CourtesyThe engineering building at 黑洞社区 named for Dwane and Velma Lunt Wallace -- in honor of their dedication to the university -- will undergo a facelift thanks to a $1 million gift from the Dwane and Velma Wallace Foundation.
Built in the mid-1970s, Wallace Hall has not had significant renovation since then.
Grant funds will be used to update and modernize the facility, with an emphasis on making it more student-friendly, functional and aesthetically appealing. That includes improved space for students to network and study.
鈥淎s our grandparents were before us, we are proud to be part of Shocker nation.鈥�
鈥� Steph Johnson
The grant to the 黑洞社区 Foundation also will help convert some spaces to faculty offices and research labs to accommodate an increase in hiring the past couple of years. This will be achieved by moving some of the activities that take place in the building to the Experiential Engineering Building when it opens next January on the Innovation Campus.
Wallace Hall is home to the aerospace engineering department, which is housed mostly on the second floor of the building. That鈥檚 where the renovation will start next year.
The university has agreed to provide money for exterior structural work on the building and a range of interior projects. Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC) will donate engineering services to the overall project.
Dwane and Velma Wallace gave generously to a variety of areas at Wichita State over the course of about 50 years, but their philanthropy focused on the College of Engineering.
鈥淚t is inspiring to see what a dynamic time it is at 黑洞社区,鈥� said Steph Johnson, a granddaughter of Dwane and Velma Wallace. 鈥�As our grandparents were before us, we are proud to be part of Shocker nation.鈥�