SOUTHFIELD – Lawrence Technological University reported it has topped the $100 million mark in its capital campaign, and now construction is scheduled to begin in the fall on the first phase of the 125,000 square foot Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math-focused A. Alfred Taubman Engineering, Life Sciences and Architecture Complex.

This complex will feature the Marburger STEM Center that will stand for a different variation of the traditional ?STEM? acronym. In this case, it will stand for Systems, Technology, and Educational Mentoring. Sometimes referred to as STEM Squared for this double meaning, this center will help prepare students for careers in STEM fields by exploring the systems and technology involved in the real world. Through educational mentoring and collaboration with the private sector, students will take their course work in STEM fields to gain a better understanding of how studies will be applied towards a career. The center will enable the LTU to graduate more job-ready students in a time when the demand of STEM-trained professionals is rapidly increasing.

?The new STEM center is not just built around the core fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, but it is an extension of the traditional LTU philosophy of theory and practice that differentiates our graduates,? said Steve Brown, Vice President for University Advancement. ?The goal is to bridge the gap between formal education and the actual needs of STEM focused careers with more hands-on, practical experiences that the new STEM center will bring.?

The building is a high priority for the University and will be designed to create a collaborative learning environment that brings students and faculty closer together. It also will help further promote the interdisciplinary cooperation between LTU?s College of Engineering, College of Arts and Sciences, and College of Architecture and Design. In addition to the Marburger STEM Center, it will provide advanced facilities for robotics engineering, biomedical engineering, life sciences and several related programs.

The new building will be named for former LTU student A. Alfred Taubman, shopping mall developer and philanthropist, who donated $1 million to cover planning for the new building and offered a $10 million challenge grant that has now been matched by over $20 million in new pledges for the construction of the building. Taubman studied architecture at Lawrence Tech in the 1940s.

This marks the start of the first phase of the project slated for a Fall 2014 groundbreaking ceremony. There are two other phases still seeking funding, with the goal to have all phases complete by 2020. Not only does this new building give a new meaning to STEM, but it also will provide new avenues for students in STEM fields to become job ready.

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