Seamans Center Dedication

A ceremony held September 28 marked the official culmination of a four year project to modernize the engineering building, which involved building a new addition, renovations to the existing structure, and a new name. Alumni, current students, faculty, regents, and university officials turned out for the 3:30 p.m. dedication of the Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences, held at John Deere Plaza. At the encouragement of college administrators, donors and other attendees toured the building that afternoon. They feasted their eyes upon new and renovated class and lecture rooms, updated labs, and modern office, conference, and computer facilities.

Included among the speakers were Dean P. Barry Butler, University of Iowa President Mary Sue Coleman, Iowa Regents President Owen Newlin, Engineering Student Council President Sean Sayre, and Robert Tibor, a representative from Governor Tom Vilsack's office.

In his comments, Dean Butler asserted, "the Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences will become an icon for realizing the mission this College of Engineering has-to serve the state, the nation, and the world by producing talented, broadly educated engineers, conducting high quality research, developing breakthrough technologies, and disseminating and preserving technical knowledge."

The modernization's number one goal, according to Butler's remarks, is to dramatically improve the learning environment for the college's 1400 students. It also provides the 80 faculty as well as the students that comprise the College of Engineering a centralized, modern "home" on campus. Before the addition, engineering classes were scattered over campus, students lacked an area to meet or do work, and the Engineering Library was located out of the building. The construction project created the Student Commons, a lobby on the second floor, and an outdoor area with tables and chairs on the fourth floor for students to use as study and meeting space. Butler believes it is vital for students to be able to meet in groups, a setting commonly found in industry. The newly-dedicated Lichtenberger Engineering Library is now located in Seamans Center, off the Student Commons, and also provides added study space.

The project, whose net construction costs totaled $31 million, was designed by Anshen+Allen, a Los Angeles firm, and architects Neumann Monson, P.C., of Iowa City, and marked the first building addition or major renovation in 30 years. According to Kevin Collins, director of development for the College of Engineering, the project's price tag was offset by more than 700 individual and corporate donations, state money, and University funds.

Gary Seamans and his wife Camille were the top individual contributors. Their $3 million gift among the $11 million acquired through donations was given through the UI Foundation, a private fundraising arm of the university that Seamans, an alumnus, helps lead. Other large contributors are recognized by placards bearing their names affixed to various labs, rooms, and fixtures in the Seamans Center and on a large display on the east wall of the second floor lobby.

College administration hopes that this renovation will help the College of Engineering succeed well into this century and be an icon for its vision "to be recognized internationally for engineering education and research, and for leadership to the profession." According to Dean Butler, "As I look back at the goals we set for the project it's fair to say that the building project has met or exceeded all."