Thanks in part to a $100,000 grant from 3M, Howe Hall is on its way to campus.

Officials from the 3M office in St. Paul, Minn. will present a $100,000 grant to College of Engineering Dean James L. Melsa today.

The grant is designated to aid the newly planned Engineering Teaching and Research Complex (ETRC) at ISU.

Howe Hall, as it will be known, will be located north of Beyer Hall, in the area that is now occupied by tennis courts.

“The ETRC will give much-needed space to the College of Engineering,” said Chris Curran, development officer for the college.

The building will cost about $35 million.

The state of Iowa contributed $11 million to the project, the federal government contributed $1.5 million and the rest of the funds came from private fund raising, Curran said.

Stan and Helen Howe, ISU alumni, contributed $6 million to the project.

The ETRC will feature high-tech classrooms for teaching, as well as new equipment and demonstration labs for research, including a 300-seat auditorium.

The facility will also offer cable, satellite, video communications and fiber-optic network links for expanded outreach to other schools and industry.

Howe Hall itself will fill approximately 98,000 square feet, Curran said.

Dean Morton, project manager for the ETRC, said construction will take about two years to complete.

“The proposed complex is not just bricks and mortar,” said Charles E. Kiester, 3M senior vice president and a member of the engineering college’s Industrial Advisory Council.

“It will help create an environment that will bring out the best teaching, learning and research.”

In addition, the grant will launch a fund-raising challenge campaign involving more than 450 ISU alumni employed with or retired from 3M.

The campaign, which also supports the ETRC, kicks off this week and features a special $3-to-$1 match being offered by 3M, according to a press release.

With this special match, 3M will potentially contribute an additional $300,000, but only if Iowa Staters at 3M can first raise $100,000 in campaign pledges and payments over the next six months.

By structuring the grant this way, 3M is encouraging ISU alumni to team up with the company to make a difference at ISU.

The overall goal for the 3M/ISU Challenge Campaign is $500,000.