By Rosemary Peters
For an entire year engineering students from civil to mechanical were "homeless." While business students had Franz Hall and nursing students had Buckley Center, these engineering students had to look to the South and watch as concrete and dust fell from their recently-gutted home.
"It was noisy and dusty and loud. We didn't even have a bathroom," said Kitty Harmon, the engineering program counselor. Harmon was one of a handful of faculty members who stayed in Shiley throughout the entire renovation. "But all I have to say is hallelujah. H-A-L-L-E-L-U-J-A-H."
Shiley Hall was named after Donald Shiley, a UP graduate who made a 12 million-dollar donation to the School of Engineering two years ago. According to UP's Web site, when Shiley came to UP in 1951, he fell in love with the engineering building. Fifty-eight years later, he wants current students to have the same experience.
The building has been enlarged by 28,000 square feet and entirely refurbished. One of the first changes to be made was to the technology available. Brand new computers fill three computer rooms. A conference room has also been added, giving the faculty and staff the ability to teleconference into meetings via a four screen TV set.
Another noteworthy addition to the building is the state-of-the-art Dyson Airblade hand dryers in the bathrooms. These hand dryers are the fastest in the industry, use 80 percent less energy to run and actually clean the air before blowing it onto your hands.
In order to commemorate significant donors, the elevator doors have several well-known patent ideas etched into them. One describes Shiley's patent for heart valves. Shiley helped invent the Bjork-Shiley valve in 1971 and it has since been used to replace aortic and mitral valves.
Another change to the building's design is to the main entrance which is now wheelchair friendly. Two ramps lead up the side of the main staircase into the first floor.
The expansion of Shiley Hall is being used for new classrooms, offices and study areas. Of the new classrooms, two of them are five-tiered rooms that are almost twice the size of the three-tiered rooms in Franz Hall. These rooms will be used for several classes and events such as ASUP meetings. The study areas range in amenities offered. Some are full of plush couches, while others have tall tables and desks.
An added bonus of the expansion of the building is that not only engineering students will be using the building. Students taking science and English classes will also be able to enjoy Shiley's renovations.
"All of this was worth living in a hole for a year," Harmon said.
- Rosemary Peters
