The College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology is soaring into the future with the construction of its new building. 

The Aeronautics and Technology Building, located across from the Kent State Power Plant, is scheduled to be completed in November. The new building will be hosting classes in a new learning environment starting spring 2015.

CAEST is currently located in Van Deusen Hall.

“Van Deusen Hall is one of the oldest buildings on campus that has not received a full rehabilitation,” said Michael Bruder, executive director of Facilities, Planning and Design. “It has most of its original construction from the 1950s.” 

He said the new building would boost the morale of some students, making it a more positive class setting. 

“It’s a real big morale booster,” Bruder said. “It really helps people reinvent themselves.”

The new building will host a number of improved facilities that will support better learning. There will be more labs than classrooms and more modern technology, promoting the highest caliber of learning.

“We are purchasing some new lab equipment,” said Robert Sines Jr., dean of the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology. “We also have equipment that was donated to help out with our robotics program.”

The new building will have air conditioning, unlike Van Deusen, according to Isaac Nettey, associate dean of CAEST.

“We will have better and more modern facilities in this new building,” Nettey said. “The labs will benefit from much more modern and integrated HVAC systems.”

Not only will the student benefit from the physical changes, but also a deeper connection to the campus community.

“Their sense of affection, their sense of identification with Kent State University will be enhanced in the new learning space,” Nettey said. “I believe it’s going to have a very positive impact on our students.”

The enrollment in CAEST is also expected to rise in the upcoming years after the new building is complete, and the college will also be hiring more full-time faculty members in response to the prospective increase.

“I do expect both in-state and out-of-state students who may be looking at Kent, as well as other universities, to be more inclined to come to Kent State,” Nettey said.

Contact Anthony Didion at [email protected].