Students, faculty and other members of the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology signed a steel support beam Wednesday that will be placed within the college’s new facility.   

“Even after the building is built, you probably won’t be able to see the beam, but the students still know that their name is on part of the building, and they were part of a new chapter in the history of the college,” said Robert Sines Jr., dean of the college.

A group of about 50 students showed up to the Kent Student Center to sign the beam at 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. The event was a part of the university’s ongoing “Foundations of Excellence” initiative to improve the campus and its facilities.

“This event is an opportunity for everyone to be a part of the construction,” said Daniel Karp, executive director of creative services for the office of University Communications and Marketing.

The students took turns waiting in line to use one of the markers available to write their names on the beam. It will be placed within the new CAEST facility, a facility that will be about 55,200 square feet in size that will cost the university approximately $17 million to build. The new facility will house updated classrooms, labs and administrative and faculty offices.

CAEST is currently located in Van Deusen Hall, but the college is slated to move to the new building on the Science Mall for the spring 2015 semester, Karp said.

“It’s going to give the students very good labs to work in, because Van Deusen is not the best educational resource we have, so we’re really looking forward to getting in this new building and bringing our programs up to speed,” Sines said.

Students said they are looking forward to the new facility.

 “The new building will help provide a better learning environment,” said Joe Lastery, a junior air traffic control major. “The building we have now is a nice building, but it’s approaching its older years.”

Current CAEST students who attended the event are excited for the new building, and this enthusiasm is also shared among potential students, Sines said.

“I had the opportunity to speak to some potential students the other day and told them we are moving into a big, new building, and they were very excited,” he said. “It’s really going to help us a lot. When you compare our new building to where we’re at now, it’s a world of difference.”

The beam will remain in the Student Center until April 7 for any Kent State student, faculty member or staff member to sign.

To watch construction on the new CAEST facility, watch the project’s live webcam here.

Contact Justin Sheil at [email protected]