McPherson College announces $16 million expansion for automotive restoration hub
Templeton Hall footprint to double as college adds mechanical engineering degree
MCPHERSON, Kan. — McPherson College is launching a $16 million expansion of Templeton Hall, doubling the footprint of the facility that has housed its nationally recognized automotive restoration program for half a century. The campaign, announced during the program's recent 50th-anniversary celebration, aims to modernize the campus and accommodate growing student enrollment in automotive fields.
The project, slated for completion in early 2028, will add lab and office space, teaching environments, student gathering areas and a new showroom. The college has already secured $10 million toward the campaign, bolstered by a multimillion-dollar lead gift from the Lucas Trust. The trust honors the late Stan Lucas, a mechanical engineer who founded Lucas Automotive Engineering in 1957 to manufacture hard-to-find tires and steering wheels for antique vehicles. Over the next six months, the college will work with donors to raise the remaining $6 million.
The physical expansion coincides with the launch of a new bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. To accommodate the new academic track, the former Hoffman Student Union will be remodeled. The college recently named Michael Stichter, a licensed professional engineer and alumnus of the restoration program, as founding director and chair of the new engineering department.
"Our focus on automotive studies that includes new spaces, technology, and programs provides the foundation for the next chapter," McPherson College President Michael Schneider said. "This focus helps us imagine not only what we can teach, but how students can experience the automobile anew — as history, as design, engineering, craft, and as community."
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