Fort Wayne, IN — Indiana Tech celebrated the successful opening of its fifth residence hall with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting and official dedication of Frank and Anne Oropeza Hall on Friday.
The apartment-style residence hall is named in honor of Frank and Anne Oropeza. Frank Oropeza earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Indiana Tech in 1959.
“We are quite fortunate here at Indiana Tech to benefit from the dedication of alumni who remain loyal to the university throughout the years after they have graduated,” Indiana Tech President Arthur E. Snyder said at the ceremony. “And among the most faithful is a person of incredible vision and leadership, Frank Oropeza.”
The new facility houses 62 students in 16 suites. Each suite has two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchenette, and a living room. In addition to the suites, the residence hall has a community area on the first floor with gathering spaces including a big screen television, recreational game tables, a fireplace, an island dining area, and a full kitchen available for use on request. The building also has laundry facilities on each floor, cable TV, and Wi-Fi Internet access.
“The dedication of Frank and Anne Oropeza Hall is our gift to the college to enable students to have a better life while they pursue an education, so they can follow their dreams,” Frank Oropeza said. “Since graduation 50 years ago, my entire professional career has been an exciting adventure from design engineer to business entrepreneur. Indiana Tech truly prepared me for the challenges I was to face in industry. … Consequently, it is a great honor for Anne and I to give back part of what the college helped us accomplish.”
The need to build Oropeza Hall arose from the continuing enrollment growth in Indiana Tech’s traditional program at the Fort Wayne campus. The fall 2009 enrollment is 998 students, an increase of 57% from the 636 students enrolled just five years ago.
Oropeza Hall was designed by Design Collaborative and built by Whitley Manufacturing.
