Bolin Science Hall celebrates renovation, expansion project
Midwestern State University celebrated the return of students this semester to the new-look Bolin Science Hall with a Grand Opening. The 60-year-old facility now houses modern lecture halls, classrooms, conference rooms, and offices along with technology enhancements and life-safety improvements. The science hall is home for mathematics, computer science, geosciences, chemistry, and biology departments.
The design of the project started in November 2022, and construction began in December 2023. The project included the renovation of 93,956 gross square feet and a new addition of 7,580 gross square feet for a total of 103,224 GSF. It included an average daily manpower of 100-140 people and 47 different subcontractors.
“We had a great team on this project," said Billy Breedlove, Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning & Construction for Texas Tech University System. "Our goal was to deliver a project that is significant and has a lasting impact on the way we teach, how our students learn, and in the spaces our researchers work in.”
LOCUS, the new public art piece located in the Bolin atrium, was designed by Adam Frank of Brooklyn, New York.
MSU Texas is thankful to the James N. McCoy Foundation for its $5 million investment in 2018 that marked the beginning of the project. The remaining $45 million in funding was made possible by the action of the 88th Texas Legislature through Senate Bill 52. The projects were part of legislation authorizing the issuance of $3.3 billion worth of revenue bonds to fund capital projects at Texas higher education institutions. MSU Texas officials noted the dedicated efforts of Sen. Charles Perry, former Sen. Drew Springer, and Rep. James Frank in securing these funds.
“The Bolin renovation project was developed to address a need for updated, student-focused instructional spaces that engage with modern pedagogies and provide opportunities for practical, collaborative work in STEM. Creating this educational space would not have been possible without the support of the state of Texas and the Texas Tech University System. The remodeled Bolin Science Hall will, in turn, benefit our community and state by providing graduates from the McCoy College ready for professional school, graduate school, or the workforce,” said MSU Texas Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Margaret Brown Marsden.
Bolin Science Hall has welcomed more than 200,000 students since its construction in the 1960s, and with a bright new design, it will be the place where thousands more learners can thrive and discover.
Bolin Hall Grand Opening 2025
