.630]committed to inclusive excellence,
[00:08:29.950]and to see the support
[00:08:31.440]that this building is gonna give to that program
[00:08:33.670]is going to be a game changer as well.
[00:08:36.800]Again, chancellor Green alluded to the fact
[00:08:38.970]that not only do we have the support for this building,
[00:08:42.380]but we also have several major scholarship programs
[00:08:44.840]that have been created along with this building,
[00:08:47.280]and I'd like to thank the leadership
[00:08:49.410]of the Peter Kiewit company
[00:08:51.900]for providing a scholarship program,
[00:08:53.660]the Kiewit scholars.
[00:08:55.550]We have our first cohort of 10 students coming in this year,
[00:08:58.630]we had 327 applicants from around the country for 10 slots,
[00:09:02.900]if that doesn't speak to the demand for engineers
[00:09:05.850]and construction professionals,
[00:09:07.400]and the quality of education
[00:09:08.670]that they get at the University of Nebraska,
[00:09:10.800]I don't know what does.
[00:09:12.370]And we have...
[00:09:13.340]I just had...
[00:09:14.173]I was fortunate to have a meeting this morning
[00:09:15.500]with the Peter Kiewit Foundation,
[00:09:17.630]we will be formally announcing
[00:09:19.380]a very large scholarship program
[00:09:21.450]associated with the Peter Kiewit Foundation.
[00:09:24.440]And again, all those students
[00:09:25.840]are going to be in this building,
[00:09:27.760]getting a world-class education.
[00:09:29.980]Thank you so much for everything you do
[00:09:31.450]for the College of Engineering.
[00:09:33.901](audience clapping)
[00:09:41.780]Thank you, Lance.
[00:09:42.870]It's now my pleasure to introduce to you Rick Lanoha.
[00:09:46.760]Rick's is the current CEO
[00:09:48.880]of the Peter Kiewit Corporation,
[00:09:50.580]assumed that role in late 19, early 20,
[00:09:55.670]right at the time the world got pretty interesting,
[00:09:57.940]Rick was moving into that position
[00:10:00.290]and I am proud to say
[00:10:01.610]he is a 1991 graduate
[00:10:03.970]of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
[00:10:05.950]and the College of Engineering.
[00:10:07.480]Rick Lanoha, CEO of Kiewit.
[00:10:10.270](audience clapping)
[00:10:13.300]Thank you, chancellor Green.
[00:10:15.890]I'd just like to add to a little bit
[00:10:18.120]what dean Pérez said here,
[00:10:20.250]we are so excited to be a part of this project,
[00:10:22.840]both to be a part of the project,
[00:10:24.100]to get an opportunity to donate
[00:10:26.620]and be a part of what is being created down here,
[00:10:30.680]the complete engineer, the building,
[00:10:32.960]the world-class facility,
[00:10:34.660]but also to be a part of getting to build the project,
[00:10:37.120]we've got a large team here with Kiewit
[00:10:39.410]that are all gonna be out there building it, responsible,
[00:10:42.000]to make it a really successful outcome.
[00:10:44.430]Over 600 engineers, construction managers,
[00:10:48.380]currently work for Kiewit right now,
[00:10:50.470]back in its earliest days,
[00:10:52.690]Peter Kiewit came to the University of Nebraska
[00:10:54.820]to find many of the engineers
[00:10:56.790]that created the company
[00:10:58.200]that you see today,
[00:10:59.510]and their storied careers
[00:11:01.910]built what we all get to be a part of,
[00:11:04.090]of working and executing every day.
[00:11:06.830]And so the University of Nebraska
[00:11:08.470]has been incredibly important to us,
[00:11:11.630]and when this opportunity came along
[00:11:13.990]to really build this world-class facility
[00:11:16.530]and create this thing under the vision
[00:11:18.280]of these two gentlemen,
[00:11:19.530]and the opportunity to create this complete engineer,
[00:11:22.710]it was a unanimous vote at our board of directors meetings.
[00:11:25.640]Now, luckily, Doug Glaser sitting there knows,
[00:11:28.200]we kind of carry the room
[00:11:30.610]when we vote on the board
[00:11:31.650]for the University of Nebraska,
[00:11:32.840]but it was a unanimous vote to do this donation
[00:11:36.210]and see this world-class facility done,
[00:11:38.170]so we are excited to be a part,
[00:11:40.060]we can't thank enough,
[00:11:41.120]and we're really excited to see what the future brings,
[00:11:43.870]thank you.
[00:11:44.947](audience clapping)
[00:11:52.110]And if you know the Kiewit Corporation,
[00:11:54.690]you know this building is gonna be built right,
[00:11:57.080]so we look forward to it. (indistinct chatter)
[00:11:59.450]Yeah, we look forward to it. (audience laughing)
[00:12:02.340]It's now my pleasure to introduce one of our students
[00:12:05.250]from the University of Nebraska's College of Engineering
[00:12:08.090]to give you a student perspective
[00:12:10.020]on how important this building is gonna be
[00:12:12.410]for our student population.
[00:12:14.390]I'd like to introduce to you Noha Algahimi,
[00:12:18.110]who will represent the student body
[00:12:19.810]of Nebraska engineering, Noha.
[00:12:22.404](audience clapping)
[00:12:27.989]Thank you, chancellor Green,
[00:12:29.560]for that wonderful introduction.
[00:12:31.370]On behalf of all engineering students,
[00:12:33.170]I would like to express the appreciation
[00:12:34.840]we all have for this incredible investment
[00:12:37.050]in the College of Engineering
[00:12:38.170]and the quality of education it provides.
[00:12:40.750]We recognize the importance of allocating funds
[00:12:43.040]for campus growth in a way
[00:12:44.340]that is not only meaningful,
[00:12:45.930]but invaluable to the learning experiences
[00:12:47.950]we seek as undergraduates and beyond.
[00:12:50.810]We are incredibly grateful to our donors
[00:12:52.670]for taking a chance on our students
[00:12:54.250]and their passions,
[00:12:55.250]and providing us with the means to grow as a college
[00:12:58.060]and as a student body.
[00:13:00.100]While I've enjoyed my time here as a student
[00:13:02.210]using our preexisting facilities,
[00:13:04.150]I am thrilled to witness the start of something new
[00:13:06.860]and remarkable to be offered to our future cohorts
[00:13:09.580]of bright eyed engineers in training.
[00:13:12.080]With the expansion of facilities
[00:13:13.590]comes an unimaginable realm of possibility,
[00:13:16.660]it means new spaces to develop our projects
[00:13:19.270]and additional study spots to build
[00:13:21.060]the social connections we so heavily rely on
[00:13:23.790]to get us through a rigorous four years.
[00:13:26.710]It means state-of-the-art classrooms,
[00:13:28.360]nurturing the comfort of both students and professors,
[00:13:31.510]thereby allowing for the effective delivery
[00:13:33.610]and reception of information.
[00:13:35.450]In addition to providing our students,
[00:13:37.370]both undergraduate and graduate,
[00:13:39.740]the opportunity to conduct hands-on research
[00:13:42.120]without the additional worry
[00:13:43.320]of aging laboratories or technology.
[00:13:46.610]Having establishments such as Kiewit Hall at our disposal
[00:13:49.260]is integral to student success.
[00:13:51.470]I know that during my own time as an engineering student,
[00:13:54.060]I have greatly appreciated both the space
[00:13:56.430]and technological aids Othmer has provided.
[00:13:59.490]Without the countless study spots bathed in sunlight,
[00:14:02.010]which often turns to moonlight,
[00:14:04.050]the dynamic classrooms
[00:14:05.310]and our computer labs,
[00:14:06.730]I would not have been able
[00:14:07.660]to navigate my studies as effectively
[00:14:09.950]or as enjoyably.
[00:14:11.800]I personally could not imagine
[00:14:13.200]the passage of the last three years
[00:14:14.730]without the presence of the home
[00:14:15.930]I found in the chemical engineering library
[00:14:17.650]on the second floor of this building.
[00:14:19.830]And I'm unbelievably excited
[00:14:21.520]to see what new homes will be created
[00:14:23.700]within the hall...
[00:14:24.533]Within the walls of Kiewit Hall.
[00:14:26.650]Thank you to all involved for making
[00:14:28.310]a difference in the UNL engineering community
[00:14:30.690]and for caring about the work we do as students.
[00:14:33.410]As the College of Engineering
[00:14:34.460]continues to provide remarkable visionaries
[00:14:36.430]and valuable members to the scientific world,
[00:14:39.040]Kiewit Hall will become a fixture
[00:14:40.660]in each individual success story.
[00:14:43.270]Thank you.
[00:14:45.601](audience clapping)
[00:14:52.120]Well, thank you very much, Noha.
[00:14:53.720]We know that our students
[00:14:55.250]are going to build the future,
[00:14:56.970]and be more enabled to do that
[00:14:58.880]through this new facility
[00:15:00.720]that we're putting in place.
[00:15:02.690]It takes a huge team to plan something like this,
[00:15:06.070]and the design of a facility
[00:15:07.940]and the the architects to get us to this point
[00:15:11.560]for launching what will be a world-class facility,
[00:15:14.450]and to tell us a little bit about that,
[00:15:16.700]I'd like to introduce to you Craig Spangler,
[00:15:19.390]our partner who is senior principal with Ballinger,
[00:15:22.270]the lead architecture firm in designing Kiewit Hall, Craig.
[00:15:27.222](audience applauding)
[00:15:28.269]Thank you.
[00:15:32.361]Good morning?
[00:15:33.194]Great day, chancellor Green,
[00:15:34.140]thank you very much for the introduction.
[00:15:36.250]In November of 2019,
[00:15:37.750]my colleagues at Ballinger
[00:15:39.200]and our partner here in Lincoln, Clark Anderson,
[00:15:41.730]were fortunate to listen
[00:15:42.860]to dean Pérez articulate the college's vision
[00:15:45.310]for educating the very best complete engineer.
[00:15:47.720]His aspiration for a truly unique engineering education
[00:15:51.117]and how a transformative world-class building
[00:15:53.480]would support this vision inspired us tremendously.
[00:15:56.850]Needless to say,
[00:15:57.683]we're extraordinarily honored
[00:15:58.800]to be selected to join the college
[00:16:00.250]in designing this very important initiative
[00:16:02.090]for the University of Nebraska.
[00:16:04.120]After embarking upon the design in February, 2020,
[00:16:06.820]we never imagined
[00:16:07.653]that one month later
[00:16:08.540]we would immediately have to pivot
[00:16:09.770]to a virtual engagement
[00:16:10.860]that has lasted 15 months leading to today.
[00:16:14.240]Dean Pérez and the college's leadership team,
[00:16:16.000]including Kim Wilson,
[00:16:16.880]who unfortunately couldn't be here today,
[00:16:18.290]and the university's facility planning
[00:16:19.840]capital project team led by Brooke
[00:16:22.390]and Brad Muehling,
[00:16:23.380]were exceptional in adapting
[00:16:24.610]to a virtual engagement
[00:16:25.710]to ensure a world-class transformational building
[00:16:28.490]of elegance and impact.
[00:16:30.360]With students central to our process,
[00:16:31.960]Kiewit Hall will be unparalleled in so many ways.
[00:16:34.940]We'll have one of the nation's largest hands-on
[00:16:37.100]student team-based makerspace,
[00:16:38.960]it will be central to the Kiewit Hall experience.
[00:16:41.580]With exceptional student input and guidance,
[00:16:43.990]we believe that this venue will be
[00:16:45.130]the premier makerspace anywhere.
[00:16:47.520]A variety of spaces for fostering
[00:16:49.070]student-faculty interaction
[00:16:50.890]will create a tangible sense of engineering community,
[00:16:52.433]it will be fundamental in making Kiewit Hall
[00:16:54.640]the college's facility centerpiece.
[00:16:56.910]A stink large grouping of technology-based classrooms
[00:16:59.550]will enable the college
[00:17:00.520]to provide robust, active learning,
[00:17:02.520]enrich university industry-community outreach,
[00:17:05.960]and become a conference venue destination
[00:17:07.730]of the choice for the campus in the region.
[00:17:09.940]Abundant transparency throughout,
[00:17:11.430]we'll showcase innovative instructional environments
[00:17:13.710]and active learning as a magnet of recruitment
[00:17:15.490]and retention for the best
[00:17:16.800]and brightest students, faculty and staff.
[00:17:19.100]With phase one, Kiewit Hall will form
[00:17:20.970]a new campus quad for the engineering community building
[00:17:23.480]that will embrace the adjacent residence halls
[00:17:25.330]to form identifiable engineering campus precinct.
[00:17:28.410]Kiewit Hall will also become a transparent college beacon
[00:17:31.460]that will form an iconic
[00:17:32.640]new Eastern gateway for the university.
[00:17:35.340]As we pass the baton to Kiewit's construction team,
[00:17:37.610]led by Jeff Buller and Kyle Marler,
[00:17:39.990]who have been exceptional partners to date,
[00:17:41.900]we look forward to their crafting
[00:17:43.080]an exceptional high quality building,
[00:17:44.610]resonant of the firm's namesake,
[00:17:46.200]to make a premiere world-class engineering facility
[00:17:49.140]and revered legacy contributor
[00:17:50.430]to the University of Nebraska here in Lincoln.
[00:17:52.770]On behalf of my colleagues,
[00:17:54.030]and the Clark & Enersen Ballinger team,
[00:17:55.900]we look forward to joining you in 2023
[00:17:57.930]to dedicate Kiewit Hall
[00:17:59.530]as it embarks upon educating the very best
[00:18:01.410]complete engineer for generation to come, thank you.
[00:18:05.125](audience clapping)
[00:18:10.902]And finally, I'd like to invite Brian Hastings,
[00:18:13.710]the CEO of the University of Nebraska Foundation to come
[00:18:17.260]and share a few words about the private philanthropy
[00:18:19.660]that has allowed us to get to this point, Brian.
[00:18:23.078](audience clapping)
[00:18:27.990]Let me just start by just congratulating you,
[00:18:30.280]chancellor Green and dean Pérez
[00:18:32.120]for your outstanding leadership,
[00:18:34.010]and for your vision to make this project a reality,
[00:18:37.490]it's been fun to watch it evolve over the years,
[00:18:40.510]and Lance, congratulations to you
[00:18:41.967]and your team on such a momentous great day today.
[00:18:46.970]It's my privilege to represent
[00:18:48.280]the University of Nebraska Foundation,
[00:18:49.920]but I really just stand here on behalf
[00:18:51.810]of our board of directors,
[00:18:53.210]our chair-elect, Don Voelte is here,
[00:18:55.400]who also chairs the College of Engineering advisory board,
[00:18:58.440]and our team,
[00:18:59.640]Joe Sealy, who leads our team for UNL,
[00:19:01.830]Amy Ferguson, who leads our team
[00:19:03.430]for the College of Engineering,
[00:19:05.320]and all of our staff.
[00:19:07.000]And earlier this month,
[00:19:09.050]the University of Nebraska Foundation
[00:19:10.530]celebrated our 85th anniversary,
[00:19:12.970]it's our 85th year of partnering with the university
[00:19:16.100]and growing relationships
[00:19:18.350]that enable the university to change lives
[00:19:20.640]and save lives.
[00:19:21.560]And if you look at what's gonna happen
[00:19:23.760]here with Kiewit Hall,
[00:19:25.480]clearly this project
[00:19:27.020]and all that happens within it
[00:19:29.340]is gonna have a transformative effect on many lives,
[00:19:32.660]from educating the next few generations
[00:19:35.020]of engineers in the facility,
[00:19:37.910]to the work that they will go out
[00:19:39.380]and do in leading teams,
[00:19:41.670]to using their engineering principles
[00:19:44.060]to solve practical as well
[00:19:45.888]as important issues and challenges,
[00:19:49.020]to engineer other facilities like this,
[00:19:52.300]to engineer infrastructure
[00:19:53.710]that will really help change lives
[00:19:56.287]and save lives
[00:19:57.260]and protect lives in our communities.
[00:20:00.400]And like you,
[00:20:01.233]I especially like hearing the perspective of the students,
[00:20:03.910]from Noha,
[00:20:05.140]in how important this facility
[00:20:06.410]is to their experience as well.
[00:20:09.190]Like all major philanthropic projects across the university,
[00:20:12.640]we have been blessed with tremendous support.
[00:20:16.320]This project has received pledges of support
[00:20:19.120]from 730 individuals in organizations,
[00:20:24.210]and we have had outstanding volunteer advocacy
[00:20:29.020]from the College of Engineering advisory board,
[00:20:31.010]I know a number of members are with us today,
[00:20:33.410]and that's part of the combination of things
[00:20:37.950]that helps this project be a tremendous success.
[00:20:40.950]And so while Ronnie mentioned
[00:20:42.400]the principal benefactors
[00:20:43.560]at the beginning of the program,
[00:20:44.790]I'm gonna mention them again here
[00:20:46.240]and ask that we pause
[00:20:47.380]and give each of them a moment of recognition
[00:20:49.850]that they so duly deserve.
[00:20:52.240]And I'm gonna start with the Kiewit Corporation,
[00:20:54.110]again, with you, Rick Lanoha as CEO,
[00:20:57.260]and can I ask all the members of the Kiewit Corp
[00:20:59.350]whoa are with us today to stand
[00:21:00.700]and be recognized so we can thank them
[00:21:02.320]for their support?
[00:21:04.498](audience clapping)
[00:21:13.070]The Suzanne & Walter Scott Foundation
[00:21:14.860]with Calvin Sisson and Laura Miller who are with us?
[00:21:17.560]Please stand and be recognized, come on.
[00:21:19.818](audience clapping)
[00:21:24.205]And we know Walter couldn't be with us today,
[00:21:26.260]but I'm sure you're...
[00:21:27.093]And we ask that you bring back our gratitude
[00:21:28.840]and thanks to Walter for his tremendous support as well.
[00:21:32.860]Not with us today,
[00:21:33.790]the Robert B. Daugherty Foundation,
[00:21:35.440]but hopefully he'll have a chance
[00:21:36.810]to watch the video of the program,
[00:21:38.220]so let's thank the Robert B. Daugherty Foundation
[00:21:40.150]for their support.
[00:21:41.413](audience clapping)
[00:21:45.170]And likewise, the Acklie Charitable Foundation
[00:21:47.510]here in Lincoln,
[00:21:48.343]let's thank the Acklie family for their tremendous support.
[00:21:50.803](audience clapping)
[00:21:55.111]And then the last of our principal benefactors,
[00:21:57.580]Wendy Boyer from the Peter Kiewit Foundation,
[00:22:00.400]and I believe there are a couple of other members,
[00:22:02.340]Liz and Jen from the Peter Kiewit Foundation,
[00:22:04.685](indistinct) as well. (audience clapping)
[00:22:11.010]Every project needs champions,
[00:22:12.830]and without our principal benefactors,
[00:22:14.980]this project wouldn't be a reality,
[00:22:17.830]but in truth,
[00:22:18.663]without all 734 individuals and organizations,
[00:22:22.390]we wouldn't be here today,
[00:22:23.450]so I also wanna close
[00:22:25.190]and just ask that we give
[00:22:26.170]a round of thanks for everybody
[00:22:27.780]who has supported this project
[00:22:29.580]and for everybody who will continue
[00:22:31.120]to support the College of Engineering as well.
[00:22:33.583](audience clapping)
[00:22:39.540]Well, thank you, Brian,
[00:22:40.640]and I want to do an extra shout out here,
[00:22:42.970]Brian mentioned this in his comments to Amy Ferguson,
[00:22:46.650]Amy Ferguson has been the lead fundraiser on this project
[00:22:49.778]and she deserves a big round of applause.
[00:22:51.927](audience clapping)
[00:22:56.110]We now are going to adjourn from in here,
[00:22:59.650]and go out the front door of Othmer Hall
[00:23:02.480]and just to the east,
[00:23:04.540]down Vine Street,
[00:23:05.840]where we will stage a groundbreaking,
[00:23:08.010]if we will, ground turning.
[00:23:10.100]Obviously we already are underway with the project
[00:23:13.150]that will conclude,
[00:23:14.990]so put this in your bank,
[00:23:17.390]for us to have the ribbon cutting
[00:23:19.520]for this facility in the summer of 2023.
[00:23:24.640]The intent is for the facility to be open for business
[00:23:28.520]and for our students for the fall term of 2023 ahead,
[00:23:33.040]Lance is doing this right now,
[00:23:34.380]but that's okay.
[00:23:35.213]All right. (audience laughing)
[00:23:36.680]So if you have a pair of gloves on your seat
[00:23:42.080]that you're in,
[00:23:43.950]you'll be part of that turning,
[00:23:45.510]so please to take those gloves
[00:23:47.090]and the helmet with you,
[00:23:49.800]and we'll proceed out the front door
[00:23:52.390]and we'll enjoy a ground turning.
[00:23:53.940]Thanks for being here today,
[00:23:55.050]it's a great day for Nebraska.

The screen size you are trying to search captions on is too small!

You can always jump over to MediaHub and check it out there.

Comments

0 Comments

Kiewit Hall Groundbreaking

Description

Searchable Transcript

Comments icon comment

Related Channels

Comments