LSU exceeds $50 million fundraising goal for engineering college expansion

Not only has the LSU College of Engineering met and exceeded its $50 million fundraising goal for the renovation and expansion of Patrick F. Taylor Hall, but Gov. Bobby Jindal also announced today that the state will be matching, dollar-for-dollar, all private funding that exceeds the $50 million match already pledged. The $100 million public-private partnership was first announced in October 2012, and the private fundraising effort began in January last year. It’s completion, announced today by Jindal and LSU officials, comes three months ahead of schedule. In total, more than 450 individual and corporate donors pledged $52.5 million in private funds. The largest single donation was a $15 million gift from Phyllis Taylor, co-chair of the LSU College of Engineering Breaking New Ground campaign and widow of Patrick Taylor, the LSU grad and Taylor Energy Company founder for whom the engineering building is named. Twenty-two companies, including Dow, RoyOMartin, Entergy, BASF, Turner Industries and more, supported the fundraising effort with pledges totaling $22 million. According to LSU, the campaign has been the most successful, short-term fundraising effort in the history of the university. The renovation and expansion will add about 80,000 square feet to the already 300,000-square-foot Patrick F. Taylor Hall and will roughly double the amount of space the College of Engineering has in it. Construction is to begin this fall, with completion expected about two years thereafter. Jindal has more details on today’s announcement at his website. —Staff report