Idaho State University in Pocatello has dedicated the renovated William M. and Karin A. Eames Advanced Technical Education and Innovations Complex.
The Idaho State Journal reports that the university has invested $22 million to make the 220,000-square-foot building the home for most of the programs for its College of Technology.
The university bought the building in 2011 for $3.6 million.
William and Karin Eames — for whom the building is named — donated $2.5 million in 2017 to kick off fundraising for the facility.
Over the past three years, the Eames Complex has gone through a dramatic change. The majority of the interior of the building has been completely redone, updated, and enhanced to accommodate the growing needs of College of Technology programs. The bland, warehouse feel has been replaced with an explosion of Bengal Black, Roarange, and Growling Gray, the official school colors.
The complex is now home to the Automotive Technology, Auto Collision Repair and Refinishing, Diesel Technology, Welding, Computerized Machining Technology, and Computer Aided Design Drafting programs.
The renovation project significantly strengthened numerous College of Technology programs, including an increase of more than 20 new welding stations, a twofold increase in the number of mechanical lifts for the automotive technology program and four times the available working space for the diesel technology program.
The new facility provides students with the hands-on technical training required for their fields of study while also simulating the real-world working environments they will enter upon graduation.
Notwithstanding the massive improvements to many College of Technology programs, the Eames Complex still has about 30% of the building dedicated specifically for research and development.
