Biola University broke ground September 18 on two new engineering facilities on its south campus, funded by the largest gift in the university's history. The Engineering Garage and Robotics Hangar, opening to students in Spring 2027, will expand a Robotics Engineering program, the only one offered by a Christian university on the West Coast.

One Gift, Two Facilities

The Engineering Garage is 2,690 square feet. It holds a machine shop, a welding area and a bay for building Baja-style race vehicles. The Robotics Hangar is 3,800 square feet. It adds two classrooms and an open bay for drone testing and robotics work. Together, the two buildings total more than 6,000 square feet. They are funded by a gift of more than $40 million, announced in October 2025 by an anonymous Silicon Valley executive.

Building Better People

The buildings are a means, not an end. "As impressive as this physical structure will be, Biola's goal is not ultimately about building better hardware or faster code," President Barry Corey said. "It's about building better people." Corey said the industry needs more than technical skill. "The world desperately needs tech leaders who possess wisdom and integrity and redemptive purpose."

A Trustee's View of Technology, Faith and AI

Dr. Promod Haque, a Biola trustee since 2007, spoke next. He traced a line through the history of technology and faith, from Noah's Ark to the Roman roads that carried the gospel, the printing press and the internet. He pointed to a present-day example: he and his wife support Global Media Outreach, an online ministry that has shared the gospel with 3.2 billion people and logged 328 million professions of faith. "God is a mighty user of technology," Haque said. "And now comes AI, and God's gonna use AI as well."

Students Already Building

The students who will use the buildings are already doing the work. Jaron Mann is a senior in Robotics Engineering. He founded the Biola Robotics Team from nothing after arriving in Fall 2023 to find no club existed. "I thought to myself, if there is no robotics club that I could join, I might as well make one myself," Mann said. The team competed at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas in its first year. "With these hangars, we can expand greatly on all of our projects," Mann said, citing more room for drones and autonomous systems.

Mercy Peterson is a senior in Engineering Physics. She founded Biola's Society of Women Engineers chapter as a freshman. She said the new space closes a real gap. "This garage will provide a machine shop and state-of-the-art facilities so that our students get the opportunity to put their learning into practice," she said. She also named the weight of the work ahead. "Engineering has the potential to do great harm and great good," she said. "But may we be a people who, led by the Spirit, use the minds and gifts that God has given us for good.”

A humanoid robot programmed and piloted by Felicity Zhang, a junior in Business Administration, and Stefan Jungmichel, Crowell School of Business Assistant Director of AI Strategic Initiatives, participated in the ceremonial ground breaking as well and was a preview of what the hangar will produce.

What's Next

Full facility specs are posted at biola.edu. Prospective students can schedule a visit to see the construction site in person. Preview Day is October 25 and 26.

See the Site at Preview Day → Schedule a Visit

Explore Engineering at Biola → B.S. in Engineering | B.S. in Robotics Engineering

For a prospective student, groundbreaking day answers a practical question. Is Biola actually investing in engineering and robotics, or just talking about it? The answer is under construction right now and they are expanding the only Robotics Engineering degree offered by a Christian university. Students entering Biola's B.S. in Engineering or B.S. in Robotics Engineering programs in the fall of 2027 will be among the first to build inside the finished space.