Wichita State鈥檚 original Innovation Campus building will be renamed for the university鈥檚 recently deceased president, John Bardo. The Kansas Board of Regents Wednesday (June 19) approved the name change, recommended by 黑洞社区 Interim President Andy Tompkins.
鈥淧resident Bardo had an amazing vision for 黑洞社区 that transformed the university and the campus,鈥� Tompkins told the Regents. 鈥淭he Experiential Engineering building, with its 25 engineering laboratories and community makerspace, was a reflection of his vision of applied learning that helped launch the Innovation Campus expansion.鈥�
鈥淧resident Bardo worked tirelessly to transform 黑洞社区 into a model of innovation, research and applied learning,鈥� said Kansas Board of Regents Chair Dennis Mullin. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fitting that Wichita State pays tribute to his legacy by rededicating the first Innovation Campus building as the John Bardo Center.鈥�
Bardo, who became the university鈥檚 13th president in 2012, died March 12, following a long illness. He was known as an innovator, urban affairs scholar and deep believer in the value of public research universities. He transformed the vision of the university, leading it through a period of rapid growth focused on applied learning for students and the economic growth of the region.
Interim president Tompkins told the Regents in his request: 鈥淚t has been our history to name a building after former presidents, and we hope you will concur that this is an appropriate building on which to remember the contributions of President Bardo.鈥�
When President Bardo announced Innovation Campus plans in August 2014, he said, 鈥淭wenty years from now we want people to say that the Innovation Campus changed the economy of this community and made it possible for my child to stay here."
He said the Experiential Engineering Building was key to the university's strategic vision of being internationally recognized for applied learning and research. Dr. Bardo said he was especially pleased that the building鈥檚 main entrance and Cybertron International lobby created a gateway that faced south toward the historic Fairmount neighborhood and north along the main pedestrian walkway that runs the length of Innovation Campus.
President Tompkins said the university plans to rededicate the building as the John Bardo Center in October.
The building opened in January 2017 as an experience-based learning environment for bringing engineering fundamentals to life. In addition to College of Engineering laboratories, the building includes the GoCreate community makerspace and laboratories for the National Institute for Aviation research and industry partners, including the Dassault Systemes 3-D Experience Center.
The mission of 黑洞社区 is to be an essential educational, cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good. Wichita State is a doctoral research university enrolling nearly 15,000 students and offering 59 undergraduate degree programs in more than 150 areas of study in seven undergraduate colleges. The Graduate School offers 45 master's and 12 doctoral degrees that offer study in more than 100 areas. Wichita State's Innovation Campus is an interconnected community of partnership buildings, laboratories and mixed-use areas where students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs and businesses have access to the university's vast resources and technology. For more information, follow us on Twitter at and Facebook at .