BUILD
CEE
The Plan to Modernize CEE at Illinois Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering College of Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 62018
The future of our educational and research missions requires a significant modernization of our facilities. —Benito Mariùas, Professor and Head
Revolutionize the curriculum, modernize the facilities CEE at Illinois has embarked on a comprehensive plan to modernize our infrastructure to improve the student experience and facilitate innovative and emerging instructional methods. Engineering education is changing. Our faculty are designing classes with more group and project work, the innovative use of technology and hands-on experiences that excite and motivate our students and prepare them to be leaders in industry and academia. Our reputation as the top program demands that our teaching and research spaces evolve accordingly. The four-phase CEE Modernization Plan began with the construction of the M.T. Geoffrey Yeh Student Center (Phase I), continues with an extensive upgrade to the Hydrosystems Laboratory building (Phase II) and will end with the expansion and subsequent renovation (Phases III and IV) of Newmark Civil Engineering Lab.
Private philanthropy will be key to the realization of this project.
Phase II: Addition to Hydrosystems Lab, Smart Bridge The goal of the current project is to provide classroom and laboratory space to support innovative and emerging instructional methods, such as hands-on, project-based, technology-focused and group learning. The hydrosystems bay will remain and continue to serve at the forefront of research in water resources science and engineering. The south portion of the building will be demolished to make way for a new addition featuring instructional labs, classrooms and collaborative areas for faculty and students. Although located in the Hydrosystems Lab, the new space will be utilized by students and faculty in all of the department’s areas of study, including the new cross-cutting areas. A new landmark Smart Bridge will be constructed to serve as an instructional tool and connect the Hydrosystems Lab with Newmark Lab.
Physical testing and experiments are very relevant, and affording that opportunity to our students is very important. That’s going to give them an edge compared to the education students receive at other schools. —Professor Marcelo García
cee.illinois.edu/give
Technology-enhanced classrooms will create a more dynamic learning environment, allowing students to work with state-of-the-art software and visualize the implications of design decisions in real time.
Growth requires space UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM Undergraduate enrollment has been stable in recent years, though when current numbers are compared with those from a decade ago, a noticable increase is clear. Total undergraduate student enrollment: 544
2007/08 2017/18
718
Teaching Assistants: 2007/08 2017/18
~110 184
—Assistant Professor Jeremy Guest
GRADUATE PROGRAM Interest in the CEE at Illinois graduate program continues to increase every year. In recent years, the number of applications received has more than doubled, and graduate enrollment has rivaled or exceeded that of the undergraduate program. CEE at Illinois’ reputation as a top civil and environmental department extends beyond the nation’s borders; the number of international students enrolled in the M.S. program has more than doubled in the past decade. Graduate program applications:
FACULTY AND STAFF Hiring of faculty has mirrored the growth of the student body. The development of CEE’s new cross-disciplinary programs, which provide education, research and global outreach opportunities for undergraduates and graduates alike, have also influenced faculty growth. CEE currently has 46 tenure-track faculty members, with a plan to hire six more. As the numbers of programs, students and faculty have increased, the staff has grown accordingly to support a world-class educational enterprise.
2007/08 2017/18
649
1,412
Graduate program offers of admission: fall 2007 285 fall 2017 636 Total graduate student enrollment: 2007/2008 2017/2018
362
719
The Kavita and Lalit Bahl Smart Bridge u
A living laboratory featuring the latest innovations in infrastructure sensing
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A showcase for sustainable energy and environmental design options
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—Professor Liang Liu
A unifying element for faculty and students from all of the department’s areas of study
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Our hope is that the bridge will become a new north campus landmark — a source of inspiration and pride for current students and returning alumni that communicates the department’s preeminence.
A new campus landmark
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CEE at Illinois needs your help u
to retain our leadership position
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to educate tomorrow’s leaders
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to continue to attract top faculty One of the most impactful ways to help is to make a leadership or naming gift. Naming gifts are major gifts that allow an individual or company to name a portion of the new building, for example a laboratory, classroom, office area or collaborative space. Named spaces both honor those whom they commemorate and provide constant reminders for future generations of students about the individuals and industry partners who have forged our department’s history. Opportunities for naming gifts in the Phase II Modernization project range from $20,000 for graduate student office space to $16 million to name the entire new Hydrosystems Lab addition.
Pledges made now may be fulfilled over a period of five years, with the first payment due as late as Dec. 31, 2019.
Several spaces have been established, but additional funding is needed to allow us to implement the full design. These designated spaces are: u
Geotechnical Laboratory
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The William J. Hall Classroom
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The Vernon L. Snoeyink Water Chemistry Laboratory
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The Judith S. Liebman Gallery, named for the first woman to be appointed to the tenure-track faculty in CEE.
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The Robert H. Dodds Jr. Commons
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The ExxonMobil conference room
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The CEE Alumni Association Board of Directors student collaboration space
Please make a gift today
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Transportation Faculty Classroom ($2 million)
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Resource Recovery Laboratory ($1 million)
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The Ben Chie Yen Library ($250,000)
Alumni and friends have many opportunities to invest directly in the student and faculty experience of our department and its continued excellence. You can support the overall project by directing gifts to the CEE Modernization Fund to provide classrooms, labs, student space and meeting rooms. This can be accomplished through outright cash gifts, pledges, company matching gifts, or in-kind donations of equipment, materials or other assets. If you have an interest in supporting CEE’s facilities in the future through your estate, please contact our advancement office.
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The Ven Te Chow Fluid Mechanics Laboratory ($2 million)
All donors will be recognized within the new spaces.
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Materials Laboratory ($1 million)
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Sedimentation Laboratory ($1 million)
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First-floor entryway/lobby ($250,000)
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Faculty offices, 15 total planned, each sponsored at $100,000
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Graduate student office spaces, 77 remaining to fund, each $20,000
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Alumni Accomplishments Showcase in first-floor hallway (four spaces, $250,000 each)
Additional spaces for which we hope to secure funding and the amounts required for full realization:
To learn more about the ways in which you can be a part of the CEE Modernization Plan by making a gift to the department, please visit our giving page or contact:
Benito MariĂąas Professor and Head (217) 333-6961 marinas@illinois.edu Katya Trubitsyna Strategic Data Manager (217) 300-0194 katia@illinois.edu
cee.illinois.edu/give
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering College of Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 205 N. Mathews Ave. Urbana, IL 61801 cee.illinois.edu/give
62018