Kent State Board Approves College of Aeronautics and Engineering Building Addition

During its quarterly meeting last week, the Kent State University Board of Trustees approved an addition to the university’s Aeronautics and Engineering Building. The College of Aeronautics and Engineering opened in spring 2015, and since then, enrollment has grown enough to require additional space for faculty research and student classes and labs.

According to a press release, the building’s three-story addition will measure in at 41,449 gross square feet and feature classrooms, instructional and research laboratories, active teaching classrooms, cyber classrooms, networking labs, and faculty offices.

Kent State College of Aeronautics and Engineering addition

Design and construction documents are scheduled for completion by August. After bidding and contract negotiations, groundbreaking should take place in October 2021 for a 14-month construction process. The new facility would open to faculty and students in time for the spring 2023 semester.

The project’s estimated price tag is $19.6 million. Of this, $14.1 million is slated to come from 2020 bond proceeds, $4 million from local funds, and $1.5 million from philanthropic gifts to the university.

A press release states that enrollment in Kent State University’s College of Aeronautics and Engineering has increased by 52 percent since 2019 and by 7 percent since 2020, despite the coronavirus pandemic. A gap between the available workforce and industry needs sets up a wide variety of opportunities for new graduates.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • UT System Approves First Funds for New Campus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved funds to build the first facility of a new campus in far west Fort Worth, Texas, according to university news. UTA West will serve as a branch of the University of Texas at Arlington and is scheduled to open in fall 2028.

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • Little Grand Market

    Designing for Belonging: Why Student Wellness Starts with Space

    From walkable site planning to flexible interiors, intentional design choices play a critical role in how students experience comfort, connection, and community.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.