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NEW CENTER FOR INTEGRATED LEARNING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Article based on Michigan Tech Topics May 2, 2003, Updated November 30, 2004

The $35 million Center for Integrated Learning and Information Technology is well on its way to completion. The new center, including the John and Ruanne Opie Library and the Kanwal and Ann Rekhi Computer Science Hall, is funded by a $25 million state appropriation and two $5 million gifts from the Opie and Rekhi families. Recent photos at left show parts of the center now in use. (Click on photos to see a larger image)
The library addition, to be named after John and Ruanne Opie, will add 54,000 square feet to the J. R. Van Pelt Library's 80,000 square feet. It will include a 13,400-square-foot, 24-hour study space and a high-tech information wall providing the latest news about the weather, the world, the campus and library activities, as well as 26 small-group study rooms. The building will have 50 public computers and will provide wireless computer access. A digital studio is planned that will allow students and faculty to integrate information from print, the Internet, sound recordings or film into their work.

"You can't be a great university without having a great library," said Phyllis Johnson, library director. "After many years of work on the part of a lot of people on campus, we now have an opportunity to build a library and computer science space that compare favorably with that of other universities in Michigan and our peers nationwide."

The Opie Library will be linked by a bridge to the Rekhi Computer Science Hall, which will house the new computer science facilities as well as four classrooms, two equipped for high-tech instruction and two equipped to support distance education.

The 51,000-square-foot Rekhi Computer Science Hall will provide the Department of Computer Science with its first space specifically designed for computer science education and research. Labs and research spaces will be as flexible as possible to allow for future changes in computing equipment and computing paradigms.

The new computer science facilities will include four general purpose labs, two group labs and special purpose labs for architecture/compilers, robotics/artificial intelligence, computational science and engineering, distributed computing, graphics, system administration/networking and visualization. In addition, it will include student study space.

The Detroit-based SmithGroup are the architects and engineers for the project. SmithGroup designed the Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building and the Hesterberg and Horner Hall additions to the U. J. Noblet forestry building.

John Opie is retired vice chairman of the board and executive officer of General Electric Company, in Fairfield, Conn. He graduated from Michigan Tech in 1961 with a BS in Metallurgical Engineering. During his years at MTU, he was an honor student, active in several student organizations and played intramural sports.



Photos below show some of the progress over past several months






 

He joined General Electric after graduation, advancing through the ranks in marketing, manufacturing and sales. From 1986 to 1995, he served as president and CEO of GE Lighting and was then named GE's vice chairman of the board and executive officer of GE, a position he held until retirement in April 2000. He is currently the lead director for Delphi Automotive Systems and a director for Stanley Works.

In addition, Opie served as vice chair of MTU's Century II capital campaign and is a life trustee of the Michigan Tech Fund, having served for 13 years, including two as president of the board. He received the Board of Control Silver Medal in 1984 and the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1992 and has been a member of MTU's Academy of Materials Science and Engineering since 1996. He has twice delivered the commencement address at MTU, first at Winter Commencement 1987, when he received an honorate Doctor of Engineering degree, and again at Spring Commencement 2000 when he received an honorary Doctor of Business.

Kanwal Rekhi, a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur and an immigrant from India, graduated from Michigan Tech in 1969 with a master's degree in electrical engineering. He is currently the president and CEO of Ensim Corporation, a global leader in hosting automation software.

In 1982, Rekhi founded Excelan, a pioneering computer networking company and one of the first to commercially develop the TCP/IP protocol. Excelan merged with Novell in 1989, where Rekhi served as executive vice president, chief technology officer and a member of the board of directors. After leaving Novell in 1995, Rekhi served as CEO at Cybermedia until its merger with Network Associates.

Rekhi has been active in the Silicon Valley community of entrepreneurs, receiving recognition for his commitment to technology and business start-ups. He was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by Venture magazine in 1987. In 1994, he co-founded TiE-The IndUS Entrepreneurs Association, a nonprofit organization that promotes wealth creation through entrepreneurship. Rekhi devotes much of his time to his role as chairman of TiE, promoting it as Talent, Ideas and Enterprise.

Rekhi received the Michigan Tech Board of Control Silver Medal in 1994 and an honorary Doctor of Business and Engineering degree in 1997. He also serves on the President's International Advisory Board and is a member of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Academy.