Ground breaks as ISEB takes shape
In late October, construction cranes towered in the background as Case Western Reserve leadership, supporters and community partners joined a ceremonial groundbreaking for the 189,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building (ISEB).
“The ISEB will be the embodiment of our university’s highest priorities: research, academics and community engagement,” President Eric W. Kaler said. “Here, scientists, engineers and visionary leaders will bring discoveries to improve lives and change the world.”
To date, donor contributions—including a personal commitment of $1 million from President Kaler and his wife, Karen—have raised $112.5 million of the $150 million fundraising goal. The remaining $150 million of the $300 million project will be funded through a century bond issued in 2023.
“Karen and I are deeply committed to investing in people—especially in their ideas, imagination and drive to improve humanity,” President Kaler said. “We are proud to join our generous supporters as part of this endeavor.”
The building, slated to open in 2026, will be home to more than 60 principal investigators and their teams from the College of Arts and Sciences, Case School of Engineering, School of Medicine and others. Students at all levels will be active participants in collaborative discovery and innovation in areas such as climate change, artificial intelligence, sustainable manufacturing and materials science.
Designed for cutting-edge research and collaboration, the ISEB will include wet and dry labs, a shared core lab, and technology platforms. Nearly $1 million in congressional allocations will provide vital support in acquiring research equipment. The first floor—to be named in honor of the Roger (CIT ’77) and Kayoko Susi family—will include an open area to provide places for people to gather for conversations both casual and research-focused.
The building will offer a welcoming façade to passersby on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, serving as a visual reminder of the university’s commitment to community engagement and external partnership.
Gateway to innovation
As work on the ISEB progresses, it’s fitting that its gateway will bear the name of one of the university’s most enduring supporters: the late Tinkham Veale II.
After graduating from Case Institute of Technology in 1937 with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, Veale built a robust career in business and manufacturing, ultimately becoming part owner, president and chairman of Alco Standard Corp. In 1964, Veale and his wife, Harriet, established the Veale Foundation on the principle of improving the quality of life for the citizens of Northeast Ohio.
Before this year, the family and foundation had contributed more than $56 million combined to Case Western Reserve over the years, resulting in the Veale name dotting various spaces and programs across campus, including the university center that opened in 2014, an entrepreneurship institute that launched in 2019, and the convocation, recreation and athletic center that opened in 1997.
The Veale Foundation’s new commitment of $20 million for the ISEB will support the building’s construction and name its main entrance the Tinkham Veale Gateway, bringing its combined giving to over $76 million.
“Tinkham Veale committed to supporting the university every year after his graduation and we’re happy to continue this tradition by supporting such an important endeavor,” said Dan Harrington, chairman of the Veale Foundation. “This building will enable the kind of connection and collaboration that defined Tinkham’s time at the university.”
‘Simple calculus’
Though the late F. Joseph “Joe” Callahan Jr. did not walk the halls of Case Western Reserve as a student, his family’s history of supporting the university is similarly rooted in connection and community.
Callahan was an engineer, business leader and distinguished Naval officer who believed the world’s greatest challenges—sustainable energy, infrastructure, housing and efficient manufacturing, among others— require an engineering mindset.
That’s why the M.E. and F.J. Callahan Foundation, named for Joseph and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Callahan, has committed $2.5 million to the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building. Their philanthropic legacy across decades at CWRU has covered a broad range of initiatives, from entrepreneurial management to critical care in nursing.
“My father’s reason for starting the foundation was simple,” said the Callahans’ son, Tim Callahan (MGT ’99), president and executive director of the Callahan Foundation and trustee emeritus at CWRU. “He made a good living in Cleveland and felt he owed the community a return, and that’s something we always try to keep in mind. It’s pretty simple calculus in my mind. If you’ve been fortunate and the community helped you to be successful, what a great thing to turn around and help your community.”
Carrying a legacy
While the Callahan family’s support underscores the role of engineering in addressing global challenges, another benefactor’s legacy speaks to the transformative power of scientific discovery.
When Tom Peterson died in February 2021, he granted university alumnus Robert Lustig control of his charitable trust.
In a decision that honors both Peterson’s passion for scientific innovation and Lustig’s love of his alma mater, Lustig committed $1 million from the Thomas F. Peterson Jr. Charitable Trust to the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building. An additional $1 million will establish an endowed fund to support the Intellectual Property Venture Clinic at the School of Law and rename it in Peterson’s honor. The clinic will continue its work representing startup companies and entrepreneurs, in addition to offering services to help protect ideas developed at the ISEB.
“Tom was something of a renaissance man, and his interests were incredibly broad across science, research, medicine and technology,” said Lustig (ADL ’57, LAW ’60). “He was very supportive of Case Western Reserve in his lifetime and, as a double alum myself, I am motivated to continue that.”
These commitments add to Peterson’s history of generosity at the university, with more than $17 million donated to projects at the School of Medicine, College of Arts and Sciences, Kelvin Smith Library and the Milton and Tamar Maltz Performing Arts Center at the Temple – Tifereth Israel.
Built on trust
Philanthropy in all forms often springs from deeply personal connections, like that of Peterson with his scientific interests and Lustig with his alma mater. For Michael and Betsy Cherkasky, their $1 million commitment to the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building stems from a profound gratitude for the university’s influence on their lives.
Though the Cherkaskys never studied science or engineering during their time on campus— nearly 15 years combined—the couple was confident supporting the ISEB would have the greatest impact on their alma mater.
“We care about education,” said Michael Cherkasky (ADL ’72, LAW ’75), who is an emeritus trustee of the university. “It enormously strengthens our country. Education has the ability to help people become the best of who they can be and achieve their dreams.”
Michael and Betsy met in high school in New York City but say their life together really started at Case Western Reserve. They reflect fondly on their years on campus for the broad, holistic education they received and the faculty members whose guidance helped shape them as young adults.
“We give because we’re tremendously grateful, and we trust Case Western Reserve to put the money where it’s most needed,” said Betsy Cherkasky (WRC ’73; GRS ’76, comparative literature). “The university can make a difference in the world— just as it does for individual students, and just as it did for us.”
Fostering partnerships
While the ISEB is poised to revolutionize STEM fields, it also offers an opportunity to integrate humanistic inquiry into cutting-edge research endeavors.
A $2 million grant from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation will establish on the building’s third floor the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Studio— an open-concept space designed to encourage organic partnerships among students and faculty members in the humanities and STEM fields.
“Case Western Reserve University has a long history of successfully promoting interdisciplinary research and experimental education,” said Jehuda Reinharz, president and CEO of the Mandel Foundation. “As a center of activity where humanities, science and engineering peers can collaborate, the Mandel Studio will exemplify this message in the ISEB.”
The commitment is the latest in a philanthropic relationship with the university that exceeds $70 million in cumulative support.
The Mandel Studio will be used for a variety of activities, including serving as a gathering place for Mandel Fellows in the university’s Experimental Humanities program to discuss and finalize their research. Experimental Humanities was established in 2023 with support from the Mandel Foundation to more deeply integrate the humanities with STEM fields through a new major, student fellowships and funding for cross-disciplinary research, with subjects ranging from the ethics of artificial intelligence to historical insights into the consequences of climate change. It will also serve faculty-student teams pursuing seed funding for interdisciplinary, experimental humanities-focused research through the Expanding Horizons Initiative at CWRU’s College of Arts and Sciences.
“This generous commitment underscores the essential role of the humanities in guiding the ethical evolution of science and technology,” said Provost and Executive Vice President Joy K. Ward. “The Mandel Studio will give our faculty a platform to deepen interdisciplinary collaboration and offer students a space where they can engage across disciplines, broadening their perspectives and enriching their problem-solving skills.
An integrated approach
The humanities will have even more of a footprint in work in the ISEB thanks to The Eric & Jane Nord Family Fund’s latest commitment to the university: $15 million, which includes $8 million in capital support for the ISEB to integrate humanities and STEM research.
Of the remaining funds, $4 million will increase the reach of the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities, renaming it the Baker-Nord Institute for the Humanities; and $3 million will elevate the impact of the Emerging Scholars Program and rename it the Nord Family Emerging Scholars Program.
The gifts build on a rich foundation of support from the late Eric Nord (CIT ’39, HON ’98) and his wife, Jane Baker-Nord (GRS ’76, art education). Through decades of personal gifts and foundation grants spread across a wide variety of initiatives, the family has left an indelible mark on Case Western Reserve, and their daughter, Virginia “Gini” Nord Barbato (FSM ’72), continues her parents’ legacy by serving on the university’s Board of Trustees.
“I’m heartened to see today’s students and researchers are keen to bring a socially conscious approach to a rapidly evolving technological landscape,” said Barbato. “My family is pleased to support these endeavors as part of our ongoing mission to build knowledge and capacity within our local communities.”
Eric and Jane Nord funded the launch of the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities in 1996, and their new endowment commitment will elevate the center to an institute, broadening its scope and reach across multiple academic disciplines.
The institute will help integrate various aspects of the Nords’ commitment. When the ISEB opens in 2026, it will be home to some of the institute’s programs, such as interdisciplinary research that incorporates the humanities with science and technology, and internship training sessions for humanitiesfocused Nord Family Emerging Scholars.
Emerging Scholars helps first-generation college students transition to campus life and successfully reach graduation. Building on years of support for the program, the latest commitment from The Eric & Jane Nord Family Fund will allow the program to serve more students.
“We deeply appreciate the Nord family’s continued support for initiatives and programs that advance our institutional priorities,” said President Kaler. “This most recent commitment certainly will propel our students and faculty to academic excellence within the humanities and beyond, help to expand our research enterprise and further enhance our engagement with the surrounding community.”
Originally published in the winter 2024-2025 issue of Forward Thinking magazine