Hope will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Haworth Engineering Center on Friday, Oct. 12, at 12:30 p.m. at the 10th Street side of VanderWerf Hall (located between Central and College avenues).

Participants will include Richard Haworth, who is chairman emeritus of Haworth Inc.; Kurt Dykstra, mayor of Holland; James Bultman, president of Hope College; Dr. R. Richard Ray Jr., provost and professor of kinesiology; Dr. John Krupczak Jr., professor of engineering and chairperson of the department; and Lauren Aprill, a junior engineering major from Cedar.  Members of the faculty will also be available after the ceremony to lead tours of the building.

The 9,000-square-foot addition to the northwest corner of VanderWerf Hall is being named in honor of a lead gift from Haworth Inc and the Haworth family.  Site preparation began on Monday, Sept. 17, with work beginning in earnest the following week.

Supported by many donors through the college’s “A Greater Hope” comprehensive campaign, the project is being completed for a total cost of $3.75 million, including an endowment for ongoing maintenance.  It is scheduled to be ready in time for the start of classes in the fall of 2013.

The ceremony is taking place in conjunction with the college’s Homecoming Weekend, which runs Friday-Sunday, Oct. 12-14.  Additional information about the weekend, which includes a variety of lectures, arts events and athletic competitions open to the community, as well as reunion activities for graduates from 1984 through 2012, is available online at hope.edu/homecoming.

For more information about the Haworth Engineering Center, contact Dr. John Krupczak Jr., professor of engineering and chairperson of the department, at (616) 395-7152.