Florida, USA
October 15, 2024
The University of Florida is slated to begin construction on a dynamic new learning space serving the department of agricultural and biological engineering (ABE).
A rendering of the future W.W. Glenn Teaching Building.
The W.W. Glenn Teaching Building will be erected adjacent to the existing ABE facilities, on Museum Drive across from the Katie Seashole Pressly softball stadium.
UF/IFAS Facilities representatives expect construction to begin before the end of the year and finish by late August, so the building is available to students at the start of the fall semester.
Earlier this month, UF faculty, staff and students gathered at the site for a ceremonial groundbreaking.
“The new building will provide our students with state-of-the-art, hands-on learning experiences to further explore technology, innovation and creative design, preparing them to be our future problem-solvers for agricultural and natural resource challenges,” said Kati Migliaccio, ABE chair.
At 7,200 square feet, the new building will offer more than twice the teaching space than the current outdated structure, which lacks air conditioning. Schematics for the single-story W.W. Glenn Teaching Building illustrate an airy mechanical workshop paired with an engineering design space.
Children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of W.W. Glenn assemble Oct. 5 for the ceremonial groundbreaking of the new ABE teaching building.
Generous donations from the UF community funded the project. The building’s name reflects financial support from the family of the late W.W. Glenn, a UF graduate and long-time UF/IFAS Extension agent. Matching-gift donations solicited by College of Agricultural and Life Sciences graduate Dana Eller during Gator Nation Giving Day, as well as those made to honor Wendell Porter, a retired ABE senior lecturer, and the late Ray Bucklin, a former ABE faculty member, also supported the construction of the new building.
Daniel Hofstetter, an assistant professor who teaches an agricultural construction and maintenance class in the current workshop, was among faculty members who personally thanked donors during the ceremonial groundbreaking.
“These extremely generous gifts will enable us to train the next generation of leaders to help natural resources and the environment in Florida, as well as the world as it continues to grow and change,” he said. “Today, we’re not only breaking ground for a new building, but we’re also breaking barriers in our teaching program.”
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