Shovels hit dirt at Furnas Lot Tuesday morning as UB broke ground for the construction of a new engineering building. Russell L. Agrusa Hall, named in honor of a UB alum and retired software executive who committed $40 million to the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), will help meet the school’s growing demand for space.
A longtime UB benefactor, Agrusa is set to donate $40 million to support SEAS programs, with $20 million going to the construction of the building — the largest donation by an individual in SEAS’ history.
The building project also received $68 million in funding from New York State’s 2023 budget. Governor Kathy Hochul’s office expects the building will cost $102 million to construct.
In his speech, Agrusa recognized that having a dedicated building to bring students together where they can not only learn but also practice and enhance their skills fosters innovation and the creation of jobs.
“I always felt that the educational part and the learning part was important, but if you don’t practice what you do, it’s very hard to move the needle to create new jobs and new opportunities,” Agrusa said.
SEAS student representative Jada Mowatt said that the building “will provide a space for both research and experimentation, new opportunities for collaboration, and position us to fulfill our mission to innovate and lead in science and engineering.”
“I believe I can speak for all of us that we have long hoped for a student-focused building to pursue our intellectual and professional growth,” Mowatt, a third year chemical engineering PhD student, said.
SEAS Dean Kemper Lewis said that the school hosted focus groups over the last two years to get “information from them [students] about what functionally they need, what they need personally.”
Lewis also said that keeping UB graduates in Buffalo is key to revitalizing Western New York.
“As more tech companies come into the area, we have to be able to provide them with more of our talent, and for some of them, we hope their next step is actually staying here and contributing to our economy in Buffalo,” Lewis said.
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