Texas Tech Places Final Steel Beam on Academic Sciences Building

Doug Hensley

May 18, 2023

Administrators from Texas Tech University, the Texas Tech University System, local elected officials and construction team project managers all took part in a "Topping Out" ceremony today (May 18) for the Academic Sciences Building on campus.

The facility is a three-story, 131,000-square-foot structure that will serve as the new home for five departments within the College of Arts & Sciences: Biological Sciences, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Geosciences, Physics & Astronomy and Psychological Sciences.

University President Lawrence Schovanec, members of the Teas Tech community and other local stakeholders all took turns signing the final steel beam before it was placed atop the new structure. The signing ceremony took place just south of the building's job site.

"Events like this symbolize progress and exemplify our priority to educate and graduate students with the knowledge, skills and personal qualities that enable them to contribute to the workforce and society," Schovanec said. "The Academic Sciences Building will very much be at the center of our educational and research enterprise – where we are now and where we intend to be in the future."

Budgeted at $112.5 million, the Academic Sciences Building was partially funded by a $12.5 million appropriation approved by the Texas Legislature during the 87th Legislative Session, as well as Higher Education funding. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Dec. 15, 2021. The project is scheduled to be completed by early summer 2024.

The building will contain hands-on active learning classrooms, student collaboration spaces, first-class teaching and computer laboratories, faculty offices and research facilities, which will help address the issue of outdated teaching labs and fulfill unmet research space needs.

The new structure will be consistent with the Spanish Renaissance aesthetic that marks most of the buildings on the Texas Tech campus. Building materials include Mission Blend brick, cast stone details and terracotta tiled roofing. Among planned external features will be a pedestrian walkway and a courtyard east of the building.

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A new era of excellence is dawning at Texas Tech University as it stands on the cusp of being one of the nation's premier research institutions.

Research and enrollment numbers are at record levels, which cement Texas Tech's commitment to attracting and retaining quality students. In fall 2020, the university achieved a goal more than a decade in the making, reaching a total student population of more than 40,000. In 2018, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education again placed Texas Tech among its top doctoral universities in the nation in the "Very High Research Activity" category. Texas Tech is one of 94 public institutions nationally and 131 overall to achieve this prestigious recognition.

Quality students need top-notch faculty. Texas Tech is home to a diverse, highly revered pool of educators who excel in teaching, research and service. The university strives to foster an environment that celebrates student accomplishment above all else. Texas Tech is large enough to provide the best in facilities and academics but prides itself on being able to focus on each student individually. The momentum for excellence at Texas Tech has never been greater.

The Texas Tech University College of Arts & Sciences was founded in 1925 as one of the university's four original colleges.

Comprised of 16 departments and more than 400 tenured faculty members, the College offers a wide variety of courses and programs in the humanities, social and behavioral sciences, mathematics and natural sciences. Students can choose from 41 bachelor's degree programs, 34 master's degrees and 14 doctoral programs.

With just under 11,000 students enrolled, the College of Arts & Sciences is the largest college on the Texas Tech University campus.In fall 2016, the college embarked upon its first capital campaign, Unmasking Innovation: The Campaign for Arts & Sciences. It focuses on five critical areas of need: attracting and retaining top faculty, enhancing infrastructure, recruiting high-potential students, undergraduate research and growing the Dean's Fund for Excellence.

The Office of Research and Innovation is tasked with facilitating excellence in research, scholarship and creative activity for Texas Tech students, faculty and staff. The office promotes an academic environment embracing creativity, curiosity, innovation, diversity, ethics and integrity.

Among other programs, the OR&I supports responsible and safe conduct of research, faculty development and recognition, interdisciplinary collaborations, externally sponsored research, partnerships with industry and community stakeholders, international research collaboration and the application of research for the benefit of society. The OR&I promotes a culture of creative expression, discovery, innovation and collaboration with the goal of advancing Texas Tech's status as an elite national research university.