“Be the change you wish to see (in the world).”
“A dream come true!”
Whether it was the profound advice of Mahatma Gandhi, a positive message, or simply a signature scribbled on the steel girder, the beam signing ceremony for California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) Innovation and Instruction Building on Nov. 14 provoked a wide range of encouraging comments about the university’s future.
The ceremony took place on the construction site of CSUDH’s new four-story, 107,600-square-foot building. Along with the campus community, the event was attended by members of the Carson City Council, California Senator Steven Bradford (35th District), and other friends and partners of the university.
The Innovation and Instruction Building is one of three projects underway at CSUDH. The nearly complete, 91,000-square-foot Science and Innovation Building, and the new four-story student housing complex are both scheduled to open for fall semester 2020. To learn more, visit www.csudh.edu/fpcm/major-capital-projects/construction-updates.
Several attendees provided remarks and shared personal stories before everyone present was invited to sign the beam in permanent marker, a symbolic nod to the permanence of the building’s rugged, nearly complete steel framing, the longevity of the campus’ mission of service to the community, and the role the facility will play in the university’s transformation.
During his remarks, President Thomas A. Parham said that the Innovation and Instruction Building’s visual appeal and prominent location on Victoria Street will serve as an inviting gateway to the campus for visitors.
“In African tradition, it is said that it is the outer garment that best adorns the inner beauty of the person,” shared Parham, who signed “With hope for a bright future. Go Toros!” on the beam. “Now, when you drive by the campus and look at the new Innovation and Instruction Building here, and you see the Science and Innovation Building and the new student residence hall over there, it will be the aesthetic ambience of the place that will say something about the excellence and character of what’s inside.”
The beam signing event marked the end of the framing phase for the Innovation and Instruction Building’s construction, which is scheduled to be complete and open in time for fall classes in 2021. The building will house CSUDH’s College of Business Administration and Public Policy, and will offer 25- to 120-seat classrooms, active learning classrooms, case study rooms, and computer labs on three floors for the entire university to utilize.
“This beam signing ceremony is a major milestone that we are all witnessing, as CSUDH ascends to become a first-in-class university,” said Associated Students, Inc. President Christian Jackson. “Some current students may have mixed feelings today, because we wish that we could have attended classes in these buildings during our time at this university. I must admit, I am a little jealous. Yet, this feeling is quickly overshadowed by our immense joy and satisfaction for future Toro generations that will be glad to call this campus home.”
Charles Thomas, Academic Senate chair and assistant professor of business law at CSUDH, said that developing spaces on campus that keep students engaged beyond the classroom is the overarching theme of CSUDH’s construction projects.
“This building will serve as a beacon where innovative business solutions can be explored, and where best practices, sustainability, and social entrepreneurship are harvested to transform the lives of not only our students, but the larger society,” Thomas said. “As a faculty member, I look forward to engaging students in this amazing space.”
Carson Mayor Pro Tempore Cedric Hicks, a CSUDH alumnus, said he would like to see Carson become a “college town.” “Some cities are called the City of Champions with their sports arenas, but we have a wonderful university. We are all here at the beginning of something great, and I’m glad to be a part of it. So congratulations to the university, and let’s get this building built.”
