The Institute of Cyber Security is on track to be completed by August 2027, bringing a new place for students to study, work and eat.

Jeff Pratt, the director of planning and construction at Marshall, spoke about the updates on the building and some of the features it will have. 

Workers will begin building the steel beams that are part of the main framing Monday, March 9. The concrete foundations have been laid, so the structural steel erection is the next step in construction.

“That process goes pretty quickly; it’s usually about 60 to 80 or 90 days until they’ll have the steel set,” Pratt said. 

The finished building will be approximately 70,000 square feet with four stories and a restaurant on the first floor. 

The type and name of the restaurant has not yet been confirmed, and the contractors are still working out where certain classrooms will go. 

The state of West Virginia provided $45 million to Marshall for the project, which will be on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Hal Greer Boulevard. 

Aside from the institute, there are other construction projects around campus. Namely, Morrow Library recently put in an underground water retention tank to help with the flooding problems that often occur in Huntington with the help of $21 million from the state.

The water retention tank will not only help Morrow Library, but the Science Building as well. The tank holds the first inch of rainwater for 24 hours instead of letting the water collect on Third Avenue. 

Another project is a new standalone School of Medicine with about $30 million provided by the federal government. A site has not yet been confirmed, but it will be an addition to campus with spaces specifically for medical students. 

As for the Institute of Cyber Security, students and other interested readers can check updates on construction at marshall.edu/cyber/building/. 

Davina Snyder can be contacted at [email protected].