Cal State Fullerton leaders took the next step to build the new ECS Innovation Hub to shape the future of engineering and computer science in Southern California, serving as a catalyst for discovery and industry innovation.
At a June 4 ceremonial event, attended by students, faculty, alumni, donors, elected officials and industry and community partners, university leaders broke ground on the 42,000-square-foot College of Engineering and Computer Science Innovation Hub.
The collaborative workspace aims to empower tomorrow’s engineers and computer scientists to solve real-world challenges, fuel economic growth and elevate Orange County as a global technology leader.
“The ECS Innovation Hub represents more than concrete and beams. It is a bold promise to our entire university and across all majors,” said CSUF President Ronald Rochon.
“It is a promise that we will equip our students with not only the technical skills, but also the collaborative spaces, real-world experiences and the mentorship needed to thrive in today’s world and lead in tomorrow’s world.”
The ECS Innovation Hub will be built next to the college’s Engineering Building and features state-of-the-art labs, immersive learning spaces and real-world, project-based experiences. The addition to the college complex is expected to open by fall 2027.
“We break ground not just on a building, but on a vision for what education, innovation and collaboration can achieve,” said Susan Barua, former college dean.
Barua, who recently retired after a 37-year career at the university, is the strategic adviser for the $85 million project, supported by state, campus and philanthropic funds.
The university received a $67.5 million investment from the state for the project’s first phase, with philanthropic efforts underway to expand, enhance and support programming.
“The ECS Innovation Hub is not just another space on campus. It’s a place where students will turn ideas into action, where theory meets application and where innovation is no longer reserved for the few but accessible to many,” Barua added.
Alum Darren Jones, executive director of technology segment integration at The Walt Disney Co. and ECS Hub Campaign Cabinet member, noted that the college’s first Engineering Building was completed in 1971.
Then, when he was a CSUF student in the late 1980s, the addition to the college complex, the Computer Science Building, opened in 1989.
Jones ’91 (B.A. business administration) said the new hub is a long time coming to keep pace with today’s engineering and technological advances.
“Engineering and computer science sit at the very edge of transforming our lives; the world moves forward through these kinds of buildings and students,” said Jones, who serves on Cal State Fullerton’s Philanthropic Foundation Board of Governors.
A 2018 university-commissioned space feasibility study revealed that the college needed more educational space due to its growing student enrollment.
“Since then, our available space has only been more constrained,” Barua said, sharing that enrollment has increased by 30% and the number of degrees conferred upon students has jumped to nearly 250% over the last decade.
“We designed this hub to transform the student experience through engaged learning, focusing on providing curricular, cocurricular and skill-based learning to our students,” she said. “This hub will prepare our students not just to participate in the workforce, but to shape it.”
With Orange County the center of global industries such as health technology, aerospace, entertainment, cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing, the hub will support workforce development, advance research and drive inclusive economic growth.
Lupita Jimenez, a computer science major, shared her enthusiasm for the new modern environment to prepare students for industry careers.
“The hub represents a space where students will grow, build community and unlock their potential,” said Jimenez, president of the Association for Computing Machinery–Women in Computing student chapter and a leader in the Women in Computer Science and Engineering program.
“I’m excited for future students to take full advantage of the opportunities this hub will offer.”