The University of Illinois Board of Trustees approved the design of the new ECE building at its March 10 meeting at the Illinois Conference Center in Champaign. David King of SmithGroup presented an overview of the new building to the Board.

Following David’s presentation, University of Illinois President Stanley O. Ikenberry said, “This is a very important building for an extremely important program and department. And that aspect alone means that it deserves a lot of attention.”

ECE Department Head Andreas Cangellaris said, “The building will serve as the renewal of Illinois’s promise to continue its role at the epicenter of new waves of technological and economic progress and groundbreaking innovation.”

The Board approval is an important step on the timeline towards the completion of the building. Currently, the building continues to move forward according to schedule. Between now and August detailed construction documents and blueprints will be prepared with a plan to release bids for construction in September 2010, assuming that the necessary funding commitments are in place.

Private support is critical to bring this important project to reality. To keep the project moving forward on schedule, ECE needs pledge commitments. Dozens of alumni and friends have made commitments, but more are needed. Pledges of support can be paid off over time for up to five years. Thank you to all of you who have made your pledge already. To find out more about the building project or to donate, please go to the Web site for the ECE ILLINOIS building campaign.