Engineering a Better World: New Building on the Rise

July 2016

Under stormy skies President Kevin J Worthen stood before a crowd gathered on May 9, 2016, to mark the start of construction for a new engineering building at Brigham Young University. He spoke of how campus’s newest structure would help create a better future for students, families, and communities.

“The college helps develop ‘outstanding leaders throughout the world’ who contribute ‘to solving the world’s problems’ and who become ‘an influence for good in the world,’” President Worthen said, quoting from the mission statement of the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology. “The ultimate purpose of this college is the good its students do.”

To those who helped financially support the building’s construction he said, “This is what you have contributed to, and this is what will occur here.” (Read President Worthen's full remarks.)

We Have Seen Miracles

Umbrellas emerged and disappeared several times during the event as rain showers came and went. King Husein, who is a member of the President’s Leadership Council, said at the groundbreaking: “We witnessed, in a significant way, the hand of the Lord guiding this work. Prayers were answered and doors were opened. A spirit of consecration filled the hearts of many. And yes, we even witnessed miracles.”

Fundraising for the 5-level, 200,000-square-foot engineering building has been a priority for the university since 2012, and Husein led the efforts as chair of the building’s volunteer fundraising committee. He gratefully acknowledged the nearly 18,000 alumni and friends who donated more than $85 million toward the building’s construction, and he thanked his fellow PLC members for their instrumental support.

Building Global Leaders

The new building will be located on the south of campus, adjacent and connected to the W. W. Clyde Building on the land where the Knight Mangum Building once stood. There students will benefit from classrooms, labs, and conference rooms designed to foster teamwork.

The Student Innovation Center - a collaborative prototyping lab surrounded by individual project bays - will provide students with a place and the resources to test their ideas. The Weidman Center for Global Leadership will also be housed in the new structure, where it will continue to promote excellence in the teaching, learning, and practice of leadership in a global context. The building will include an events center to host forums, seminars, career fairs, networking events, and alumni gatherings.

The new engineering building will give students opportunities to solve real-world challenges as they prepare to make their mark in the world. Crews are working to complete construction in 2018.

With the sun shining, President Worthen concluded: “Students will know the joy and glories of creation as they make discoveries while they help solve the world’s problems. As they become outstanding leaders throughout the world, they will be developing celestial skill sets that will enable them to realize their full potential as beloved spirit sons and daughters of heavenly parents.”