Along with the University’s commitment to provide a learner-centered scholarship to its students, it is also committed to provide campus facilities that are at par with international standards.
Given the limited space in the Taft campus, the administration opted to erect two research facilities at the De La Salle University Science and Technology Complex (DLSU-STC). Currently still under construction, the two research facilities, The Hangar and The Clean Building, are the first out of the many more projects that will be built in the Canlubang campus.
Name changes and more concrete plans
On August 19, 2014, a formal agreement was signed to change the name of The Hangar, one of the two facilities under construction, to Richard L. Lee Engineering & Technology Block. The naming right came along with a substantial endowment from DLSU alumnus and Chairman Emeritus of Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc., Richard Lee.
The Engineering and Technology Block will house instructional and research laboratories for the Gokongwei College of Engineering (GCOE), College of Computer Studies, and College of Science. The Clean Building, on the other hand will be a venue where students could perform experiments on biohazards and other delicate materials.
As per the Office of the President and Chancellor’s announcement dated August 22, 2014, the Engineering and Technology Block is expected to be completed in the summer of 2015. Other sites that will soon rise on the 50-hectare DLSU-STC campus will be the Signum Fidei Chapel, which is expected to be completed by 2016, and a sports complex by 2018.
Dawn of a better learning experience
With the rise of the two research centers, the construction and expansion is a way for the University to ease out the congestion concerns in the Taft campus. Moreover, the new facilities will serve as venue where students could properly conduct their projects and experiments.
GCOE Dean Dr. Roesmary Seva believes that the establishment of these facilities will contribute in achieving the University’s mission of enabling graduate and undergraduate students to perform research activities. She furthers that the facilities would be of great help for her college, since it would house more instructional laboratories for engineering professors’ and students’ perusal.
Seva adds that the it is appropriate that the new research facilities be constructed in the Canlubang campus, given its land area, however, she acknowledges that many students from the Taft campus are hesitant to enroll in classes located at DLSU-STC. Improving student life within campuses should also be prioritized by the administration.
Only a few Lasallians from DLSU have braved to enroll in classes at DLSU-STC, despite the efforts of the University to make it more convenient for students to travel from one campus to another. There is still more work to be done in reconciling the differences in environment, student life, and student activities between the two campuses.
