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CORVALLIS - Craig Barrett, the chief executive officer of Intel, will give the keynote address at the campus groundbreaking ceremony for Oregon State University's new Kelley Engineering Center on Saturday, Sept. 21.

"This is very exciting news for OSU and for Oregon," says Ron Adams. "As we're building a top-25 engineering school here at Oregon State, business leaders are taking notice of our people and our research. We're developing mutually-beneficial relationships with industry and the business community that are resulting in work-ready graduates and more jobs. It will be an honor to have Craig Barrett at this historic event."

Known for his passionate commitment to raising academic standards and improving math and science education, Barrett has advocated greater access to higher education and technology for a wider range of students around the world.

He has testified before Congress about strengthening math, science, and technology education, has advised the U.S. president on education issues, and has served on the Glenn Commission, which published a report on the state of math and science education in the United States.

Barrett is very familiar with higher education. He earned his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in materials science from Stanford University, and then spent 10 years on the faculty before joining Intel in 1974.

OSU's new Kelley Engineering Center is being called the crown jewel of the university's drive to build a top-25 ranked engineering program at the university by 2010, and will house the rapidly growing departments of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering. Faculty and students in these departments are collaborating with industry partners to develop new technologies in wireless communications, sustainable energy supplies, transparent electronics, computer usability, and more. Designed and built to sustainable, "green" standards, the new 146,000-square-foot building will feature wireless classrooms, an e-café in the 4-story atrium, and research lab clusters designed for open communication and collaboration between students, faculty, and industry partners.

The $45 million Kelley Engineering Center is funded in part by a $20 million gift from OSU engineering alumnus Martin Kelley, which is the largest cash gift in the history of the university, along with $20 million in matching funds from the state of Oregon and $5 million being raised by the OSU Foundation.

The 10:30 a.m. groundbreaking ceremony is open to the public, and will feature a high-tech animated flythrough of the new building, a research showcase, a robot-enhanced presentation, and comments from other industry and legislative leaders. To attend, RSVP by Friday, Sept. 13 via email (groundbreaking@engr.orst.edu), the web (http://engr.oregonstate.edu/top25/building/rsvp.php), or toll-free by calling 877-257-5182.