(Prairie View)—Prairie View A&M University’s College of Engineering celebrated the opening of its $12 million, 48,787-square-foot Electrical Engineering facility on Aug. 25. The building, designed by Kell Muñoz Architects of San Antonio, will house bachelor’s degree programs in electrical and computer engineering and a master’s degree and doctorate in electrical engineering.
Prairie View A&M’s new Electrical Engineering building
At the ceremony, PVAMU President George C. Wright said, “While the architects and builders are to be commended for [the building’s] beauty and the care taken to provide an ideal setting for teaching, research and learning, I am most excited about the activities that will take place inside this facility and the range of opportunities and experiences that will be offered to our students involved in these programs.”
The College of Engineering is made up of six departments: chemical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, engineering technology and mechanical engineering.
Funded projects currently under way in the electrical engineering department alone are at the $4 million mark and continue to grow. More than 20 research projects and sponsored programs will be housed in the building designed to accommodate the university’s growing research and engineering education.
Dean Milton R. Bryant said, “This building stands as a reminder of the importance of engineering education in Texas. The university’s approach to providing our students with opportunities and an educational experience that prepares them for the next level includes class room lectures, laboratory work, research and service to the community and the State of Texas.”
Students, administrators, faculty, alumni and friends gathered to celebrate the new facility by participating in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, guided tours, a luncheon and entertainment throughout the engineering complex.
The electrical engineering building and the Ph.D. program in electrical engineering resulted from the Office of Civil Rights Priority Plan and the Texas Commitment funding, initially provided by the Texas Legislature in 2001. The OCR funding was part of an agreement between the State of Texas and the U.S. Office of Civil Rights in response to an OCR and State study of Texas’ past support of Prairie View A&M University and Texas Southern University.