BUILD
CEE
The Plan to Modernize CEE at Illinois Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering College of Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The future of our educational and research missions requires a significant modernization of our facilities. —Benito Mariùas, Professor and Head
Revolutionize the curriculum, modernize the facilities CEE at Illinois has embarked on a comprehensive plan to modernize our infrastructure to improve the student experience and facilitate innovative and emerging instructional methods. Engineering education is changing. Our faculty are designing classes with more group and project work, the innovative use of technology and hands-on experiences that excite and motivate our students and prepare them to be leaders in industry and academia. Our reputation as the top program demands that our teaching and research spaces evolve accordingly. The four-phase CEE Modernization Plan began with the construction of the Yeh Student Center (Phase I), continues with an extensive upgrade to the Hydrosystems Laboratory building (Phase II) and will end with the expansion and subsequent renovation (Phases III and IV) of Newmark Lab.
Private philanthropy will be key to the realization of this project.
Phase II: Additions to Hydro and Newmark labs, smart bridge The goal of the current project is to provide classroom and laboratory space to support innovative and emerging instructional methods, such as hands-on, project-based, technology-focused, and group learning. The hydrosystems bay will remain and continue to serve at the forefront of research in water resources science and engineering. The south portion of the building will be demolished to make way for a new addition featuring instructional labs, classrooms, and collaborative areas for faculty and students. Although located in the Hydro Lab, the new space will be utilized by students and faculty in all of the department’s areas of study, including the new cross-cutting areas. A smaller, three-story addition will be added onto Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory to the south, and a new landmark smart bridge will be constructed to connect the buildings and serve as an instructional tool.
Physical testing and experiments are very relevant, and affording that opportunity to our students is very important. That’s going to give them an edge compared to the education students receive at other schools. —Professor Marcelo García
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Technology-enhanced classrooms will create a more dynamic learning environment, allowing students to work with state-of-the-art software and visualize the implications of design decisions in real-time.
Growth requires space UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM Undergraduate enrollment has been stable in recent years, though when current numbers are compared with those from 2005 a noticable increase is clear. Total undergraduate student enrollment:
493
2005 2015
730
Teaching Assistants:
2007 28 2015
171
FACULTY AND STAFF Hiring of faculty has mirrored the growth of the student body. The development of CEE’s new cross-disciplinary programs, which provide education, research and global outreach opportunities for undergraduates and graduates alike, have also influenced faculty growth. CEE currently has 54 faculty members, with four of them having been added in the past year and two additional planned hires. As the numbers of programs, students and faculty have increased, the staff has grown accordingly to support a world-class educational enterprise.
—Assistant Professor Jeremy Guest
GRADUATE PROGRAM Interest in the CEE at Illinois graduate program continues to increase every year. Since 2005, the number of applications received has more than doubled and graduate enrollment exceeds that of the undergraduate program. CEE at Illinois’ reputation as a top civil and environmental department extends beyond the nation’s borders; the number of international students enrolled in the M.S. program has more than quadrupled in the past nine years. Graduate program applications: 2005 2015
645
Graduate program offers of admission: 2005 254 2015 613 Total graduate student enrollment:
2005 2015
398
732
1,315
The CEE Smart Bridge u
A living laboratory featuring the latest innovations in infrastructure sensing
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A showcase for sustainable energy and environmental design options
u An instructional tool to teach students about the effects of dynamic forces on the built infrastructure A unifying element for faculty and students from all the department’s areas of study
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A new campus landmark
Our hope is that the bridge will become a new north campus landmark — a source of inspiration and pride for current students and returning alumni that communicates the department’s preeminence. —Professor Liang Liu
cee.illinois.edu/give
CEE at Illinois needs your help u
to retain our leadership position
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to educate tomorrow’s leaders
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to continue to attract top faculty Alumni and friends have many opportunities to invest directly in the student and faculty experience of our department and its continued excellence. You can support the overall project by directing gifts to the CEE Modernization Fund to provide classrooms, labs, student space and meeting rooms. This can be accomplished through outright cash gifts, pledges, company matching gifts, or in-kind donations of equipment, materials or other assets. If you have an interest in supporting CEE’s facilities in the future through your estate, please contact our advancement office. All donors will be recognized within the new spaces. To learn more about the ways in which you can be a part of the CEE Modernization Plan by making a gift to the department, please contact: Benito Mariñas Professor and Head (217) 333-6961 marinas@illinois.edu John Kelley Director of Advancement (217) 333-5120 jekelley@illinois.edu Nishant Makhijani Assistant Director of Advancement (217) 265-0407 nishantm@illinois.edu
Please make a gift today Gifts of all sizes will be needed to achieve our goal, but at this time, as we determine the scope of Phase II, leadership gifts and pledges are most critical.
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$2,000,000 - $4,000,000
1
$1,000,000 - $1,999,999
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$500,000 - $999,999
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$250,000 - $499,999
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$100,000 - $249,999
16
$50,000 - $99,999
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$25,000 - $49,999
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$10,000 - $24,999
60
$5,000 - $9,999
MANY
Number of gifts needed
< $5,000
Gift range
cee.illinois.edu/give
CEE Office of Advancement 205 N. Mathews Ave. Urbana, IL 61801 cee.illinois.edu/give