Three Wichita businesses donate to Newman University for new science building

Three Wichita businesses have combined to give a total of $140,000 to Newman University toward the school’s new Bishop Gerber Science Center, according to a news release.

Accounting firm BKD, along with contracting companies Commercial Mechanical and Simpson Construction, contributed the money for Newman’s $30 million, 51,000-square-foot science building, which is scheduled to be complete by August 2017.

Newman’s funding drive will also finance renovations to existing facilities, including Eck Hall, which houses the school’s nursing and health sciences programs. The Eck Hall improvements are scheduled to be completed this fall.

The money will also go to grow Newman’s endowment, the release said.

“We appreciate the support from the local business community,” said Noreen Carrocci, Newman’s president. “The facilities these gifts make possible will help create a stronger community because they will make Newman better-equipped to educate the nurses, doctors, therapists and other healthcare workers of Wichita and the surrounding region for many years to come.”

Bill Pickert, BKD’s managing partner, said in the release that supporting the cause was an easy decision.

“Their understanding and acceptance of diverse perspectives, serving their students and others with integrity, and their culture of service, mirrors BKD’s philosophy and core values,” Pickert said.

Newman hosted a groundbreaking event for the new science center in early June. The Fidelity Bank Foundation of Wichita also recently announced a $75,000 grant for the project.

This story was originally published June 28, 2016 at 2:21 PM with the headline "Three Wichita businesses donate to Newman University for new science building."