CU Boulder invites students, faculty, staff, alumni and the community to a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, June 5, to celebrate construction of a new building expansion that will physically connect the Leeds School of Business and College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS), fueling a new era of collaboration and innovation.

The project—which will include 45,000 gross square feet of new construction and 29,000 square feet of renovated space—is slated for completion in December 2020.

“With this building expansion, we’re breaking down traditional boundaries in order to actively foster cross-disciplinary interactions across our students and with the community,” said Sharon Matusik, dean of the Leeds School of Business. “We’re thrilled to share the excitement of this day as we continue to redefine how tomorrow’s leaders drive meaningful change in the world.”

The public groundbreaking ceremony will begin in the Leeds School of Business Koelbel Building atrium before moving out to the construction site at the north end of the Koelbel Building where the new connection to the Engineering Center will be built. The event will include comments from Matusik, CEAS Dean Bobby Braun and Provost Russell Moore.

The University of Colorado Board of Regents in November approved $45 million in spending authority for the expansion, which will be primarily donor-funded. Initial site work began in March to prep for the construction that will begin to take shape this summer.

“Our students need more than technical knowledge to impact today’s increasingly complex society,” said Bobby Braun, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science. “Our recent growth in entrepreneurial activities, built upon expanding partnerships across campus and the state, demonstrates the value of well-rounded students with critical thinking skills and hands-on expertise.

“A permanent hub to support these collaborations will multiply this impact and help create the jobs of the future.”

Features of the new addition include an innovation and entrepreneurship hub where CU Boulder students from any discipline can collaborate with business students, faculty and local business leaders. Four 90-seat active-learning classrooms will foster collaboration and experiential learning, with one also convertible to an event space. A 200-seat auditorium will help meet a critical space need for both CEAS and the Leeds School. A reorganization of the William M. White Business Library will enhance services and provide more efficient study spaces. Renovated spaces, meanwhile, also will receive significant building systems and energy efficiency upgrades.

The Leeds School of Business and College of Engineering and Applied Science continue to work with prospective benefactors and industry partners who are interested in supporting the world-class people and programs who will benefit from the building expansion. Such support is critical to sustaining highly ranked, innovative programs that produce leaders who will impact humanity for decades to come.