Photos by David Crenshaw

Faced with a severe shortage of space and struggling to raise funds for a new building, the School of Engineering three years ago encountered a creative alternative: It could acquire and renovate space in the College of Arts and Science's former chemistry building in the Stevenson Center, thus obtaining needed square footage for a price less than the cost of new construction.
The renovation is now complete; the shingle is out, and the School of Engineering is officially based in the Science and Engineering Building. Administrative offices are located on the ground floor, several electrical engineering labs and offices on floor six, and biomedical engineering on floors eight and nine, bringing the locus of engineering activity within the heart of campus.
The School hosted an open house May 21 to celebrate and to show off the up-to-date laboratories with demonstrations staged by professors. A surprise guest of honor was L. Hall Hardaway, '55, a trustee, who received a Vanderbilt chair for his role in leading the fund-raising efforts for the renovation. Dean Kenneth Galloway thanked alumni and friends of the School for their generosity in helping to make the building a reality. "I am certain our collaborative efforts, productivity, and efficiency will increase as a result of our being in this building. We simply would not be here today if it were not for many of you."
While much work remains to be done in the School's other two buildings, the space within the Science and Engineering Building is a critical first step. Indeed, it is a step worth celebrating.

L. Hall Hardaway, '55, a Vanderbilt trustee, was rewarded with a Vanderbilt chair for his efforts in leading the fund-raising for the move into the Stevenson Center.

Dean Ken Galloway with Roy, '50, and Joanne Slaymaker

Graduate student Toby Anderson allows Hall Hardaway and Blair Trimble, '54, a glance at a cicada under the electron microscope. The open house was held during the month-long cicada invasion of Nashville, which occurs every 13 years.

A New Home for Engineering (continued)

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