“There has been some progress,” Terman said. “Anticipation, of course, is great because the building is starting to come out of the ground.”

A contribution of $28 million by the contemporary art museum’s namesake couple — billionaire alumnus Eli Broad and his wife, Edythe — comprises a majority of the private donations.

During the summer, officials met with about 10 to 15 alumni couples at a national and statewide level to raise funds, Terman said. He expects fundraising to intensify and continue until the museum’s opening once people witness “tangible” results on the northeast edge of MSU’s campus, he said.

“We have two years of construction here, (and) we have done sufficient planning with the cash flow,” Terman said. “Project payments are offsetting the construction costs.”

Should fundraising go beyond $40 million, he said there is a plan to enhance the plaza between Berkey Hall and the museum but stressed the aforementioned amount would be “over and above” the project goal.

In conjunction with fundraising, construction work on the building remains on schedule, thanks to the weather’s cooperation during the past month, said Linda Stanford, associate provost for academic services. On Monday, workers poured concrete for five nonstop hours to the first floor’s concrete decking on top of 18 hours of concrete pouring of the building’s foundation in July.

“They’ve had no issues in terms of structural problems or mistakes,” Terman said.

At the same time, efforts to name a director of the museum continue. Stanford told The State News in September that a naming ceremony would be held in late October or early November.

“We’re working on the schedule, and it takes time to do that,” she said. “(We’re) making progress, but we’re not there yet.”

With noticeable walls now visible along Grand River Avenue, the community has been dealing with the tribulations of construction for months.

History and Spanish senior Rachel Chall said the building’s construction has forced her to make detours but will be an icon of the university once complete.

“It’s a lot of money, but it might attract more people to the campus,” she said. “I think it’s really awesome.”

Although some in the community might have their reservations about the museum’s design or funding efforts, Terman said to give it a chance.

“Be open-minded — this is a bold statement,” he said. “We don’t attack a project without confidence that we will be able to raise the money.”

Staff writer Kyle Campbell contributed to this report.