In eight weeks, Washington State University will celebrate the grand opening of Schweitzer Engineering Hall, where the first cohort of Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture students will experience the newest building on the Pullman campus.
The vision for the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture’s Schweitzer Engineering Hall, a hub for student success, was born in early 2018, and it represented far more than a new building. The idea was centered around a common belief: students deserve every opportunity to succeed.
At the time the vision was first introduced, the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture’s enrollment had grown dramatically and the need for a centralized space dedicated to student success had never been greater. Compounding this need, nearly 33 percent of Voiland College students are the first in their families to attend college underscoring the importance of providing mentorship, guidance, and support throughout their academic journey.
The idea was both ambitious and simple: create a place where students could access the resources they need to thrive academically, professionally, and personally. Schweitzer Engineering Hall was envisioned as a center for student advising, career development, alumni mentoring, undergraduate capstone opportunities, industry engagement, student clubs, and programs that expand opportunity.
What happened next was extraordinary.
A powerful partnership of public investment and private philanthropy emerged. The Washington State Legislature committed $40 million toward the project along with transformational support from Edmund and Beatriz Schweitzer and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories. And alongside them, dozens of alumni, corporations, foundations, faculty, staff, and friends stepped forward to help bring the vision to life.
This shared vision inspired 98 donors to contribute $40 million to transform engineering, architecture, design and computer science education at WSU.
Schweitzer Engineering Hall is the realization of a mission to invest in the future of Voiland College students, one that brought together visionary philanthropists, industry leaders, legislators, alumni, and friends of Washington State University to make it happen.
Today, as the grand opening of the building approaches, Schweitzer Engineering Hall stands as a testament to what is possible when people come together around a shared purpose. Every classroom, collaboration space, advising office, and student support service inside the building exists because people believe in investing in students. Because this building is more than bricks and steel.
It is the result of one vision, 98 donors, and an $80 million commitment to the future of engineering, design and computer science at Washington State University.
Join us as we celebrate the grand opening of Schweitzer Engineering Hall – the embodiment of the future of engineering and architecture at Washington State University.