$1 million gift honors KU professor Valentino Stella

“We firmly believe in supporting the development of the Center for Design Research and assisting in the development of innovation studies and techniques,” said Trotter, who earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial design at KU. “The center will further improve the quality of graduates of the University of Kansas and, ultimately, it will add to the competitiveness of our region, state and nation.”

The Center for Design Research, which is now under construction, will be an interdisciplinary incubator for innovations in the design of products and services. The center will encourage a broad range of research on KU’s campus and will incorporate collaboration between faculty and students in architecture, design, engineering and business.

Gregory Thomas, professor of design, expressed gratitude for Dimensional Innovations’ gift — the first made to the center.

“We see the establishment of the Center for Design Research as a catalyst for collaborative partnerships between KU schools, departments and programs, as well as a means to distinguish the Center for Design Research as a leader in joint university and industry endeavors,” said Thomas. “Those relationships have already begun to manifest themselves through proposals and projects currently being approved.”

The center will be located at 2545 Bob Billings Parkway, on the site of the former Chamney Dairy Farm. In 1970, KU Endowment purchased the farm, a portion of which since has been used by KU’s design department.