Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center’s June construction celebrated

Edward St. John speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony for his namesake Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center on Saturday, April 26, 2014. 

Developers, donors and supporters of the upcoming Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center gathered Saturday to celebrate the groundbreaking of the building.

After a series of speeches at a private reception the morning of Maryland Day, a select group of supporters put the commemorative first dig in a container of dirt to symbolize the construction of the new building that will hold 2,000 students.

“Because of its unique design, it will transform the way students learn and faculty teach,” Vice President of University Relations Peter Weiler said at the reception.

Construction will end December 2016. The new building will feature classrooms that promote collaborative learning and interaction with modern teaching technology. Workers will begin developing the $112 million building June 9.

“The days where you and I were sitting in a large lecture room and passively listening to a professor lecture to us, feed us information and then go home and do homework — those days are over,” said university President Wallace Loh.

Brit Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland, said he tried for nearly 50 years to create plans for a new teaching center when he worked on the campus in the math department, but nothing came from his efforts.

Kirwan said when he was working as a math professor, he taught students in the basement of Reckord Armory, where pillars blocked students’ views and rooms lacked ventilation.

Kirwan, who was university president from 1989-98, said building plans did not begin developing until Loh took office in 2010 and reached out to Edward St. John, who donated $10 million to kick-start the building’s construction.

St. John, a university alumnus and founder of St. John Properties, told the audience he decided to donate when Loh spoke to him about his aspirations to create a cutting-edge learning environment.

“I always said that going to the University of Maryland teaches you to do it on your own because you’re not going to get it in the class,” St. John said, to audience laughter. “But with the new learning center, maybe you will get it in the class.”

Loh also thanked this state’s Senate President Mike Miller (D-Calvert and Prince George’s), who pushed the General Assembly to allocate the university $42 million, which will partly fund the new learning center.

Student Government Association President Sam Zwerling spoke on behalf of SGA, which raised $50,000 for the project through the Sustainability Fund.

That money will go toward building a rainwater harvester that will supply water to the pipes and toilets, said Ori Gutin, SGA sustainability director. The SGA also proposed building a green roof, which would provide access to vegetation for teaching purposes.

Once finished, Loh said the focus will switch to improving the programs that promote innovation and higher learning. The building will house the Teaching and Learning Transformation Center and the Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

“Our goal is that all 38,000 students at this university get exposed to the mindset and the skills of being an entrepreneur and innovator to make an impact on society,” Loh said.

Kirk Morris Jr., a freshman enrolled in letters and sciences, said he is excited to see the building bring collaborative spaces for students dedicated to learning.

“The building will serve as a fresh, new place for creative thinking,” Morris said. “It will start as something great and will only grow from here to create great things.”