Politics & Government

Elmhurst College Gets $1.5 Million State Grant for Schaible Rehab

But the $46 million project has been on hold due to financial constraints.

Elmhurst College will receive a $1.5 million grant from the state of Illinois to re-build its science center, according to a press release from the Governor's Office Wednesday.

The grant is one of several awarded to DuPage County colleges and universities for infrastructure improvements, announced Gov. Pat Quinn. About $90 million has been set aside this fiscal year in the Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program to address the critical needs of the state's private colleges and universities.

At Elmhurst, the money targets the Arthur J. Schaible Science Center's transformation into a state-of-the-art facility for research, teaching and learning. The new center will include labs, classrooms, an advanced nursing simulation laboratory, and much more space for research. 

Find out what's happening in Elmhurstwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to a 2011 article on the college's website, "The idea is to create more hands-on experiences that will allow students to fully integrate classroom learning and clinical practice." 

But finding funding for the $46 million project has been difficult.

Find out what's happening in Elmhurstwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Even with a $2 million donation from alumnus Dennis Patterson in October 2011, the project, scheduled to begin in summer 2012, was delayed due to financial constraints, according to a November 2011 article in Elmhurst College's student-run newspaper, The Leader.

And, as of today, the work still has not begun. A May 2013 article in The Leader noted the Schiable Science Center suffered water damage from spring floods, and the College Board agreed to spend $1 million to meet the center's short-term needs. That doesn't relieve the space issues students face, however, and the stagnation of the project is troubling to Elmhurst College President S. Alan Ray, according to The Leader.

"I literally wake up every morning thinking about how to find new ways to advance the Schaible Center project,” President Ray told the paper, adding he is "committed" to the expansion of Schaible.

Wednesday's announcement is part of the governor's agenda to improve higher education in Illinois while creating construction jobs for state workers, according to the release.

"Private colleges and universities provide a valuable service to Illinois, and these grants will help them address critical needs and stay competitive," Quinn said.

Private universities in Illinois have received $200 million under the program thus far. In addition to Elmhurst College's award, this round of grants includes $1.65 million to Benedictine University in Lisle, $1.5 million to Midwestern University in Downers Grove, $800,000 to National University of Health Sciences in Lombard and $1.3 million to North Central College in Naperville.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here