Introducing the Wayland E. Noland Organic Chemistry Floor at Fraser Hall
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (10/10/2025) – Thanks to the generosity of the Wayland E. Noland Foundation, the Department of Chemistry has a new name for the Lower Level of the new Chemistry Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories at Fraser Hall. The Wayland E. Noland Organic Chemistry Floor, home to three state-of-the-art organic chemistry laboratories for undergraduate teaching, is named in memory of Professor Emeritus Wayland Noland, who passed away in 2022.
Over the course of his astounding 64-year faculty career, Noland was known as a generous and dedicated mentor and teacher. It is estimated that he taught more than 14,000 students over the years, and mentored more than 350 undergraduate students, 89 graduate students, and about 30 postdoctoral fellows. He loved teaching and was honored in 1964 with the Institute of Technology Distinguished Teaching Award and in 2006 with the Charles E. Bowers Faculty Teaching Award. He taught his last class, “Advanced Organic Chemistry: Heterocycles,” in the spring of 2016. Noland’s landmark career gave him the distinction as the longest-serving tenured faculty member in University of Minnesota history.
“Dr. Noland believed a strong organic program was vital to the Chemistry Department because of the many disciplines it serves. He worked hard for over 68 years and gave generously with his time, teaching, and philanthropy. The dedication of the Wayland E. Noland Organic Labs is well deserved. I can think of no better way to honor his memory. I give because of the impact he made in my life and recognize I was one of many. I hope the gift will impact chemistry students and continue Dr. Noland’s legacy.” – Matt Huisenga, UMN Class of 2003
The Wayland E. Noland Organic Chemistry Floor is just the latest example of Noland’s long history of generosity to the department. For more than 45 years, Noland – and his foundation, following his passing – enthusiastically created a number of undergraduate student scholarships and graduate student fellowships. “My gifts have always been to help students become better students and better citizens as a result of their education at the University,” he once explained. Noland’s giving has also extended to the other academic institutions from his life’s story; University of Wisconsin–Madison where he completed his undergraduate studies; Harvard where he earned his PhD, and even Phillips Exeter Academy where he attended a formative summer program as a teenager. Through his enduring generosity, Noland’s legacy continues to shape the future of students and institutions he cared for deeply.
The $144.7 million renovation of Fraser Hall, completed in late summer 2025, reimagines the 95-year-old building on the riverbank of the University’s Twin Cities campus. The updated 117,000-square-foot facility houses 18 active learning labs, a new tutoring center, informal student collaboration spaces, and general purpose classrooms. The Wayland E. Noland Organic Chemistry Floor, located on the first level of the building, is home to three brand new laboratories for hands-on undergraduate coursework. The labs feature contemporary fume hoods and fixtures, updated safety features, and ample space for students to learn, collaborate, and experience the joy of discovery.
“It feels fitting that Wayland’s name will be seen by many undergraduates doing their very first organic chemistry experiments. Wayland was a champion for undergraduate research, sponsoring a large number of undergraduates in his organic synthesis lab during his 64 years of service to UMN. I’d like for today’s undergraduate students and TAs to also know that Wayland was kind, curious, and creative; in addition, he was known for being frugal, a characteristic that facilitated his ability to help make the new undergraduate teaching labs possible.” – Professor Christy Haynes, Chemistry Department Head
The opening of the Chemistry Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories is the start of a new chapter in the history of the UMN Department of Chemistry. Although he is no longer with us in the halls of Smith, Kolthoff, and Fraser Halls, Noland’s legacy continues to make its mark on the future of the department. With the support of steadfast donors like the Wayland E. Noland Foundation, Chemistry will continue to be a place where students grow, succeed, and thrive.
Wayland E. Noland Fund for Excellence in Chemistry
The purpose of the Wayland E. Noland Fund for Excellence in Chemistry is to provide financial support in the area of chemistry. Resources may be directed toward research, faculty and staff support, undergraduate and graduate education, equipment, and other departmental priorities.