Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering breaks ground on new facility
Kim Chaudoin | 615.966.6494 |
Lipscomb University’s Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering broke ground on a new engineering facility at a special ceremony Dec. 2.
“I often say, ‘nothing ever rose to touch the sky unless some dreamed that it could others believed that it should and still others will that it would,” said Lipscomb President L. Randolph Lowry at the groundbreaking ceremony. “Fifteen, twenty years ago, there was a dream that went on in the mind of Raymond B. Jones. There has been dreaming going on in the minds of the faculty, and that has translated to people who believe and people who through their gifts and their commitments, have willed and all of a sudden, we are here participating in the construction of this building and the next movement forward in this college.”
The 26,800-square-foot Fields Engineering Center will house collaborative learning spaces, flexible teaching areas and labs among other features. The building will also be used as a learning tool with exposed and color coded MPE ducting, piping and conduit in lab and learning spaces; central monitoring of mechanical systems and rooftop access for solar experimentation. The new facility will replace the existing engineering labs, classrooms and offices located in both the James D. Hughes Center and the McFarland Science Center on the campus.
“These new facilities will greatly enhance the educational opportunities for our students as they explore and discover the field of engineering in a state-of-the-art learning environment,” said Justin A. Myrick Sr., dean of the Lipscomb’s Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering. “Even the classrooms and labs as well as the sustainability features of the building will provide valuable real-world learning opportunities for our students. We are grateful for the university’s commitment to engineering education and for the generosity of Mr. Fields and our other very special donors for making this opportunity a reality. These facilities will have an impact on engineering students for years to come and will help equip generations of students to make an impact on their communities through engineering.”
Sustainability features of the new facilities will include a white roof, energy-efficient lighting, mechanical and plumbing systems designed at a LEED silver level, storm water management through planting and infiltrations, climate-appropriate materials for site landscaping and concrete structure that includes recycled content among others.
The Fields Engineering Center is named for longtime ExxonMobil executive Charles Fields and his wife, Margaret. A 1964 graduate of Lipscomb Academy, Fields graduated with a chemical engineering degree from Vanderbilt University and began his career in Houston, Texas, with Humble Oil and Refining Company, which later became ExxonMobil Corporation. Fields held a range of engineering and management positions and, in 1993, was named chairman and managing director of Esso Australia. He returned to the United States and was named senior vice president of Exxon Company International in Florham Park, New Jersey. In 2000, he was named vice president in the global production company with responsibility for the Middle East, South America and the Caspian.
In 2001, Fields was named executive vice president of ExxonMobil Development Company, the company responsible for planning and executing all major oil and gas developments for the corporation. He retired from ExxonMobil in 2006 after more than 38 years of service. He was a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers throughout his career and lived in a number of locations, including Texas, Louisiana, Florida, New Jersey and Australia.
“I believe engineers can really make a difference in the future, in addition to them having satisfying, challenging and rewarding careers, they can really make a difference because engineers are problem solvers,” said Fields. “So I am excited to be helping to support this new facility. Me and Margie were so comfortable in giving to the College of Engineering because of the dean and professors that we have gotten to know throughout the years."
David Scobey, chair of Lipscomb’s Board of Trustees and a second-generation engineer, said the facility will be a place where students will learn how to impact the world with their engineering skills.
"I am excited about the magical thing that happens when you take faculty who believes in God, and students who are pursing a degree in engineering, and you bring them together in the same building and in a classroom where they are not only getting a great technical education but they are getting an education about life and about service and about what it means to be a vocational minister in the field of engineering,” said Scobey.
Lipscomb University’s Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering provides students the opportunity to prepare for an engineering career in an educational environment that also encourages Christian character. The college offers ABET-accredited undergraduate degrees in civil engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and mechanical engineering.
A major focus of Lipscomb’s engineering program is challenging its students and alumni to use their engineering education to help others and for the betterment of society. Since 2004, the engineering college has sponsored 25 volunteer mission teams providing 200 spots for students to carry out ministry support, disaster relief and community development in Honduras, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. This past summer, engineering faculty and students completed a 104-foot-long pedestrian bridge in San Esteban, Honduras, to connect two schools separated by a very busy highway that elementary and middle school students must cross daily.
For more information about Lipscomb University’s Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering, visit engineering.lipscomb.edu.
-- Photos by Kristi Jones