Richland, Wash – The Design-Build Institute of America has named Washington State University Tri-Cities’ Collaboration Hall as one of 30 winners in the 2022 National Design-Build Project/Team Awards. DBIA’s distinguished panel of industry experts selected the top 30 projects across 10 categories to represent the best-of-the-best in design-build.

As a Merit Award winner in the Educational Facilities category, the newest building on the ���سԹ� campus will go on to compete for a National Award of Excellence and Project of the Year to be announced at DBIA’s Design-Build Conference and Expo Awards Ceremony in November in Las Vegas, NV. Hoffman Construction nominated ���سԹ�’ newest building for the award.

���سԹ� Chancellor Sandra Haynes said, “This is a tremendous recognition for our collaboratively created Collaboration Hall.”

The construction of Collaboration Hall was made possible by $3 million in design funding and $27 million in construction funding from the Washington state Legislature.

In addition to state allocations, financial contributions were made by university leadership, and private and organizational community support.

The building, which officially opened on the first day of fall classes last year, features a range of state-of-the-art science teaching laboratories, three large interactive classrooms, study and collaborative areas, an open atrium ideal for presentations and events, as well as an outdoor amphitheater that seats 100.

Visit for a full list of project winners, including photos and descriptions of each project.

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University Tri-Cities celebrated the opening of its first fully state-funded academic building in over 30 years as part of a ribbon cutting celebration on Sept. 22.

The grand opening of Collaboration Hall featured remarks from university leaders, light refreshments and open tours of the building.

Hands-on, career-relevant learning

The building, which officially opened on the first day of fall classes this year, features a range of state-of-the-art science teaching laboratories, three large interactive classrooms, study and collaborative areas, an open atrium ideal for presentations and events, as well as an outdoor amphitheater that seats 100.

���سԹ� Chancellor Sandra Haynes said the building was designed and constructed with student success in mind.

“Being a STEM-focused campus, this building, complete with labs specific to the full array of science disciplines, will enhance students’ education, resulting in graduates even more prepared to meet the demands of the workforce,” she said. “At ���سԹ�, we partner with a range of companies and organizations that contribute to groundbreaking research, technology development and overall community growth. As signified in its name, this building will help further academic and industry collaboration and truly help prepare our students for future careers rooted in regional needs.”

The teaching laboratories featured in the building include:

• A physics laboratory
• Two biology laboratories
• A chemistry laboratory
• An anatomy and physiology laboratory
• An environmental science laboratory
• An innovation and design laboratory

Funded by state and local support

The construction of Collaboration Hall was made possible by $3 million in design funding and $27 million in construction funding from the Washington state Legislature.

In addition to state allocations, financial contributions have been made by university leadership by naming study, collaborative and learning spaces:

• WSU President Kirk Schulz and First Lady Noel Schulz | Noel and Kirk Schulz Academic Support Lounge
• ���سԹ� Chancellor Sandra Haynes | Sandra Haynes Collaboration Space in Honor of First-Generation Students
• WSU Regent Lura Powell and Art King | Lura Powell and Art King Lounge – Supporting First-Generation and Underserved Students and STEM

The following individuals and organizations also committed to naming seating on the grand staircase located in the atrium of Collaboration Hall. The naming of each step pays tribute to ���سԹ� students and the regional community:

• Washington River Protection Solutions | “Investing today for the challenges of tomorrow”
• Central Plateau Cleanup Company | “Building our future workforce step by step”
• Patrick and Tia Jensen | “In honor of first-generation students”
• Phil and Diane Ohl | Ohl Family Foundation | “We always find our way back home, Go Cougs!”

Haynes said the ���سԹ� campus community is incredibly grateful for the generous state, private and organizational support.

“It’s a stunning and functional space that, as a result of our state and community contributions, is one of the most valuable assets for our campus in fulfilling our educational mission,” she said.

Serving community needs

Collaboration Hall lives up to ���سԹ�’ historical roots. The Tri-Cities campus dates back to the 1940s when it began as the General Electric School of Nuclear Engineering to provide educational advancement to engineers and others working at the Hanford Nuclear Site amid the Manhattan Project. Collaboration Hall was constructed to provide an educational space that would prepare regional students for current and future regional, state and national needs.

Kirk and Noel Schulz, both engineers, said the building is a prime example of a facility that capitalizes on WSU’s land-grant mission of providing exceptional learning, research and community service.

“For a campus that thrives in providing excellent STEM education, Collaboration Hall at ���سԹ� is a fantastic place for students to learn, grow and excel, all in partnership with our regional industry,” Kirk Schulz said. “We want to thank the Washington state Legislature and the many individuals and organizations that made this facility a reality. It is a space where students will learn foundational and practical skills that will be applied to serve regional, state and national needs.”

For more information on Collaboration Hall, visit tricities.wsu.edu/collaborationhall.

Those interested in providing a gift or naming a space in the building should contact Jaime Heppler, ���سԹ� senior director of development, at 509-372-7207 or jaime.heppler@wsu.edu.

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – School is back in session at Washington State University Tri-Cities on Monday, Aug. 23, with in-person classes and COVID-19 requirements in place. Among many updates, the campus features a new academic building, renovations to an existing space to allow for a new learning commons for students and an expanded Veterans Stories Memorial.

“We are thrilled to welcome students back to campus after over a year-and-a-half of offering virtual learning.” Chancellor Sandra Haynes said. “We have safety measures in place for students, employees and visitors and we look forward to a fantastic fall semester. Students and the community will find the new spaces particularly welcoming.”

In-person learning

With the exception of a few classes, ���سԹ� classes will be offered in-person and at normal capacity.

Updated COVID-19 requirements

Starting Aug. 23, students, employees and visitors will be required to wear masks while indoors at all WSU locations, per the new mandate announced this week by Gov. Jay Inslee.

Employees must declare their vaccination status via an internal WSU process by Aug. 23, and be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or file for a religious or medical exemption by Oct. 18, per the state mandate.

Students must provide proof that they have initiated or completed the vaccination process or must request an exemption for medical, religious or personal reasons by Sept. 10. After any of the three currently approved vaccines receive full U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, personal exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine will no longer be an option. Students will have 45 days following the FDA approval date to provide proof of vaccination (or initiation of the vaccination) or file for a medical or religious exemption.

New and renovated facilities

Construction for Collaboration Hall, ���سԹ�’ new academic building, is complete and will host classes beginning Monday. The building features a range of state-of-the-art teaching laboratories, classrooms and collaboration spaces – including the addition of a grandstand staircase ideal for presentations and an outdoor amphitheater that seats 100 individuals. A grand opening celebration for Collaboration Hall will be held from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. on Sept. 22.

The ���سԹ� library was renovated this year to house expanded study spaces and support resources for students. The traditional library was moved upstairs and a range of student services, study spaces and collaborative areas are now hosted downstairs in the learning commons where students can access academic support such as tutoring, writing assistance, academic advising, career services, and TRIO Student Success Programs.

Thanks to generous donations from Cliff Thorn Construction, several subcontractors and Eric and Susan Schmieman, the ���سԹ� Veterans Stories Memorial was expanded to feature raised flags for each of the military branches with lighting for evening times and a seating area.

New Crimson Coug Cart courtesy of STCU – press reveal event 12:30 p.m. on Monday

STCU has generously donated a $25,000 Coug-branded golf cart, named the “Crimson Coug Cart,” to ���سԹ� that will be unveiled at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 23, at Collaboration Hall as part of a press event. The golf cart will be used for a variety of purposes around campus – from events, to campus tours and more.

With the golf cart, STCU will host random acts of kindness days sporadically throughout the year where they will offer prizes to individuals on campus, in addition to supporting a range of campus events.

Week of Welcome activities and events sponsored by STCU

Throughout the first week of school, students will enjoy a range of celebratory events and activities sponsored by STCU that will welcome them to campus. For a full list of activities as part of the ���سԹ� Week of Welcome sponsored by STCU, visit .

 

Media contacts:

Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� director of marketing and communication, 509-372-7333 (office), 619-403-3617 (cell), maegan_murray@wsu.edu

President and First Lady Schulz, Chancellor Haynes hope their investments will inspire others to support new building on Tri-Cities campus

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University President Kirk Schulz and First Lady Noel Schulz, and ���سԹ� Chancellor Sandra Haynes, are the first to donate for naming rights for the new state-of-the-art academic building currently being constructed at ���سԹ�. The building is on-schedule to open this fall.

Kirk and Noel Schulz committed $50,000 in funding to name the “Noel and Kirk Schulz Academic Support Lounge.” Haynes, a first-generation college graduate, donated $25,000 to name the “Sandra Haynes Collaboration Space in Honor of First-Generation Students.”

The state-funded academic building features eight science teaching laboratories, two large active learning classrooms, a large open-concept atrium ideal for presentations and events and a variety of study and collaborative areas. As a late addition to the exterior, the building will also house an outdoor amphitheater.

The WSU leaders hope their contributions will inspire others to follow in their footsteps and give to support the new building, which stands to prepare students for future careers in the sciences, health and medicine, engineering and other technical fields that are critical to the growing Tri-Cities region.

“Donating to this building is an investment in our students’ futures, and by doing so, contributing to the future of our region,” Haynes said. “I hope others will join us in contributing to this building.”

Noel and Kirk Schulz Academic Support Lounge

The Noel and Kirk Schulz Academic Support Lounge will provide greater access to academic and student support services and a dedicated beyond-the-classroom space for faculty and students to meet and collaborate.

“My wife, Dr. Schulz, is spending two weeks a month in the Tri-Cities working with ���سԹ�, working with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on the Advanced Grid Institute and helping the engineering program and the Tri-Cities grow and thrive,” Kirk Schulz said. “As the new building was coming up, we were talking to people about making investments and naming opportunities and Noel came home and said, ‘Hey, I think we should participate in this. Given what is taking place in the Tri-Cities, this would be a really opportune time.“

Kirk Schulz said the Tri-Cities is a hub for STEM education, with reputable expertise in energy, agriculture and environmental sciences. Earlier this year, ���سԹ� announced it would be launching a new institute centered on energy and the environment. The campus is also a part of three focusing on nuclear science and technology, advanced grid and bioproducts.

“We want to help take the building to the next level through our support of the faculty and student support lounge,” Noel Schulz said. “It’s really about all of us chipping in to make WSU, as a whole, better.”

Sandra Haynes Collaboration Space in Honor of First-Generation Students

Chancellor Sandra Haynes understands the significance of being the first in her family to go to college, like so many ���سԹ� students. More than 40% of ���سԹ� students are the first in their family to attend college.

Haynes said her investment and dedication of the collaboration space celebrates first-generation students and serves as a reminder that, on the other side of adversity, is success.

“It is so important to make sure that those students feel very supported throughout their college careers,” Haynes said. “They are taking a leap of faith and they are doing something that no one in their family has done, before. I’m contributing to this building because I want our students to be able to learn in a state-of-the-art facility with state-of-the-art equipment. It feels great to be giving back to the campus that has given so much.”

Haynes said the new building will be significant in growing the campus’ STEM-focused programs and curriculum, which stand to benefit regional industry.

“The industries in this region are highly STEM-focused,” she said. “This building will benefit regional industry by providing well-prepared graduates in these fields and welcoming regional companies and organizations in for shared experiences ranging from presentations, to partnerships for projects and more.”

Naming opportunities and other support

Mike Connell, acting vice president and CEO of the , said when WSU leaders choose to make personal investments in the future of the university, they are truly leading by example.

“The most recent investments by the Schulzes and Chancellor Haynes will open doors for students at ���سԹ� while inspiring others to join their lead in adding to WSU’s already world-class student experience,” he said.

For more information on the new ���سԹ� academic building and naming opportunities, contact Jaime Heppler at Jaime.heppler@wsu.edu or by phone at 817-243-6019.

For more information about the new ���سԹ� academic building and to access a virtual tour. visit tricities.wsu.edu/academic-building.

 

Media contacts:

Jaime Heppler, ���سԹ� senior director of development, 817-243-6019 (cell), Jaime.heppler@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� director of marketing and communication, 619-403-3617 (cell), maegan_murray@wsu.edu

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University Tri-Cities will break ground on its new $30 million academic building at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, on the vacant lot across from the Consolidated Information Center (CIC) on campus.

While the event is not open to the public, members of the media are invited to attend.

The 40,000-square-foot building will house a suite of teaching laboratories, classrooms, collaborative meeting spaces for students and faculty, study spaces, as well as a grand staircase that will feature open seating for lectures and presentations. The building is being funded by the Washington state Legislature.

“This facility will present many transformational learning and collaborative experiences for all ���سԹ� students,” said ���سԹ� Chancellor Sandra Haynes. “While the focus of the building is the sciences, nearly all ���سԹ� will take courses in the building, and all are welcome to use the variety of study nooks, collaborative spaces and more that came highly requested by our study body.”

Haynes said the building design is the result of feedback they received as part of a variety of open forum sessions with students, faculty and staff about what they wanted to see in the space, as well as how the facilities could best be utilize for learning.

The new academic building is expected to open in fall 2021.

The teaching laboratories in the new facility will include:

• A physics laboratory
• Two biology laboratories
• A chemistry laboratory
• An Anatomy/physiology laboratory
• A geology laboratory
• A multidisciplinary laboratory
• An engineering classroom

Collaborative spaces include:

• An active learning room
• A team-based classroom
• Office spaces
• Three small-sized solution rooms
• Two medium-sized solution rooms

As part of a groundbreaking ceremony, individuals will hear remarks from ���سԹ� Chancellor Sandra Haynes; WSU Regent Lura Powell; engineering student Adriana McKinney; ZGF principal architect Taka Soga; Chip Tull, vice president of Hoffman Construction Company; as well as Zachary Harper, vice president for the Associated Students of ���سԹ�.

Light refreshments will be served.

Individuals interested in partnering for betterments, laboratory equipment and technology and more for the building, should contact Jaime Heppler, ���سԹ� executive director of advancement and community engagement, at 509-372-7207 or jaime.heppler@wsu.edu.

For more information about the ���سԹ� academic building, visit tricities.wsu.edu/academic-building.

 

Media contacts:

Jaime Heppler, ���سԹ� executive director of advancement and community engagement, 509-372-7207, jaime.heppler@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� public relations specialist, 619-403-3617 (cell), maegan_murray@wsu.edu

By WSU Insider

SPOKANE, Wash. – The Washington State University Board of Regents approved the design and construction of a 40,000-square-foot academic building for undergraduate studies in biology, chemistry and education in science, technology and math, or STEM, fields.

The $30.4 million facility is being funded by the state legislature. The budget bill financing the project is awaiting Governor Jay Inslee’s signature.

The building will sit west of the Consolidated Information Center and house a dozen labs for physics, biology, chemistry and anatomy/physiology. It will have two 96-seat classrooms and a central gathering area with stadium seating for large group presentations and community gatherings. Preliminary site work will begin in October and construction will be completed in spring 2021.

The Regents also approved the schematic design for the planned WSU Pullman baseball clubhouse at the current Bailey‑Brayton Field. The board approved the $10 million building’s design and construction at its January meeting, with the improvements to be paid for with private donations.  The project will include a locker room, pitching lab, academic area, team meeting rooms, and areas for Cougar equipment and training. Construction will commence in August and conclude a year later, assuming a sufficient amount of pledged donations are collected.

Other items the Regents approved included the refunding of Trust and Building Fee Revenue Bonds originally issued in 2009 and the creation of a new Center for Arts and Humanities.

Refinancing 2009 Bonds will save millions

The Board of Regents approved a resolution to authorize the issuance and sale of bonds to refinance the 2009 Trust and Building Fee Revenue Bonds, with a maximum per amount not to exceed $83,850,000.

In the current market, the refunding transaction is estimated to result in $7.3 million or 9.3% net present value savings over the remaining term of the bonds. Trust Land and Building Fee revenues are restricted for capital purposes only. Thus, the estimated annual savings of approximately $670,000 would accrue back to the trust and building fee revenue accounts.

The University originally issued the Trust and Building Fee Revenue Bonds in December 2009 to finance multiple projects including: construction of a Veterinary Medical Research Building on the Pullman campus, a portion of the costs of construction of Applied Technology Classrooms on the Vancouver campus, and a portion of the costs of construction of the Global Animal Health – Phase 1 research building on the Pullman campus.

New center reinforces WSU’s commitment to the arts and humanities

The new Center for Arts and Humanities will serve as an organizing point for creative and scholarly activity and public engagement in the arts and humanities, with the further potential to support innovative teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The Center’s primary goals will be to expand WSU’s capacity for foundational research in the arts and humanities, nurture interdisciplinary connection and collaboration, increase the public visibility and outreach of WSU arts and humanities faculty, and to catalyze WSU’s engagement with emergent fields of humanistic and artistic knowledge.

Working in concert with academic departments, which will remain centers of more specialized, field­-specific inquiry, the Center will advance a broader agenda, one that crosses traditional scholarly boundaries, encourages innovation, and advocates for the vital contribution of the arts and humanities to the public good.

Media Contact:

• Phil Weiler, vice president for marketing and communications, 509‑335‑1221, phil.weiler@wsu.edu

By WSU Government Relations

The Legislature adjourned its 2019 session just before midnight Sunday, having approved budget compromises. Most notably, the Legislature fully funded WSU’s $14.4 million request for core funding to support the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.

The operating budget package completes funding for the College of Medicine’s existing cohorts of 60 students per year as well while also funding first- and second-year instruction for an additional 20 students, allowing the college to admit 80 students this fall. This request was WSU’s top legislative priority.

We are working jointly with the Budget Office on a comprehensive analyst. In the meantime, here is an overview:

Operating budget:

• ESFCOM $14.4 million
• Comp and Central Services Support (Foundational Support) 5.353 million
• Clean energy legislation (WSU Energy Program) $1.411 million
• Maintenance and operations for new buildings FY20 $383,000, FY21 $1.06 million
• Children’s mental health legislation $264,000
• Domestic Violence legislation $173,000
• Opioid overdose medication legislation $53,000
• Soil Health Initiative $500,000

Capital budget:

• $36.4 million to complete construction of the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab in Pullman
• $27 million to construct a new academic building at ���سԹ�
• $500,000 for pre-design of a new Biomedical and Health Sciences Building at WSU Spokane
• $10 million to support a land purchase to support future growth at WSU Everett
• $21.4 million for minor works preservation
• $5.328 million for minor works program (MCI & omnibus equipment). Funded for the first time in ten-years

The capital budget agreement did not fund WSU’s $4 million request to design a Life Sciences Building at WSU Vancouver.

In general, this was a very good year for Washington State University in the biennial budget process. We appreciate the support and leadership of the Washington State Legislature.