College of Architecture, Planning & Design naming expansion Regnier Hall
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015
When construction is finished in 2017, Regnier Hall will adjoin the expanded east side of Seaton Hall, doubling the College of Architecture, Planning & Design's square footage. | Download this photo.
MANHATTAN — Kansas State University's College of Architecture, Planning & Design, or APDesign, facility expansion project will include Regnier Hall, newly named in honor of a gift from the Regnier family. The Kansas Board of Regents approved the name at its Sept. 16 meeting.
When construction is finished in 2017, Regnier Hall will adjoin the expanded east side of Seaton Hall, doubling the college's square footage and providing needed updates to learning facilities more than a century old.
The Regnier family's V+H Charitable Foundation made the lead gift of $4 million to the project. Victor Regnier, a 1971 graduate of the college, now works as professor of architecture and gerontology for the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
"This new building will be a wonderful enhanced environment for learning," he said. "The college has always represented quality, and we want to support an excellent organization that will excel even further with additional funding."
Altogether, the college is working to raise $15 million through private gifts and student fees for the 194,000-square-foot project. In June, Kansas legislators approved state bond funding totaling $60 million to support the project. The college's Student Advisory Council has also expressed its support, voting last year to significantly raise student fees to benefit the project.
Academic programs within APDesign consistently place in the top 10 nationally by industry rankings and attract students from across the country and around the world. With the new Regnier Hall and expanded Seaton Hall, the college plans to improve even further with more unique opportunities for collaborative study and applied research and improved security and technology.
"To gauge the importance of this endeavor, one needs only to look at the tremendous support we have received,” said Tim de Noble, dean of APDesign. "Our students, our state legislators and our generous alumni and friends have all spoken. It is time to bring our learning environment on par with our national reputation."
