A new biosciences building will grace the campus of
Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, as its board of trustees approved what will be the largest capital project in the school's history.
The $89.4 million building is meant to meet increasing student demand, and upgrade the university's biosciences education and research facilities to state-of-the-art. The construction site, where the current Washington Court Apartments are located, will begin preparation in the summer of 2014, and the new building will open in the fall of 2017.
It will be four stories and a total of 158,000 square feet, and will house 40 faculty members along with classrooms, labs and an auditorium.
Another $5.8 million in costs is related to the project, including the demolition of the apartments.
CMU president George Ross says the number of biosciences majors has almost doubled in the last four years, and more than 7,500 students are enrolled in biology classes yearly.
$30 million comes from the state for the project, with the rest coming from CMU.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Central Michigan University
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