The largest capital campaign in university history, PLNU's science center is at the heart of scientific mission, fusing faith with service and scientific inquiry.
More than 20 years in the making, vision became reality on Friday, Nov. 20, at Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) with the dedication of Sator Hall and Latter Hall on the San Diego campus.
President Bob Brower, was joined by members of the PLNU Board of Trustees, faculty, students, alumni, donors and community leaders to celebrate the significance of this addition to the university. With participation from a number of individuals across the PLNU community, the ceremony recognized the success of the sciences at PLNU and celebrated the many individuals who worked tirelessly to see the fruition of the project, including the Sator and Latter families and pioneering faculty members in the STEM disciplines.
The new complex accommodates the increasing number of students who want to study science at PLNU. “Excellent teaching, careful mentoring, and hands-on learning have been a hallmark of the PLNU Science Program” said Brower. “These inimitable characteristics, coupled with this new, innovative facility, will enable the science program to reach new heights and support the continued success of our PLNU science faculty and students”
Designed by San Diego-based architectural firm, Carrier Johnson + CULTURE, and constructed by Rudolph and Sletten General Contractors, the 36,000-square-foot complex sits at the heart of the San Diego campus. The innovative design, marked by a curved stainless-steel environmental screen and its prominent coastal site, becomes a memorable home for the university’s rapidly growing and acclaimed interdisciplinary science program, unifying Christian values with a broad curriculum and state-of-the-art technology, laboratories, and classrooms.
The building project is an important addition, both academically and architecturally, according to Ray Varela, architect in charge for Carrier Johnson + CULTURE. “Through the long arc of a perforated stainless-steel wall, the building subtly consecrates its Christian foundations in a salient design feature,” Varela adds. “This unique screen filters sun and shade into the common area in a subtle echo of the qualities one finds in a cathedral space,”
With nearly forty percent of PLNU’s undergraduate students majoring in one of the science-related disciplines, and all undergraduate students required to complete a laboratory science course during their time at PLNU, the new building is a desirable addition to campus. “Every student at PLNU will benefit from this investment” said Dr. Sara Choung, chair of the chemistry department. “This much-needed facility better reflects the quality of the faculty, students and alumni who have stretched PLNU’s science program in remarkable directions.”
Friday’s celebration marks PLNU’s commitment to both current and future students, faculty and the San Diego region an institution known for excellence in academic preparation, wholeness in personal development, and faithfulness to mission.
The PLNU Science Center receives a Grand Award from Gold Nugget