The start of the 2015-16 academic year welcomed one of the largest and most talented groups of industrial engineering students in its history, as well as the opening of the highly anticipated Freeman Hall addition.
It is always hectic in the days leading up to the new academic year, but the weeks preceding the start of classes were extraordinary for the industrial engineering team. The last days of summer session ended with an army of workers installing new furniture and placing finishing touches on the Freeman Hall addition, while IE students, faculty, and staff worked overtime to settle into their new surroundings.
The Freeman Hall addition construction began in June 2014 and was completed on schedule this August in time for classes. The capital investment of $10 million provides the addition of 21,000 square feet, which includes an auditorium, faculty and graduate student office space, and conference and collaborative spaces. The auditorium is the biggest enhancement to the department’s teaching capabilities. The ultra-modern facility seats 100 students and comes equipped with infrastructure to enhance teaching and student learning. In addition, it has as the capability to facilitate distance learning via video conferencing technology, which opens the door to off-campus sites such as CU-ICAR in Greenville and the Lowcountry Graduate Center in Charleston. Perhaps most importantly, the overall Freeman Hall renovation helps students connect and engage with one another, by providing laboratory space, common rooms, and modern classrooms for IE students.
The investment in these improved facilities will help define a new era for Clemson IE, and will enhance the department’s prominence among top industrial engineering programs. World class facilities paired with talented faculty will undoubtedly enhance the department’s ability to attract top students and researchers. Clemson University and the Department of Industrial Engineering will host a ribbon cutting ceremony and tour of the Freeman Hall addition on Thursday, October 15, 2015, at 3:00pm.
