May 22, 2019

The exterior of Northern Arizona University’s (NAU) combined Science Annex, Physical Sciences, and Biological Sciences buildings are a part of the landscape of Northern Arizona University, with the same historical significance and aesthetic appeal as many of the buildings on the 120-year-old campus. However, the building’s interior spaces and laboratories needed significant improvement to meet 21st-century research demands for its students.

Responding to the need was the Del E. Webb Foundation, donating $1.5 million to the project. Designed to support research, graduate and undergraduate STEM academic programs, the funding for the renovation of these buildings is from a combination of NAU, State of Arizona, and private funding such as The Del E. Webb Foundation gift. The Foundation’s investment facilitates the co-location of interdisciplinary science-research teams and graduate students within a planned science and research facility corridor.

NAU President Rita Cheng expressed her gratitude and appreciation for the decision of the Del E. Webb Foundation and its directors to invest in the NAU Science Annex Renovation Project, “The benefit of this updated facility will impact STEM learning for undergraduates and the research capability of our faculty and graduate students”.

NAU will memorialize the generosity of the foundation through the naming of a highly visible location in the Science Corridor on NAU’s north campus, highlighting the significance of Del E. Webb Foundation’s partnership and investment in the students who choose NAU for their undergraduate and graduate studies.

Phase I Science Annex renovations are expected to complete by summer 2019, laying the groundwork for Phase II construction scheduled to being in 2020, with McCarthy Building Company overseeing the project. A side benefit of the project is the hands-on involvement of NAU Construction Management students and graduates working with the McCarthy team. These students will be involved in the preparation of documents, site safety management, subcontract coordination and mechanical systems installation. The two-phase project is slated for completion by 2022.