Engineering Building Officially Opens as Part of Alumni Weekend

By C2M Correspondent Amy Crockett

The new engineering building is officially the largest academic building on campus after the grand opening of the 180,000 square foot building Friday afternoon.  

Alumni, faculty, and students in the first floor atrium of the new Engineering Building.  Photo by Amy Crockett.

Dean of Engineering Lloyd Griffiths set the tone of the open house.

“At Mason, we normally celebrate people and accomplishments, but today is really about the building,” Griffiths said.  

There is much to be celebrated about the state of the art building.  It is the first LEED certified or green building on campus. 

The building houses all of the Engineering and Information Technology departments as well as labs for faculty and student research.  George Mason is also the first school in Virginia to have corporate lease space.  Over 12,000 square feet of the building is reserved for companies to lease for research.  This will allow students the opportunity to interact with the company employees and learn about their research.  Dean Griffiths expects top students to be hired by leasing companies.

After brief remarks from President Alan Merten and Ernst Volgenau, for whom the engineering school is named, a ribbon cutting ceremony took place.  Doc Nix and the Mason Pep Band performed as attendees moved inside for a reception and self-guided tours.  

Doc Nix and the Green Machine played at the open house.  Photo by Amy Crockett.

University architect, Jim Miller, is excited for the many new opportunities and growth available provided by the new building. 

“I hope the building is a basis for new research from the next generation of students who will lead the way in the future,” Dr. Volgenau said during the event.