At the heart of the Next Bold Step campaign are philanthropic efforts to support MSOE’s new Robert D. Kern Engineering Innovation Center, which will promote innovative modes of education and support the growing needs of MSOE’s students. The $76.5 million, 4-story, 97,000-square-foot academic building will have flexible labs, modern classrooms, workshops focused on robotics and AI, an outdoor sustainability lab, and public spaces that support collaborative learning across all disciplines, with a focus on integrating AI and Machine Learning into all of MSOE’s engineering programs. 

A key feature of the new building will be MSOE’s new Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence Education, which will guide initiatives across campus, attract top faculty talent, and support area businesses. The center will allow faculty, staff and students to rethink what’s possible and incorporate AI into their multidisciplinary programs and projects.

The building will be home to MSOE’s Mechanical Engineering Department; Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering Department; Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management Department; and the User Experience program. 

“Bringing these disciplines together in one collaborative environment fosters innovation, interdisciplinary learning and real-world problem solving,” said Dr. James C. Rahn, Kern Family Foundation president and MSOE Board of Regents chair. “This facility will be a hub for the MSOE community to gather and explore endless possibilities together.”

Groundbreaking is expected to take place in the second half of 2025. The building will be constructed at the southeast corner of Milwaukee and State Streets, on what is currently a university parking lot. The new facility will be connected to the existing Allen-Bradley Hall of Science and the Fred F. Loock Engineering Center. VJS Construction Services will serve as the general contractor and Ramlow/Stein Architecture + Interiors is leading the design of the facility.

To further MSOE’s commitment to becoming the national leader in applied AI education, the university will establish the Dwight and Dian Diercks School of Advanced Computing. The School will allow MSOE to weave AI and machine learning into degree programs across the university, and to support the exponential opportunities that advanced computing and computational sciences make possible in every industry. As part of the Next Bold Step campaign, the university will partner with donors to establish significant endowments in support of student scholarships, faculty and research. The School, which will be home to MSOE’s computer science, software engineering and machine learning programs, is named to recognize Dwight and Dian Dierckses’ incredible support of MSOE.

“I want this campus, and this community to be the place that students, scholars, teachers, thinkers, and leaders come to learn about how to teach the practical applications of AI,” said Dr. Dwight Diercks ’90, senior vice president of software engineering at NVIDIA and MSOE Regent.

Additional campaign priorities include scholarships and funds supporting faculty and academic programs, student support programs, and operational excellence. More information about Next Bold Step: MSOE’s Campaign to Accelerate Innovation can be found on the campaign website: nextboldstep.msoe.edu