The reimagined Mendel Hall will provide an accessible, welcoming, and exciting place for all students, where interdisciplinary teaching, research, and collaboration are celebrated, and future scientists are nurtured and supported.
President ReBecca Koenig Roloff 鈥76 announced today that alumna Katherine Buuck Fratzke 鈥17 and her parents, Robert and Gail Buuck, have made a leadership-level commitment of $1 million toward the renovation and improvement of Mendel as part of LEAD & INFLUENCE: The Campaign for the Next Level of Excellence.
鈥淲e are so very grateful to Katie, Robert, and Gail for their generosity to our students,鈥 said Roloff. 鈥淭his incredible gift for upgrading Mendel鈥檚 classrooms and equipment will have positive results for our BIPOC students and all Katies for many years to come.鈥
The gift is a major step forward toward the University鈥檚 goal to renovate and improve Mendel, the University鈥檚 science building, which opened in 1927. 鈥淪pacious and well-lighted, it seems the answer to a scientist鈥檚 prayer,鈥 commented St. Kate鈥檚 Alumnae News in 1928. The building served Katies鈥 science education needs well throughout the last century. While selective modifications and renovations have been made over the years, many of the teaching and learning spaces do not meet the contemporary pedagogical needs of science education.
More than 2,100 students take classes in Mendel each year. In addition to majors and minors in biology, chemistry, and physics, Mendel serves a wide range of students from across the institution, including not only students in programs in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences, but also programs in the School of Health. The reimagined Mendel Hall will provide an accessible, welcoming, and exciting place for all students, where interdisciplinary teaching, research, and collaboration are celebrated, and future scientists are nurtured and supported.
The need was highlighted during a this fall that explored the obstacles that women of color in STEM fields face. St. Kate鈥檚 effort to develop more BIPOC women leaders in science is titled 鈥淓xpanding HERizons.鈥 The Town Hall, moderated by MPR鈥檚 Kerri Miller, was key in inspiring Fratzke and her parents to give their major support to this important campus priority.
鈥淓xpanding HERizons addresses directly an ongoing lapse in support for BIPOC women leaders in the sciences to have all the resources they need to succeed beyond the fantastic training they receive at St. Kate's,鈥 Fratzke said. 鈥淭he challenges at the moment 鈥 climate change, sustainability, advancing technology 鈥 require innovation from leaders of all backgrounds who understand the universal impact to truly move the needle. We are thrilled to be able to support this initiative and look forward to watching the tremendous work of these women and their lasting impacts on the field.鈥
亚色影库 thanks Fratzke, the Buucks, and other donors willing to invest in improving St. Kate鈥檚 science facilities for our future leaders.