Illinois State University charts new course for engineering college in Bloomington

BLOOMINGTON — Aondover Tarhule, president of Illinois State University, said cultivating the new College of Engineering building from existing Country Financial office space on General Electric Road in Bloomington will be a big win for the community.

Though ISU has previously established limited operations in Bloomington, such as art studio spaces on Douglas Street that later moved to Eastland Mall, the university president noted most of ISU’s footprint is in Normal.

“This brings us to Bloomington in a big way,” Tarhule said. “I have no doubt at all that we’ll have just excellent support from the City of Bloomington.”

Illinois State University President Aondover Tarhule speaks during a press conference on Friday at Country Financial, 1709 General Electric Road, the future home of ISU’s new College of Engineering.

CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH

Several City of Bloomington dignitaries and more took in the delight with Tarhule and fellow ISU officials during a Friday afternoon media tour of the to-be-sold office complex at 1709 and 1711 General Electric Road, where the school president provided the above remarks. The tour followed hours after the university’s board of trustees permitted a resolution financing the $17.5 million purchase of the complex, which contains 392,000 square feet of office space. The properties will transfer over to ISU over multiple closings through 2026.

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The university had originally planned to remodel the John Green Food Service Building at 600 Gregory St. in Normal as the future site of the engineering college. But this week’s announcement, made public via board resolution documents, charted a new course for ISU’s future into Bloomington.

The first property being sectioned in the series of sales, which will comprise academic spaces, instructional labs and student collaboration areas at 1709 GE Road, is expected to close in about one month. Another $4.5 million was approved by board action Friday in a subsequent resolution for pre-construction services to plan, design and produce required documents for renovating this building.

At the board meeting that morning, Tarhule explained the move is expected to save ISU $150 million down the line, should the new engineering college be successful and prompt an expansion. And, the redirection prevents ISU from needing to wait on state support to close funding for a college expansion.

In an interview, Tarhule told The Pantagraph that initial renovation estimates for the John Green Food Services Building were priced at $80 million, and would accommodate only 520 engineering students. He added he surely hopes the college will prosper beyond that size, following a startup phase that’s slated to take at least six years.

Representatives of Illinois State University, the City of Bloomington and Country Financial pose for a group photo during a press conference on Friday at Country Financial, 1709 General Electric Road in Bloomington, the future home of ISU’s new College of Engineering.

CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH

Tarhule said expanding the engineering college at ISU’s main campus in Normal would have required constructing a second building at the cost of $150 million.

“This building here (on GE Road) makes it unnecessary to have a second building (built), because there’s more space here than we’re going to need, even for 1,500 students,” he said.

When asked whether new property developments on GE Road are also envisioned for the new college’s future, Tarhule said he’ll retire before the college gets to that point.

Rob McDade speaks during a press conference on Friday at Country Financial, 1709 General Electric Road in Bloomington, the future home of ISU’s new College of Engineering. McDade is the executive vice president, chief financial officer and chief strategy officer for Country Financial.

CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH

A good deal

In a press release, Country Financial CEO Jim Jacobs said the company is committed to enriching the lives of communities they serve, and the sale agreement with ISU is a “powerful example of just that.”

Jacobs said the ISU College of Engineering will produce a new generation of diverse talent supporting companies like Country and other employers in the Twin Cities.

“Bringing this kind of talent into our community helps Country remain future-focused, financially strong and well-equipped to continue serving clients,” the CEO said.

The Pantagraph reported in March that Country Financial listed the GE Road complex for sale with plans to consolidate its workforce by 2026 at its facilities on Towanda Avenue in Bloomington. While the price of the 54-acre lot was described as negotiable in the listing, an assessed value based on one-third of the full market value for tax purposes was projected around $8.6 million.

In an interview, Country Financial CFO and Chief Strategy Officer Rob McDade said sale agreement conditions, including the price, are very fair and make a good deal for all parties.

“The world really did change in the last few years in the way that people work,” he said. “While having multiple campuses in Bloomington made sense (before), it no longer made sense, and it gave us an opportunity to move all of our employees into one location.”

He added that the state of the real estate market is interesting, and so they were thrilled that ISU’s need for space aligned with Country’s plans to consolidate its footprint.

“The fact it could be the start of their college of engineering was just really an extraordinary opportunity,” said McDade. “Truly, it’s a win for them and it’s a win for us.”

At Friday’s board meeting, several students, including the ISU student body president, expressed concern that the future engineering college’s location miles from campus would hamper non-vehicle-owning students from getting to class on time.

In an interview, College of Engineering Dean Tom Keyser said a very intentional plan they have for first-year students is for them to take only one engineering class on GE Road.

“The rest of their classes will be on the main campus,” he said, referring to math, physics, chemistry and traditional general electives.

“We want them to be very much an ISU student, and we’re gonna try to really enforce that,” the dean said.

He said they’re going to work on getting shuttles and will discuss options with Connect Transit, and he expects the new engineering campus to work out greatly.

Keyser said there are many examples of higher education campuses being separated by about a 10-minute drive, including at Western Michigan University.

One of the classrooms at Country Financial, 1709 General Electric Road in Bloomington, the future home of ISU’s new College of Engineering.

CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH

In Bloomington, he said 1709 GE Road is outfitted with the electricity and plumbing infrastructure they need. Keyser also said it has a basement that the current owners have been using to test out automobiles.

“For our more industrial-based laboratories, it’s a no-brainer,” he said.

When he first visited the building six months ago, Keyser said his impression was “holy smokes, this is awesome!”

Tarhule said ISU is taking the same design they had in mind for the John Green Food Service Building and fitting it into 1709 GE Road. He noted some of the floor plans are quite open.

“The fact is reflected many of the … design elements that we wanted, that made it exciting,” the school president said.

“This was a call center, and (had) a lot of I.T., so it’s very open and does not have a lot of walls. The opportunity to reconfigure and shape this to fit what we’re looking for is very high at minimum cost,” said Tarhule.

“The combination of all those (factors) made the space really, really attractive for us.”

Attendees listen to Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe speak during a press conference on Friday at Country Financial, 1709 General Electric Road in Bloomington, the future home of ISU’s new College of Engineering.

CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH

‘Jumping for joy’

Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe told tour attendees that he had secretly hoped ISU would establish its engineering college in Bloomington.

“I was thinking more about the downtown area, but … you know, so here we are,” he said. “This certainly gives another meaning to the ‘October surprise.’”

After giving his remarks, Mwilambwe told The Pantagraph that the move was unexpected to him.

“Once I found out … I was just jumping for joy,” he said.

The mayor said this is a timely and critical move for both the city and the university, adding they were worried that a large office structure would remain vacant, as they are difficult to repurpose.

“ISU’s decision prevents that and brings new life into the area,” he said.

Not only is ISU a great brand, the mayor said, but the idea that Bloomington will produce future engineers adds to its reputation as a chocolate maker via Ferrero.

“Now, Bloomington is part of the conversation with more people on many other levels,” Mwilambwe said.

Bringing 500 people to the city, and then another thousand, will also bring growth, development opportunities and a bigger tax base, he said.

“I think about the multiplier effect, economically,” said Mwilambwe.

When addressing the tour group, the mayor said he expects ISU’s investment to serialize as a catalyst for redevelopment.

Just west down the road from 1709 and 1711 GE Road is the road’s namesake, a former General Electric factory, which the mayor made note of in his comments.

“You never know what could happen,” Mwilambwe said, speculating on old plant’s future.

A Thursday presentation hosted for University of Cincinnati Provost Valerio Ferme wrapped up a series of public talks by applicants for ISU president.

A former assistant dean at Illinois State University returned to the Redbird campus Monday to speak at a forum as a finalist for the school’s next president.

Donald Easton-Brooks, a Nevada college dean who ISU noted is an internationally recognized researcher, presented his vision for the Redbird campus at a Thursday visit.

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Contact Brendan Denison at (309) 820-3238. Follow Brendan Denison on Twitter: @BrendanDenison

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