School needed more room for natural science and business majors
By Dan Cherry
The Daily Telegram (Adrian)
ADRIAN, Mich. (AP) — Improvements at Adrian College’s science and business buildings completed during the summer are already having a positive effect on students’ experiences.
Augusta Kiepper, a senior at the college who is studying biology, told The Daily Telegram that the old Peelle and Jones halls were her first experience with a college lecture hall, “and so I didn’t know any different.”
“I liked the labs, the lecture halls were fine, and it fit the needs of the students.”
Now, she said, “the new Peelle absolutely makes learning a better and more exciting experience.
“I genuinely feel that my learning is more focused due to the renovations,” Kiepper said. “The added benefit of the high-end aesthetics makes me feel as though I am professional, therefore facilitating my learning experience even more.”
Adrian College President Jeffrey Docking said in an email interview that as Adrian College has grown in recent years, it needed more room for natural science majors and business majors.
“This space will give us the lab and classroom space we need to accommodate a school that should be 2,000 students in the not-too-distant future,” he wrote.
A third of the college’s incoming students are interested in a health care major, including pre-med, pre-dental, pre-veterinary studies and athletic training, Docking said at a recent Adrian in the A.M. program hosted by the Adrian Area Chamber of Commerce.
He also said the largest single major at Adrian is business.
“(The project has) been a very exciting thing and we think it will help enrollment,” he said.
Renovations for the expansion and improvement project started in May 2013. The renovations gave the science-centered halls three new biology and chemistry labs, in addition to renovated classrooms, lecture halls and conference rooms. The new 16,000-square-foot facility now has state-of-the-art technology and labs to complement the college’s programs, according to its website.
Paul Rupert, assistant professor in the chemistry department and dean of graduate studies, said with Peelle and Jones halls each being more than 50 years old, “they were ready to have a face lift.”
“About a third of our majors are in those buildings,” he said.
In the email interview, Docking said the college also needed space for faculty offices, as the staff has grown by almost 35 percent since 2005.
“These highly capable educators need space to meet with students, advise, and research and write in the coming years,” he said. “This space will give them quality office space that they need.”
Docking said in addition to the science and business programs, the expansion projects will also make room for the new graduate programs on campus, which are to be located at Peelle Hall.
“We plan to grow our graduate programs substantially in the next few years,” he said. “Having office and classroom space for graduate studies is imperative, and we designed this building to meet this need. We can now give these students a building that matches the high-level instruction they receive in the labs and classrooms.”
The $13.5 million improvement project is not quite done. Jim Mahony, vice president for development at Adrian College, said the project’s minor tasks, such as grounds reconstruction and utilities work, continue and are expected to be finished soon.
“Everything went smooth,” Mahony said about the major renovations. “That is a point of pride for our construction company, the subcontractors and the workers.”
Krieghoff-Lenawee Co. was the primary contractor for the work and used mostly local subcontractors.
“It is important for us to have local workers and companies involved in our growth,” he said.
Other projects in the early stages of development include improvements at Mahan Hall for Art and Interior Design.
“We also want a student-type art gallery, and housing is always being looked at,” Mahony said.
Another major project can be found at the Merillat Sport and Fitness Center.
Adrian College Athletic Director Mike Duffy said a new fitness center with a weight room and multipurpose area is being added onto the Merillat Center facing Arrington Ice Arena. The $3.2 million project will offer students and staff 17,000 square feet of workout space, more than four times what the current space has.
Growth in the athletics area is due in part to the addition of several sports teams, Duffy said. The college has added a bass fishing team, a men’s bowling team, a second synchronized skating team and an acrobatics and tumbling team.
“The space was fine for 200; we now have 900 athletes,” Duffy said. “We needed the space for not only our athletes, but our student population. It is another great addition to our already growing population.”
