About four months after construction ended on the Arthur Weisberg Family Applied Engineering Complex and tenants began moving in, members of the Marshall University family and the community got to see firsthand and up close why the massive facility has attracted so much attention since ground was broken in October 2012.
No one, including Marshall Interim President Gary White–who had toured the building before–was disappointed.
“This magnificent facility will provide an unparalleled educational experience for Marshall students for many years to come,” White said. “We are fortunate to have the generous support of the Weisberg family and all those who made this day possible. I wish Art was here to see this dream come true.
The university and Huntington this afternoon celebrated the opening of the 155,000-square-foot, 480-foot-long, four-story, $56 million building with a ceremonial ribbon cutting at the complex.
Art Weisberg was the president of Huntington-based Arthur’s Enterprises, which made a large donation to help pay for the facility. He passed away in 2012, shortly after ground was broken for the complex. Art’s wife Joan and a dozen members of her family attended today’s ceremony.
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin and U.S. Representative Evan Jenkins also were on hand to help celebrate the milestone. Among the others who spoke at the ceremony were Marshall Provost Gayle Ormiston, White, West Virginia Senator Robert Plymale and engineering student Taylor Lipscomb. Art and Joan’s oldest daughter, Pam Weisberg, spoke on behalf of the family.
The imposing new complex features advanced learning environments, teaching/research laboratories and resources to support undergraduate and graduate programs in engineering, mechanical engineering and bioengineering, computational sciences, environmental sciences, transportation and applied digital/simulation technology. It also houses the offices of the Marshall University Research Corporation. The Marshall Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, currently located in the nearby Robert C. Byrd Biotechnology Science Center, will relocate to the complex this fall.
The Weisberg building is organized to promote multidisciplinary collaboration among the university’s programs and researchers. A central atrium soars four stories and serves as a window into the structure. The complex’s scale and brick and cast stone exterior are consistent with adjacent campus architecture.
“After years of hard work and planning, the opening of the new complex is an enormous step forward toward the realization of our dreams and vision for our students, the university, the community and the state,” said Dr. Wael Zatar, dean of Marshall’s College of Information Technology and Engineering.
Zatar said Marshall currently has approximately 650 students in undergraduate engineering, computer science and safety technology programs and graduate engineering, computer science, environmental science and technology management programs. The university anticipates the new building could help double that number of students in less than 10 years.
“This new, state-of-the-art building will be a tremendous asset to Marshall University’s students and faculty by providing the resource capabilities to advance current and future research funding initiatives,” he said. “The university’s engineering and technology students will have classes under one roof with some of the most advanced engineering and technology labs in the region.
“The building will allow for growth, the addition of new programs and tremendous opportunities for our students. The education and experience they receive in this complex will benefit the community and region by providing top-notch graduates to meet the needs of prospective employers in the region and will capitalize on the growing interest in the fields of engineering and technology.”
The Weisberg family has been very supportive of Marshall University and, through their financial assistance, has greatly contributed to the successful re-establishment of the university’s engineering degree program, which was re-launched in 2006. Engineering is now one of Marshall’s fastest-growing majors.
Art Weisberg’s reason for supporting Marshall’s engineering program was simple: “Engineering, to me, is the future of America and West Virginia …. I love Huntington, and I know this gift will make a lasting difference.”
Other donors to the new facility include Mary H. Hodges, the Baer and Polan families, the BrickStreet Foundation, J.H. Fletcher & Co., Doug and Sue Ellen Hardman, Charles and Victoria Neighborgall and Shelba Pew.
