Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Towson University Announces New Science Building

  • 11/27/17

Towson University in Towson, MD, will begin construction next summer on a $184 million building to serve its growing student body, which is enrolling in more math, engineering and science courses.

With $161 million coming from the state through 2020, it’s one of the largest higher education construction projects earmarked in Governor Larry Hogan’s FY 2017 budget. When completed in 2020, the new 316,000-square-foot structure will be between the performance venue Stephens Hall and the aging, existing 52-year-old science building at 7800 York Road, Smith Hall.

Towson University

Smith Hall lacks adequate lab and classroom space to accommodate students studying science, technology, engineering and math. When Smith Hall was built in 1964, the university had 3,537 students. Today it has 3,800 graduate and undergraduate students majoring in STEM fields alone. Its total student body population is growing as well. Towson expects to have 25,000 on-campus students by 2029, compared with 20,000 today, and requires that each student takes two science courses, regardless of major.

The university hopes that by adding 100,000 square feet, it will speed up the time it takes students to complete their degrees. The university will contribute $21 million of its own cash and start a capital campaign to raise donations and naming rights to the building.

The university plans to renovate Smith Hall to use as general classrooms and academic offices. The science building will have outdoor classrooms adjacent to Glen Arboretum, offering hands-on learning for environmental science and biology students.

It will also contain a greenhouse and a planetarium with a telescope mounted on the roof. The project was initially expected to be completed in 2019, but it was deferred for a year as the state looked to reduce its debt.

Featured

  • Harvard Announces Replacement Facility for Native American Program

    Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., recently announced that construction will begin this spring on a new home for its Native American Program, according to university news. The 6,500-square-foot, all-electric building will stand three stories and serve as the central hub for the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP).

  • University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Launches New Emergency Communications System

    The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) recently deployed a new emergency notification and incident management system for its campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with 911Cellular to launch Safe@UTC, a smartphone app allowing university officials to communicate and respond during emergency situations.

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.