A rendering of the garden level that will open to the Michael W. and Quirsis V. Riney Quadrangle. (Image courtesy of The Record)

WashU publicly announced its plans to begin building construction in Spring 2025 on Riney Hall, a new building in Arts & Sciences that was motivated by the ongoing growth of Arts & Sciences programs and departments. 

According to the Record, WashU plans for the building to be occupied in 2028 by the African and African-American Studies (AFAS) and Sociology departments, the Center for Undergraduate Advising in Arts & Sciences, and the Office of Graduate Studies.

Chancellor Andrew Martin expressed his hopes for Riney Hall’s construction to be more meaningful than simply an addition of another building to campus.

“Riney Hall will be more than a building,” Martin told the Record. “It will establish our future as the standard-bearer for what an innovative, connected liberal-arts education should look like.”

The University plans to include a space dubbed “The Incubator,” which will be dedicated to faculty research in Riney Hall. The space is slated to house two initiatives from the Arts & Sciences Strategic Plan: the Incubator for Transdisciplinary Futures and the Transdisciplinary Institute in Applied Data Sciences.

Professor Jake Rosenfeld, chair of the department of Sociology at WashU, shared his excitement for the eventual presence of the department in Riney Hall in a written statement to Student Life. 

“The Department of Sociology was thrilled to learn we would be moving to this beautiful, state-of-the-art building,” Rosenfeld wrote. “We look forward to growing and thriving within this centerpiece of our campus in the decades to come.”

Professor Shanti Parikh, chair of the department of AFAS at WashU, said she was confident the new building would allow for more collaborative relationships with other departments and the general public.

“We are honored that the Department of African and African-American Studies will be located in such a visible location for students, especially given the pivotal role that WashU students played in the creation of our [department] in the 1960s,” Parikh told the Record. “This new home will significantly enhance our ability to foster meaningful collaborations with colleagues across campus and throughout the St. Louis community.”

The building will be located northwest of Graham Chapel and will be accompanied by a new quadrangle between it and Olin Library. Both the building and quadrangle will be named after Michael W. and Quirsis V. Riney, the founders and managing directors of QRM Capital, a venture capital firm based in Jefferson City, Missouri. 

Michael W. Riney graduated from Olin Business School in 2008 as a Finance Major, and he was elected to the Board of Trustees for a four-year term beginning on July 1, 2023. 

Ed Soltero, Assistant Vice Chancellor and University Architect for Facilities Planning & Management, said in a written statement to Student Life that Riney Hall has been designed to encourage community and cooperation.

“The program and plan of the building results in a facility that is inviting to all academic disciplines and the university community at large,” Soltero wrote. “The design is intended to foster collaboration and support transdisciplinary research for students in Arts & Sciences as they explore their academic and career trajectories and creates space for students from any school to gather and collaborate in intellectual and social pursuits.”

At a ceremonial groundbreaking held on Oct. 8, Michael and Quiris Riney joined Martin and Dean of Arts & Sciences Feng Sheng Hu to celebrate the start of construction on the building.

Hu said in a written statement to Student Life that he anticipates Riney Hall elevating the presence of Arts & Sciences on campus. 

“When the idea for a building on this site was proposed, we also quickly realized it could serve as a front door to our school and elevate our campus presence,” Hu wrote. “I want this building to embody all that is best about Arts & Sciences. My hope is it will be an intellectual home for ideas, curiosity, and learning — open and accessible to all.”

The Student Union (SU) Executive Board also attended the groundbreaking event, and they expressed their excitement for the project in a written statement to Student Life.

“Thanks to the generous donation from the Riney family, the university is entering a new era,” SU Vice President of Engagement and junior Ashton Lee wrote. “While many of us in the Student Union won’t be here to see the building completed, we know future students will greatly benefit from this addition.”

Hu emphasized Riney Hall’s role as a visible landmark of the strengths he sees in Arts & Sciences.

Hu told the Record that “Riney Hall will be the crown jewel of Arts & Sciences, providing the school a state-of-the-art facility to house key departments and units, bring together student-facing academic services and resources, and create signature event and gathering spaces that will foster collaboration and the exchange of ideas for the entire WashU community.”