Harvard Medical School (HMS) just christened its brand-new facility, the New Medical Research Building. Construction continues on the long-awaited pair of Cambridge Street buildings comprising the new home for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) government department, the Center for Government and International Studies.

FAS just committed to building a $100 million Laboratory for Interface Science and Engineering (LISE), a state-of-the-art engineering facility in the North Yard.

“We will expand—as we must—our research faculties in the sciences,” Kirby wrote in his letter to the Faculty.

And multi-million dollar plans continue for converting 90 Mt. Auburn St. into a library administration building.

University planners have also shown little hesitance to purchase new real estate, just last week sealing a deal to pay $75 million for yet another parcel of Allston industrial land.

Meanwhile, University President Lawrence H. Summers continues to promote a series of initiatives in the pipeline for next year that would fulfill his vow to vastly strengthen the state of life science research at the University. While Summers refuses to describe the scope and nature of these initiatives, their price will be in the tens—if not hundreds—of millions of dollars.

“I’m pretty positive [the economy] won’t have any effect on science planning,” said one senior administrator. “You have to keep your ambitions high, and find a way to do it with less money—we wouldn’t be Harvard if we didn’t.”

And Summers this year rolled out an ambitious $14 million graduate student financial aid program. Approximately 85 students were offered Presidential Scholarships through the program, and plans are to fund raise to expand the program in years to come.

Procuring Professors

Meanwhile, at least three faculties have planned expansions of 10 percent or more.

Kirby has committed to expanding the FAS Faculty by 10 percent over 10 years, an average rate of six new professors per year. This year, 21 senior professors have been hired, although FAS officials declined to say how many had departed.

“We seek to add, significantly, to the size of the faculty,” Kirby wrote in his letter to the Faculty.

Within FAS, the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences (DEAS) is slated to expand from roughly 70 members to around 85 professors. And administrators are considering expanding DEAS to 120 faculty members, according to DEAS Dean Venkatesh “Venky” Narayanamurti.

Now flush with space in its new building, HMS plans to expand its faculty from 100 to 115 members, said HMS Associate Dean of Finance Cynthia Walker.

“Our biggest constraint has been lack of space,” she said.