SMU officials broke ground on May 9 for the new Caruth Hall. A goal of $22 million has been set for the project, $18.4 million of which has been committed.

The new building will house the Caruth Institute for Engineering Education, as well as the Department of Engineering Management, Information and Systems, and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering within the School of Engineering. It will include the Hillcrest Foundation Amphitheater, the Mabee Foundation Foyer, the Vester Hughes Auditorium and the Palmer Engineering Leadership Complex.

The complex features an advising center, student leadership and co-op programs, and an “innovation gym,” which will allow students to interact and discover solutions to issues and projects.

“The new Caruth Hall will be a remarkable laboratory of innovation for our students, faculty and corporate partners,” Geoffrey Orsak, dean of the School of Engineering said. “The building will offer new opportunities for collaborative research and hands-on learning, as well as providing high-performance space for engineering institutes and centers.”

The building will feature more than 64,000 sq. feet constructed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold Standards. Once construction is completed, the final phase of the development of the engineering quadrangle will be finished.

Gifts enabling the construction of the new Caruth Hall include $4 million from Robert Palmer of Houston, $1.5 million from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation of Tulsa, $2 million from the Hillcrest Foundation of Dallas and $7.5 million from the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation of Communities Foundation of Texas.

An additional $5.1 million donation from the W.W. Caruth Jr. Foundation of Communities Foundation of Texas established the Caruth Institute in March 2008. Former Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisitions Delores M. Etter will direct the Institute. Etter is also the new Texas Instruments Distinguished Chair in Engineering Education.