Thursday, May 26th, 2011

Prominent philanthropist A. Alfred Taubman has thrown his financial support behind another transformative construction project at Lawrence Tech that will greatly improve the University’s engineering facilities, while also providing greater connectivity with architecture and life sciences academic programs.

Taubman has committed $11 million for construction of a new building that will be the centerpiece of the A. Alfred Taubman Engineering, Architecture, and Life Sciences Complex.

The likely location for the new structure is the east corner of the quadrangle where it will be integrated with the Engineering Building and probably connect to the Science Building.

Construction is expected to begin in about 24 months and cost $55 million for a structure of approximately 100,000 square feet.

Taubman joined Lawrence Tech President Lewis Walker in announcing the plans for the new building on May 25 in the University’s A. Alfred Taubman Student Services Center – another building that transformed the Lawrence Tech campus thanks to a leadership gift from Taubman.

Taubman’s new gift is structured to provide a catalyst for the fund-raising efforts needed to complete the private financing of the construction project:

• $1 million will cover planning and development efforts associated with the construction of the building.
• $10 million will go to the A. Alfred Taubman Challenge Grant that must be matched by $20 million in new contributions within three years for the construction of the building.

“Mr. Taubman knows a thing or two about bringing ambitious construction projects to a successful conclusion,” Walker said, referring to Taubman’s pioneering role in the development of shopping malls around the world. “In addition to his generous gift, he is providing leadership and assistance to ensure that the fund raising stays on track and meets our goals in a timely manner.”

The ambitious goal is to strengthen the College of Engineering’spre-eminence by providing cutting-edge facilities and research resources that will attract gifted faculty and top students. The complex will also enhance the University’s strength in forging interdisciplinary partnerships by adding resources in both architecture and the life sciences.

Taubman was an architectural student at Lawrence Tech in the 1940s, and is among the University’s largest contributors. He provided the lead gift for the student services center that opened in 2006, and his total support would surpass $15 million with the successful completion of the challenge grant.

“Lawrence Tech made a big difference in my life, as it has for generations of young people working to build successful careers and fulfilling lives. I am immensely proud of my Lawrence Tech affiliation,” Taubman said. “I am delighted to provide support for the exciting new Engineering, Architecture, and Life Sciences Complex. I join Dr. Walker in encouraging all friends of Lawrence Tech to add their contributions to make sure this amazing new facility becomes a reality.”

The combined gift is one of the largest to date for Lawrence Tech’s “Proud Heritage, Bold Future” capital campaign, planning for which began four years ago. It has raised $65 million of the overall goal of $75 million to $100 million by 2014.

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