USD Breaks Ground on New Shiley STEM Initiative Building, Transforming USD’s STEM Education and Research

The University of San Diego (USD) community celebrated the groundbreaking of the new Shiley STEM Initiative building this morning alongside the building’s namesake Darlene Marcos Shiley, a philanthropist and Chair Emerita of USD’s Board of Trustees, and her late husband Donald. Mrs. Shiley announced the lead gift of $75 million in 2024 to make the building a reality.

“I believe that science, technology, engineering and math are always going to be important and that’s the best place for me to make this gift. STEM is the future — and especially in San Diego,” said Shiley. “I think the future lies in people like Donald, applying whatever talents they have, and utilizing a space like this to solve humanity’s most urgent challenges.” 

The 70,000 square foot, three-story facility will expand USD’s commitment to STEM education –  with a goal of being one of the top programs nationally for undergraduate STEM research and academics. 

Shiley’s gift, the largest in the university’s history, established the Shiley STEM Initiative. The gift will build on USD’s commitment to STEM programs on campus, meet the needs of ever-evolving biotechnology and science industries and create a state-of-the-art STEM facility for students to grow in their respective fields. 

“Today’s groundbreaking is the first step in creating a new, innovative space for our STEM-based students that will elevate their educational experience and research as they become future scientists, engineers and changemakers in our communities. None of this would be possible without the generous support of Darlene Marcos Shiley and her late husband Donald, who understand the value in STEM education and believe in our approach to providing values-based, hands-on research opportunities for our students,” said James T. Harris III, president of the University of San Diego. 

While many universities’ scientific disciplines are siloed in separate buildings, the Shiley STEM Initiative Building was designed to be the opposite. 

This facility will be built with a goal of creating collaborative, interdisciplinary spaces where students from biology to mechanical engineering can connect in shared labs, working together to solve the most pressing questions of the future.

The space was also imagined with experiential learning front and center, giving students the tools and hands-on learning they need to thrive as future engineers, scientists, researchers and healthcare professionals. From the beginning of their time at USD, students have opportunities to conduct high-level research in labs even as undergraduates. This new facility will create even more experiential learning opportunities through its collaborative spaces and innovative classrooms that can adapt to an ever-changing technological world. 

Some of the new facilities will include a biomedical engineering lab, a medical device lab to develop prototypes, a food science and coffee lab to study the science of food, an ecology rooftop space and a space to study the next generation of robotics.

In addition to a number of scholarships and other support for USD, Donald and Darlene Shiley are also the benefactors behind the Shiley Theatre, Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering and the Donald P. Shiley Center for Science and Technology.

Construction will begin shortly after Commencement.