$500,000 Grant Helps Make New Technology Center at Pacific Lutheran University a Reality

TACOMA, Wash. -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded Pacific Lutheran University a $500,000 grant to help build the Morken Center for Learning and Technology. 

The Morken Center will house the school of business with the department of computer science and computer engineering and the department of mathematics. The 53,000-square-foot building will include classrooms, faculty offices and state-of-the-art laboratories. Construction is scheduled to begin in the fall 2004 and scheduled to be open in time for classes, fall 2005.

PLU President Loren J. Anderson said this capital support grant is crucial to the university, which is in the final weeks of its campaign to raise $19 million for the new technology center. It is the foundation's first gift to PLU.

"The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation shares PLU's goals of education and service to the world," Anderson said. "This grant will go a long way in helping ensure we are best training future leaders to carry on this mission."

The foundation gift will help secure $1.85 million in challenge funds from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and the Kresge Foundation.  PLU will receive the money once they reach their $19 million goal.  Presently, PLU has raised $16.6 million in gifts and pledge commitments for the new technology center. All gifts or pledge commitments between now and May 31 count toward the challenge.

The university is in the final weeks of concluding its fundraising campaign - The Next Bold Step: The Campaign for Pacific Lutheran University. This effort has raised more than $117 million in gift support for on-going and special projects, the endowment and facilities.