Surrounded by freshly planted trees and flowering bushes, Chapman University welcomed the architects, contractors, consultants and Chapman community members who have been so instrumental in the near completion of the renovation of the Killefer School at the Daniele Struppa Research Park. Collette Creppell, Chapman’s vice president of campus planning and design, welcomed the invited guests and spoke about how the project is a true collaborative effort.
“It’s beautiful, and it’s only possible because of the creativity, collaboration, and care of so many great partners in this project,” she said with a smile. “Every person involved played a role in putting the pieces together to create a great space that will do amazing research.”
The Killefer building, the site of one of California’s earliest desegregated schools, now anchors a cutting-edge research environment as the home of Chapman’s Institute for Quantum Studies (IQS). Its transformation is more than a restoration; it is a reaffirmation of academic purpose and community legacy.
“The way that everyone’s come together to make this a facility great is truly a triumph,” said Mike Ibba, dean of the Schmid College of Science and Technology and soon-to-be interim provost. “It shows you that we have actually served the community. It’s an incredible space.”
“I couldn’t be happier with such a peaceful place and such a great place to work,” said Andrew Jordan, professor and co-director of the Institute for Quantum Studies. “We’re looking forward to many, many years of great science, intellectual activities, discoveries, and education of students and postdocs.”
The celebration honored the many design and technical professionals who gave shape to the project’s form and function. Guy Smith, associate principal at HLB Lighting Design, was excited to talk about working on the transformation.
“It’s a modest facility that, through its adaptive reuse, allows a greater level of educational excellence,” he shared. “We love working with Chapman. Lighting design, for us, is a passion, and we were happy to be a part of it.”
Jeremy Klemic, principal at SWA, the project’s landscape architecture team, shared how the outdoor areas were designed to mirror the project’s spirit of engagement.
“The idea was to be able to bring people out, to experience the landscape, and to try and give people unique environments with the three different outdoor spaces,” he explained. “Each courtyard has a distinct look and feel to it.”
With final details wrapping up and the first research groups already settling in, the mood was one of deep gratitude and hopeful anticipation. As cake was cut and laughter carried across the new courtyard, one message was clear: this was more than a construction project. It was a community endeavor through a shared effort to build something lasting, beautiful, and full of promise.
“This site really plays as a landmark for a lot of our community members who have lived here for generations and generations,” said Alisa Driscoll, Chapman’s vice president for community relations. “To see that this legacy of academic prowess will continue on through the Institute for Quantum Studies into the future is something I think that all of us can be proud of.”
