Bold Exploration

A new science complex is coming soon to campus. It will include a new 100,000-square-foot building, as well as the remodel of the historic William Stewart Building. Last February, the U broke ground on the Applied Sciences Project, a $93.5 million endeavor that will be used to address some of the country’s most urgent issues, including energy, air quality, climate change, and water management. 

The cluster of buildings will be known as the Crocker Science Complex. The interdisciplinary STEM hub on the west side of campus will be possible thanks to an $8.5 million gift from Ann Crocker (BS’74) and Gary Crocker (ex’69; honorary doctorate, 2019), along with nearly $65 million in state funds.

“Utah is growing, and we need to expand,” says U President Taylor Randall HBA’90. “This project will help us increase capacity to educate new generations of STEM leaders and provide the expertise to sustain Utah’s STEM economy to keep Utah vital.”

The complex will provide additional classrooms and experiential learning opportunities. The Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy and the departments of Physics & Astronomy and Atmospheric Sciences will relocate to the new building in late 2024. 

“In the end, when all is said and done, the core objective of philanthropy has always been the impact that a gift might have on individual lives. Ann and I know very personally that the College of Science is the pivotal portal in this state through which students wishing to enter the sciences and science-based profession must pass,” says Gary Crocker. “Ann and I have seen this virtuous cycle: science leading to commercial innovation, leading to better jobs and better communities.”