Construction of New Academic Building Begins

Project is partially funded by the “Building Our Future” Bond Act.

A groundbreaking ceremony held on October 10, 2013 marked the beginning of construction on a new academic building on campus. The first step in a long-range plan to modernize facilities in the main academic core of the campus, the $40 million project will be funded in part by $30 million from the “Building Our Future” Bond Act.

Joining in the ceremony were (left to right) Bill Hanse, chairman,Wayne Economic Development Committee; John Galandak, president, New Jersey Commerce and Industry Association; Neal Bellet, business administrator, Township of Wayne; State Senator Nellie Pou, 35^th District; State Senator Kevin O’Toole, 40^th District; President Kathleen Waldron; Nick Maganuco, president, Student Government Association; Jean Levitan, professor of public health and chair, Faculty Senate; Kenneth Wolf, dean, College of Science and Health; Warren Sandmann, provost and vice president for academic affairs; and Stephen Bolyai, vice president for administration and finance.

“This new facility is a very exciting initial step in our academic zone master plan, as we seek to upgrade the main instructional facilities on campus in support of greater enrollments and more research on behalf of faculty and students,” said Kathleen Waldron, president of William Paterson University. “It is a tangible example of our commitment to provide our faculty and students with state-of-the-art facilities designed to support our superior academic programs focused on teaching and research. It also reinforces the important role William Paterson University plays as a provider of health sciences education in New Jersey and in the United States.  ”

The building will be a 78,000-square-foot teaching and research facility housing 16 general-use classrooms that will serve a minimum of 4,000 students per semester.  It will also feature specialized classrooms and clinical spaces for the University’s well-established and expanding programs in nursing, communication disorders, and public health. Among the specialized clinical spaces will be a greatly expanded Nel Bolger, RN Nursing Laboratory, which will include expanded and updated patient simulation laboratories to provide enhanced clinical training.