By Natalie Szymanski
AMHERST — Russell L. Agrusa could not make it to his own topping-out ceremony. So the University at Buffalo electrical engineering graduate visited the North Campus the Friday before and signed the steel beam that would be lifted to the top of the building that carries his name.
On Nov. 2, contractors raised that beam into place on Russell L. Agrusa Hall, a $111 million, 85,190-square-foot engineering building that UB projects will open in 2029, according to UBNow, the university’s faculty and staff news site. Hundreds of people signed the beam, including UB President Caroline Attardo Genco.
The building rises across from the Student Union, on what was the parking lot for Furnas Hall. It is designed to fix a problem the school’s dean describes bluntly: engineering students have no common home.
The alumnus behind the name
Mr. Agrusa received his electrical engineering degree from UB in 1976. He is the founder and retired chief executive of ICONICS Inc., according to a UB news release.
In 2023, he committed $40 million to UB: $20 million for construction of Agrusa Hall and $20 million to support engineering and computer science programs, the university said. He and his late wife, Paula Agrusa, a 1978 graduate of the UB School of Management, had already given to several UB projects, including a student innovation competition in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, the Agrusa Auditorium in Davis Hall, and Paula’s Plaza, an outdoor space beside the Jacobs Management Center named for her.
Dr. Genco said UB remains “deeply grateful for his extraordinary generosity” and his “lasting commitment to our students.”
Why the school wants a front door
Kemper E. Lewis, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, told The Buffalo News that the school’s students are spread out. “Our students are scattered all over (North) Campus and South Campus,” he said. “So they’re isolated. Some of our student clubs don’t have any space. This is now going to bring them all together.”
The building will have collaborative space for multidisciplinary learning, new prototyping and fabrication facilities, and room for undergraduate student clubs, UB said.
Mr. Lewis framed the project as a workforce investment. “The nation needs more scientists and engineers to solve the problems that we have as a society, and we want to be a big supplier of top-notch engineers and computer scientists,” he told The News. At the ceremony, he said Agrusa Hall will let students “move beyond the classroom to build, experiment, and collaborate. They will work across disciplines, turn ideas into new ventures, and form the relationships that will shape their careers and their lives.”
Dr. Genco, who arrived at UB this summer, tied the building to her priorities. “Since I arrived at UB this summer, student success has been at the heart of so many of my conversations across the university. Agrusa Hall puts that priority into practice,” she said.
Who is paying for it
The donor is only part of the funding. Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, a Buffalo Democrat, thanked Gov. Kathy Hochul and fellow lawmakers for supporting the project with $68 million through the State University Construction Fund, according to UBNow. “Congratulations to UB. I’m so proud of this fabulous, flagship university,” she said.
Together, the state’s $68 million and Mr. Agrusa’s $20 million construction gift account for $88 million of the $111 million cost. UB’s announcements did not itemize the remaining $23 million. The Chronicle is asking the university for the full funding breakdown.
Robert M. Haelen, general manager of the State University Construction Fund, which is part of SUNY, said, “This is going to be an amazing building. UB has never had a new building like Agrusa Hall.”
UB says the building has been a long time coming. “This milestone caps nearly two decades of planning. UB’s 2009 comprehensive master plan first identified the need for expanded engineering facilities, and a dedicated, student-centered building has remained a priority ever since,” said Laura Hubbard, vice president for finance and administration. “Less than a year after we closed the Furnas lot, the steel has reached its peak.”
What comes next
With the final beam in place, UB projects a 2029 opening, more than two years away. Until then, the school’s students remain in the scattered buildings Mr. Lewis described.
For Mr. Agrusa, a 1976 graduate whose name will sit on the school’s newest front door, the signature on that beam was his part of the ceremony.
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