Fall 2006

Construction Update

Miami breaks ground on Farmer Hall

On November 2, members of the Miami community celebrated the ground breaking of the new home for the Richard T. Farmer School of Business. Located on the former site of Reid Hall on east quad, the building will be aptly named Farmer Hall.

Farmer Hall will mirror the red-brick Georgian Revival style consistent with most of the architecture on the Oxford campus. Six academic departments, three centers and numerous programs will be in the building - the first time in decades that the School has been in the same building. Teaching areas will reflect a growing trend for increased small group meeting spaces, said.seminar-style lectures, and experiential learning. All interior spaces will be designed to facilitate interaction among faculty and students.

The eco-friendly design and use of environmentally responsible materials positions Farmer Hall to become the first Miami building to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

A $25 million gift in 2005 from Richard and Joyce Farmer and the Farmer Family Foundation provided the majority of the funding for Farmer Hall, which is expected to open at the end of 2008.

The Richard T. Farmer School of Business was ranked 17 in BusinessWeek’s inaugural survey of the nation’s undergraduate business schools in April, 2006.

Rink receives raves

Ranking the new Goggin Ice Center as one of the top three sports venues in the region, the Cincinnati Enquirer recently highlighted the arena’s features as it opened in October.

The Steve Cady Arena at Goggin Ice Center,
includes, for example:
Space near the north goal for students to crowd into and cheer.
Seating, with chair backs, that drastically reduces the distance from the ice for the uppermost seats.
Luxury boxes.
National Hockey League standards in the locker rooms, the training room, the sports medicine room and the rinks themselves.
Video screen to follow the game.
Two patches of ice to accommodate the practice needs of the hockey teams, synchronized skating program, ice skating classes and, of course, broomball.

The 3,800-seat, $34.8 million center was made possible thanks in part to donors who funded a variety of aspects of the project from luxury boxes to “wet” lockers designed for hockey equipment. A $3.8 million gift from former hockey goalie Tom Brown ’80 gave him the opportunity to name the arena for his former hockey coach, Steve Cady, now Miami’s senior associate athletics director.

Cady, who brought the sport from club to varsity status, made a big difference in Brown’s life he said in an Oct. 3 Cincinnati Enquirer article. “He taught me a lot about having a dream and working hard to see it through,” Brown said of Cady.

Summer projects concluded on campus

Thanks in part to donor support, a number of new or renovated buildings are renewing the face of Miami. This fall, the engineering complex is nearing completion, a new softball facility is ready for play and ground was broken for the Richard T. Farmer School of Business.

The new $23.6 million School of Engineering and Applied Science Complex is nearing completion on High Street. The complex will consist of three wings, two of which have been newly constructed. Benton Hall, the third wing, is being retrofitted to accommodate the vision for the Engineering Complex.

The School of Engineering and Applied Science facility sits just in front of the former site of Goggin Ice Rink. The former rink has been deconstructed. In its place, a new engineering courtyard is planned, and a two-story underground parking facility is currently underway.

The Department of Psychology moved into its new building over the summer, making way for the renovations to Benton Hall. The Psychology building faces Patterson Avenue and is located between Pearson Hall and the Miami Inn.

The softball facility just north of Millett Hall was a $3.8 million construction project – including funding from donors. With natural grass, lighting for night games and room for 500 spectators, the field will provide appropriate space for NCAA Division I competition.

During the fall semester, a number of utility projects on East Quad were completed so that construction of the Richard T. Farmer School of Business may begin in early 2007 on the site of the former Reid Hall. The formal groundbreaking was in early November. The 190,000 square foot facility is scheduled for completion in 2008.

At King Library, the final part of a three-phase project is nearly complete. The approximately $6 million project included renovation of the third floor and portions of the ground floor as well as upgrades to the building and its mechanical systems, reconfiguration of the book stacks and new furnishings.

The $14.3 million renovation of McGuffey Hall is complete with upgrades to the entire three-wing building, including the installation of technology classrooms.

Although separate from the Miami University Campaign For Love and Honor, Lewis Place is also undergoing renovations and receiving a face lift. For the time being, President Hodge, his wife, Valerie, and daughter, Meriem, are living in the Lottie Moon House.

Back to the Giving Tribute Fall 2006