Science education at DePaul is about to get greener.

Kicking off a Campaign for Excellence in Science, DePaul broke ground in June on a $40 million, environmentally friendly science building to be named for Msgr. Andrew J. McGowan, brother of William G. McGowan, the late founder of MCI Communications and the namesake for DePaul’s nearby science building.

Serving as co-chairs of DePaul’s Excellence in Science Campaign, are DePaul trustees, Frank Clark, chairman and CEO of ComEd; and Sue L. Gin, chairman of Flying Food Group, Inc.

“We believe it is critical to provide our next generation’s scientists with an education of the highest level if our society is to remain healthy, internationally prominent and economically strong,” said the Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M, president. "The building, scholarships and initiatives supported by the Campaign for Excellence in Science are key components of our strategic plan for academic enrichment."

Classes taught by DePaul’s science faculty range from undergraduate courses to those designed for science teachers. Science at DePaul is taught in an innovative and collaborative fashion that reaches across science disciplines. It involves other departments within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, partnerships with the School of Education, K-12 educators, scientific agencies, companies and museums. The spacious new building - combined with funding for upgraded equipment, program development and student scholarship support - is expected to increase innovative teaching initiatives at DePaul.

The 129,000-foot, four-story structure is scheduled for completion by November 2008. It will be home to the departments of chemistry and environmental science. The biology department also will occupy 6,000 square feet outside its main home in McGowan North. Students will begin classes in the new building in January 2009.

To be connected to McGowan North by a second-floor bridge, the structure will include 23 research labs, eight dedicated teaching laboratories, five large tiered classrooms and a multipurpose room that converts from a classroom to a lab. The roof will contain two greenhouses - one for teaching and one for research - as well as an environmentally friendly section of "green roof."

While all recent DePaul construction has been designed to be energy efficient, the new science building is the first university structure to seek certification through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The building is a core component of DePaul’s $20 million Campaign for Excellence in Science, designed to prepare exceptionally educated professionals to meet the needs of Illinois’ scientific and medical communities.

The State of Illinois, through its Capital Development Board, has contributed $9 million to the campaign and is a major partner in promoting science education at DePaul University. The campaign also will fund scholarships and expand initiatives to enrich science education at both the collegiate and K-12 levels.

A gift of $2 million has been provided by the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund to name the building. Gin, who also is the McGowan Fund’s board president, pointed out that the foundation and DePaul share a vision of maximizing human potential through education.

The building is designed by the architectural firm of Antunovich Associates of Chicago, with Earl Walls Associates of San Diego serving as laboratory consultants. The Meyne Company will serve as general contractor for the building project.

Click to view an image of McGowan South.

Click to view a live Web cam of McGowan South construction.