Southern Illinois University President Glenn Poshard and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Chancellor Julie Furst-Bowe welcomed Governor Pat Quinn to the SIUE campus this afternoon. The governor presented a check for $23 million to the SIUE administration to complete the existing Science Building remodeling.
Poshard began by thanking the governor for his support. “This was a project that was a longtime coming,” Poshard said. “The renovation of this building will provide state-of-the-art STEM programs for SIUE students.”
The Science Building renovation is phase two of the SIUE Science Building Complex. The recently completed $52 million new Science Building has provided space for classrooms and laboratories as well as for faculty and student research initiatives in a state-of-the-art learning environment.
Quinn thanked the legislators for their support and determination during the four-year process to make the project a reality. “We believe in STEM education in Illinois,” he said “It’s important to have good jobs, to have good students from K-12 to junior colleges and universities like SIUE.
“SIUE buildings have served a lot of people in four decades. We have to make investments if we want to grow.”
Furst-Bowe was grateful for the resources necessary to complete the project. “For so many years, we have endured creative stop-gap measures to keep the building effective and functional,” she said. “This is so important to our faculty and students.”
The $30 million renovation of the existing structure will involve completely refurbishing classrooms and office spaces.
Chairman of the SIU Board of Trustees Randal Thomas also spoke, while Jim Underwood represented the Illinois Capital Development Board.
Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Belleville) related his experience with SIUE while growing up in the area and noted SIUE’s growth and increased stature among academic institutions statewide and nationally.
Photo: SIUE Chancellor Julie Furst-Bowe, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, SIU President Glenn Poshard.