Saint Martin’s announces plan to build new engineering
facility
February 10, 2011
LACEY, WASHINGTON — Saint Martin’s University will be
building a new classroom and laboratory facility to house its
School of Engineering, Saint Martin’s President Roy Heynderickx,
Ph.D., announced this evening. The announcement came at a dinner
celebrating the launch of the University’s new Engineering
Initiative and the formal introduction of Zella Kahn-Jetter,
Ph.D., new dean for Saint Martin’s School of Engineering. The
event, held at the Norman Worthington Conference Center on Saint
Martin’s Lacey campus, was attended by more than 150 community
leaders, engineers, and University trustees, faculty, staff and
alumni.
Generating the most excitement was news of the University’s
remarkable progress in raising funds for the building. Though
fundraising efforts did not formally begin until tonight, the
University has already raised $4.5 million in leadership pledges
and gifts — nearly two-thirds of its $7 million goal.
The new building will be approximately 21,000 square feet,
double the useable square footage of Saint Martin’s current
engineering building, Cebula Hall. Plans are underway to seek
Platinum LEED certification for the facility. The structure will
complete an academic quadrangle, or “quad,” on campus, creating
a much-anticipated community space for students, staff, faculty
and visitors. Saint Martin’s may break ground on the new
building as early as this summer.
“This Engineering Initiative is not just about a new
facility,” said Heynderickx prior to the event. “It is about
building on our foundation of excellence, growing a program that
prepares students to be high-quality engineers who think and
work with heart. With the foundation of a Benedictine education,
our graduates enter the engineering field prepared to contribute
to their communities.”
At the event, Kahn-Jetter described her vision for the future
of Saint Martin’s School of Engineering.
“My goal is to make Saint Martin’s University School of
Engineering the engineering school of choice. I want people to
think, ‘I want to study engineering. I want to go to Saint
Martin’s,” Kahn-Jetter remarked.
“This building can be and should be the center of
collaborative efforts with our community. We should be working
with local organizations and industry to help educate our
students. We can collaborate on projects, internships, training
and facility-sharing.”
Kahn-Jetter assumed the post of dean in January. She holds a
Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Polytechnic University, a
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME) from
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of
Mechanical Engineering (BME) from The Cooper Union. Prior to
joining Saint Martin’s, she served as professor and chair of the
Department of Mechanical Engineering at Manhattan College in
Riverdale, New York.
The late Father Richard Cebula, O.S.B., is credited with
laying the foundation for Saint Martin’s School of Engineering
six decades ago. Cebula Hall is named after the Benedictine
priest and professional engineer, who served as faculty member
and chair of the program. Since its inception, the School of
Engineering has graduated more than 1,300 students in mechanical
and civil engineering.
“Tonight is a celebration of our commitment to Father Cebula’s
vision,” said Heynderickx. “The community response to our
Initiative reflects widespread confidence in the University, its
School of Engineering and its graduates. We are delighted to be
entering this new chapter in Saint Martin’s history.”
Saint Martin’s University is an independent four-year,
Catholic, coeducational university located on a 380-acre wooded
campus in Lacey, Washington. Established in 1895 by the Catholic
Order of Saint Benedict, the University is one of 18 Benedictine
colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, and
the only one west of the Rocky Mountains. Saint Martin’s
University prepares students for successful lives through its 22
majors and six graduate programs spanning the liberal arts,
business, education, and engineering. Saint Martin’s welcomes
1,250 students from many ethnic and religious backgrounds to its
main campus, and 650 more to its extension campuses located at
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Everett College, Centralia College and
Tacoma Community College.
For further information:
Jennifer Fellinger
Vice President of Marketing and Communications
Saint Martin’s University
360-438-4332
jfellinger@stmartin.edu
www.stmartin.edu