CMU officials hold Bioscience groundbreaking ceremony


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Cori Kromrei | Staff Photographer Central Michigan University administrators and local legislators break ground Wednesday at the Biosciences Building construction site.

Central Michigan University officials broke ground Wednesday on the Biosciences Building.

Amid the clamor of Clark Construction crews, the administrators posed for photos and cut into the fresh dirt outside of the dig site. The even was the culmination of 14 years worth of efforts from the donors and professors.

"The construction of this building affirms out pledge to advance our already nationally recognized STEM programs and provide an academic experience for our students that is unparalleled," said William Kanine, chair of CMU's Board of Trustees.

President George Ross described how 14 years ago, the College of Science and Technology's founding Dean submitted a capital project request that documented the need for CMU to continue moving forward in a continue in bio-technology.

Kathy Wilbur, vice president of Development and External Relations, was lauded for her efforts in Lansing. Wilbur worked with then-State Senator Alan Cropsey (R-42nd district) and then-State Rep. Bill Caul (R-99th district) to acquire the money from the State Legislature.

The university is recognized across the state as a leader in Great Lakes research and science education, most notably with the university's Biological Station on Beaver Island. There, students have access to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in their natural environment.

CMU has more than 920 biology majors on campus, a number that has more than doubled in five years. During that time, Ross said the Department of Biology's faculty increased by 71 percent, and more than 7,500 students take courses in the department every year.

The building will serve as a research tool for rural mid-Michigan. Research will include cell and molecular biology, biotechnology and other emerging disciplines. Ross said it will also foster already existing programs at CMU and the Institute for Great Lakes Research, which plays a major role in promoting the sustained use of Michigan's natural resources.

"The Biosciences Building will dramatically improve the quality (of research) and quantity of instructional learning and scientific research on campus," Ross said.

Tracy Galarowicz, chair of the Department of Biology said the teaching space will support revisions to the department's undergraduate curriculum. Faculty in her department will be able to pursue new research opportunities thanks to the expanded facilities. 

Kanine went on to describe the ongoing improvements to on-campus infrastructure to increase the academic atmosphere.

From atmospheric renovations on Anspach Hall and the Bovee University Center, to the addition of the College of Medicine wing on the Health Professions building and active learning classrooms in Dow Hall, he made it clear that CMU is working toward developing academic opportunities.

Although construction is scheduled to be complete in fall 2016, the building will not be fully functional. It will take at least a semester to move faculty, equipment and research projects into the building.

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Editor-in-Chief Malachi Barrett is Battle Creek senior majoring in journalism with a minor in ...

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