AMHERST, N.Y. — The University at Buffalo will soon be home to a new state-of-the-art building that will house the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Officials broke ground on Tuesday for the $111 million project. The goal of the project is to meet the demand for the growing enrollment of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and enhance students' experiences.
New York State provided a $68 million capital investment through the SUNY Construction Fun and the remaining funds are from the University at Buffalo, which also included a private donation.
“With financial support coming from New York State and generous private donations, we are not only expanding opportunities in high-demand STEM fields but also fostering an environment that inspires curiosity, innovation, and collaboration,” Governor Hochul said in a press release. “This new facility will play a crucial role in preparing our students to lead in an increasingly technological world and strengthen New York’s position as a leader in research and education."
The building will be named after Russell L. Agrusa, a UB alum and retired software executive who committed $40 million to the university.
"Russell L. Agrusa Hall will have a transformative impact on our School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and our university community," said University at Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi. "Consider the collaborations that will form there and contribute to economic prosperity and vitality in the region state and well beyond; the students who will be educated there and go on to lead in their fields; the innovations that will take root there, producing the technologies of tomorrow. On behalf of all of us at UB, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to UB alumnus Russ Agrusa for this historic gift, and to Governor Kathy Hochul, U.S. Representative Tim Kennedy, and the Western New York state delegation for their enduring support of UB and our mission of excellence.”
Agrusa spoke of the significant industry presence of UB Grads. "The graduates are really sought after by Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. They come here and you know...the person who was a graduate from here ran the Google - YouTube division. Was the president of Google's YouTube. How important is Google's YouTube? Then there's Baidu - the top search engine in China was set up by a PhD student from UB. So under the radar, we have a lot of our graduates actually moving the needle forward."
He also said the current and future UB grads could be in line to help make up the workforce for other upstate companies like Micron which is scheduled to build a $100 Billion semi-conductor chip fab plant in suburban Syracuse. "The students coming out of here are a perfect match for Micron, for Nvidia, for Intel. Many of them have gone off to those companies."
“The University at Buffalo is an extraordinary institution, consistently at the forefront of pioneering transformative research and innovation. I am deeply appreciative to Governor Kathy Hochul and the Legislature for their investment to build this state-of-the-art facility that will help UB attract top-tier talent and further its mission of student success and upward mobility," said SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr.