The Kansas City, Missouri-based William T. Kemper Foundation has made a gift of $1 million to the College of Architecture, Planning & Design, known as APDesign, at Kansas State University to support the Seaton Complex revitalization and expansion.
With expected groundbreaking in fall 2015, the $75 million project will renovate 80,000 square feet of Seaton Hall and add 114,000 square feet of new construction. The building will include consolidated fabrication capabilities, integrated design labs, collaborative spaces and a 300-seat auditorium. In recognition of the gift, the exterior amphitheatre will be named the William T. Kemper Foundation Amphitheatre. Upon completion, the amphitheatre will serve as a public gathering place for students, faculty and visitors to interact outdoors.
Kemper, a 1926 University of Missouri graduate, was a well-known civic leader in Kansas City. His 52-year career in banking included top positions in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.
“The William T. Kemper Foundation is delighted to support the expansion and renovation of Seaton Complex,” said Office Director Beth A. Radtke. “With greatly enhanced facilities, APDesign will at last have classrooms, studios, fabrication labs and a gallery space commensurate with the superior quality of the education inside. This important project will help to ensure that APDesign continues to attract the best and brightest students and faculty well into the future.”
“We are deeply grateful for the William T. Kemper Foundation’s generous show of support for the Seaton Complex revitalization and expansion, a project that will bring our learning environment in line with our exceptional national reputation,” said Timothy de Noble, dean of APDesign. “Design aesthetic and environmental stewardship are foremost in our mind throughout this process, to align with the principles we teach. The William T. Kemper Foundation Amphitheatre touches on both those elements, as heretofore our students have not had an attractive central outdoor gathering space they could call their own.”
Philanthropic contributions to Kansas State University are coordinated by the Kansas State University Foundation. The foundation staff works with university partners to build lifelong relationships with alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students through involvement and investment in the university.
