08
October
2009
|
15:14 PM
America/Los_Angeles

Building for the Future: Beam Signing for New Social & Behavioral Sciences Building

Building for the Future:Beam Signing for New Social & Behavioral Sciences Building CSUSM President Karen S. Haynes and and Mr. John Pettitt, Corporate Lead Executive for Northrop Grumman Corporation and Chair of the CSUSM College of Arts and Sciences (CoAS) Advisory Board, sign a beam during a special beam signing ceremony for CSUSM's newest academic building, the Social and Behavioral Sciences Building. In December 2008 work began on what will be the largest and most advanced building on the California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) campus - the Social and Behavioral Science Building (SBSB).  This 106,509-square-foot building will soon be home to all the social and behavioral science disciplines including psychology, sociology, communication/mass media, economics, political science, anthropology, liberal studies, women's studies, Native American studies, and human development. Construction on the nearly $30 million state bond funded project is due to be completed by December of 2010. At a ceremonial beam signing attended by nearly a hundred members of the campus community on Thursday, September 24, 2009, CSUSM President Karen S. Haynes noted, "The Social and Behavioral Sciences Building is a venue designed to facilitate research and collaboration. It will be a place where our students, faculty, and community partners will be able to engage together in challenging and hands-on educational experiences. The two centers, six classrooms, seven conference rooms, thirteen labs, and space for graduate research will be positive learning environments conducive to preparing our graduates to be insightful, service-oriented and collaborative professionals working within and for our increasingly global community.""Bringing the disciplines of the social and behavioral sciences together under one roof with 125 faculty offices [and 14 academic department suites] will facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration in teaching and research - a core value for Cal State San Marcos," said Haynes. "A substantial portion of our academic activity - over 75 percent of the instruction - comes from these disciplines, and nearly half of CSUSM's alumni have degrees in these fields.""The intellectual territory encompassed in this building is centered on understanding human nature as it is expressed within society through thought, word and deed," said Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Jennifer Jeffries. "Taken as a whole, the disciplines that will call this building home provide all of us with ways to better understand ourselves and others and to increase our ability to handle the complex issues of our times."Donors who contribute one hundred dollars have an opportunity to sign a beam that will be on permanent display in the SBSB lobby once completed. While construction of the nearly $30 million facility has been funded by a state bond, private philanthropic support is still needed to pay for laboratory equipment, the expansion of community service learning and internship opportunities for students, and faculty development opportunities to enhance their teaching and research activities. Opportunities for the naming of centers, labs, classrooms, conference rooms, and the building itself are also available.For more information on giving to the new Social and Behavioral Sciences Building, visit www.csusm.edu/giving or contact CSUSM University Advancement at 760-750-4400 or giving@csusm.edu.