Published: Saturday, September 27, 2008 in The Whitworthian.

When science students arrive on campus in fall 2010, they will be able to attend class in a brand-new $37 million building, almost half of which will be paid for through gifts.

Fifteen million dollars will be raised through fundraising while the rest will be financed, said Stacey Smith, associate vice president of Institutional Advancement.

“We have experienced a dramatic increase in science majors and our current space does not serve this growth,” Kristi Burns, vice president for Institutional Advancement, said in an e-mail interview.

The Fall 2008 Tenth Day report, showing this fall’s enrollment numbers, had not been released at the time of press.

In addition to a completely new building, the existing Eric Johnston Science Center will be receiving a face-lift and expansion, which will cost $18 million, according to an April 15 article in The Whitworthian.

In April, the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to seek funding for the East Residence Hall and new science center through the sale of bonds, according to an April 22 article in The Whitworthian.

In addition to fundraising $15 million, the university is also seeking federal funding, Smith said.

Although no official campaign has been announced, Institutional Advancement has started fund raising for the science center project, she said.

“Fundraising for large donations is largely done through personal visits,” Smith said. “It’s all relationship based.”
Phone and direct mail fundraising is also utilized, typically for smaller gifts, she said.

“We are committed to securing $15 million in gifts for [the new science building] and an additional $10 million for a wing on [and renovation of] the current science building,” Burns said.

The first phase of fundraising is focused on large gifts from a few people, Burns said. The second phase consists of soliciting smaller gifts from more people.

“[Institutional Advancement] has a major gift fundraising staff,” Burns said.

The biggest target groups for fundraising are alumni, friends of the university, regional corporations and foundations.

“All major regional corporations and foundations who have a budget for gifts like this will be looked at,” Smith said.

The university’s goal is that the $15 million for the new science building will be raised by August 2010, Smith said.