Science Building at Auraria a team effort

The Auraria Science Building opens with a VIP ribbon cutting. From left, Gov. Bill Ritter, Downtown Denver Partnership President Tami Door, Metro State President Steve Jordan, UC Denver Chancellor Jerry Wartgow and Auraria Interim Executive Vice President for Administration Barbara Weiske.

Faculty, staff and students gathered Friday, Aug. 20, with state and local officials and other well-wishers to dedicate the addition to the Auraria Science Building.

Directly west of Speer Boulevard, the four-story, 197,000-square-foot structure houses new classrooms, labs and office space for the University of Colorado Denver as well as Metropolitan State College and Community College of Denver. It is connected to the existing Science Building, which is set to undergo renovation and upgrades to further extend facilities for science education on the Auraria Campus.

"This project has been much more than building a building," noted Barb Weiske, interim executive vice president for administration at the Auraria Higher Education Center. As she welcomed the crowd, she also reminded everyone of the persistence and partnership it took to secure funding and to complete the project.

That theme was echoed by each speaker, including Gov. Bill Ritter, who thanked the "Auraria Campus leaders who have a vision for higher education in the state." He also acknowledged the important contributions of faculty who teach the sciences.

State Treasurer Cary Kennedy described the Science Building project as "a model for the nation in teaching math and science." Kennedy sees the funding challenges that were encountered in the Auraria project as a symbol of the difficulties delaying many education initiatives throughout the state.

UC Denver Chancellor Jerry Wartgow said the celebration was possible "because of the hard work of a lot of the people here today." He recognized University of Colorado President Bruce D. Benson and recalled their work together on behalf of the Auraria Campus when they served on the Auraria Board of Trustees, and the effort it took to realize the original Science Building. In the spirit of long-term partnerships, Wartgow said, "We'll work hard to share the full impact of what this building will do for our schools and students."