PRAIRIE VIEW, TX — The Lone Star State's second-oldest public institute for higher education has grown tremendously over the years. And now they're getting even bigger.
The future is looking bright for Prairie View A&M University as the board of regents approved a $70 million construction project to add a new engineering building on campus.
For some students, their passion began at a young age.
“When I was younger probably like a lot of kids you know like tinkers. They like to mess with things, take things apart, so I guess I started to realize a little bit more that I like building things,” said Joseph Dowell, a Ph.D. student studying electrical engineering.
Joseph Dowell has attended Prairie View A&M University for nearly 9 years now. He shared, “The evolution has been crazy I feel like every year since I've been here somethings changing,".
The university has invested nearly $35 million in the development of research for this campus.
“We have begun to transform from a teaching institution to a research institution,” said Pamela Obiomon, Dean of Roy G. Perry College of Engineering.
According to the Dean of the engineering department Pamela Obiomon. The college has seen significant growth peaking at 1,600 students. So, adding the new building is essential to welcome more students.
“With this new building it’s 100,000 square feet, three stories tall, we have approximately 29 research and instructional laboratories,” Omiomon explained.
Utilizing new technologies to develop first class students.
“You know our goal is to produce leaders of the 21st century to handle all these complex challenges including climate change and world hunger,” said Obiomon.
And they're doing just that.
“I think my ultimate goal is to be a professor because I would like to instruct others in electrical engineer and just helping the younger group of engineers come up,” Dowell shared.
Construction is projected to be complete and welcoming students by the fall of 2023.