Kingsbury Hall Renovations Honored
By Debra JohnyBear, College of Engineering & Physical Sciences
October 24, 2007
Photo: Bob Henry
UNH celebrated the reopening of Kingsbury Hall, home to the College of
Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS), during a dedication ceremony
Saturday, October 13.
Students, alumni, faculty, funding partners, and university leaders attended
the dedication of Kingsbury, which houses four engineering departments
(chemical, civil, electrical and computer and mechanical) as well as the
departments of mathematics & statistics and computer science.
The $52 million renovation and expansion added more than 20,000 square
feet for a total building size of approximately 110,000 square feet. The
Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science Library, now 11,000 square
feet, nearly doubled its size. Student project areas – previously
nonexistent – now have 6,000 square feet of dedicated space. The
renovation also brought bright, spacious classrooms and hallways, laboratories
that look out onto hallways, and gathering places where students and faculty
discuss problems and develop innovative solutions.
“The project has become a symbol of everything that the university
is known for: a strong foundation honoring the discoveries, accomplishments
and achievements of the past, while constantly moving forward with state-of-the-art
classrooms and laboratories that provide first-class education benefiting
not only our students, but also our state and our world — and our
collective future,” said President Mark Huddleston at the dedication
ceremony.
CEPS Dean Joe Klewicki echoed Huddleston’s sentiments. “For
educators, there is a deep satisfaction associated with the opportunity
to help students reach their potential. I know I speak for the entire CEPS
faculty when I express my deep sense of gratitude for this wonderful building,” he
said.
The renovation of Kingsbury Hall is financed by a combination of public
and private funds.
“Many people have joined together to bring this building – this
dream – to fruition,” said Huddleston. “Our united effort
is a prime example of the power of partnerships. Together, we can and do
accomplish great things.”
The state Legislature appropriated $44 million for the project in 2001
as part of the Knowledge Economy Education Plan, or KEEP-NH. The first
corporate contributor to the Kingsbury renovation and renewal project was
Kingsbury, Inc., founded by building namesake Albert Kingsbury, a UNH professor
of mechanical engineering from 1889-1899. BAE Systems of Nashua provided
leadership support with a $1 million gift to establish an advanced technology
center.
“The renovated Kingsbury Hall is a wonderful resource for UNH’s
aspiring engineers and scientists, but equally importantly, the college
is an exceptional resource for engineering, businesses and industries statewide,” said
Michael Heffron, president of BAE Systems. “BAE Systems believes
that the companies that rely on UNH to educate New Hampshire’s high-technology
workforce must join public/private partnerships such as the effort to renovate
Kingsbury Hall in order to secure the future of the state's high technology
economy.”
When Kingsbury opened in 1950, the transistor had just been invented,
black and white televisions were becoming have-to-haves in American homes
and the first real-time computer was yet to be a reality. Total enrollment
was just 3,800 students, compared to more than 14,000 today, and Kingsbury
was the largest building on campus.
As technology and knowledge surged forward, however, Kingsbury’s
facilities lagged. Before its renovation, students learned in crowded,
poorly lit classrooms and faculty told of having to choose between turning
on lights or running a computer.
“When I graduated from UNH in 1950, Kingsbury had just been completed,” said
Jack Smith, president of the CEPS Alumni Society and a mechanical engineering
major. “Over the years, I had a vision of how fortunate the students
were to be going to classes and labs in a great new building. Well, my
eyes were opened when [associate] dean Bob Henry offered to take me on
a tour. Not only was a renovation needed, but also additional classrooms
and labs.”
The new Kingsbury Hall has caught up with the needs of 21st century scientists,
engineers and mathematicians. Laboratories have the appropriate infrastructure,
with high-bay areas, wind tunnels, heating, air and ventilation throughout,
computer clusters, and designated student project spaces. Each classroom
has Internet access with LCD projectors, and two state-of-the-art lecture
halls accommodate larger groups.
In addition, the UNH Parents Association pledged more than $300,000 toward
the UNH Parents Association Lecture Hall, a technology-enhanced classroom that features remote-controlled
window shades, lights, projection screen, a color touch panel, and a variety
of electronics for teaching and learning in the 21st century.
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