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Cooper-Wilson Center for Life Sciences
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The ribbon was cut on the new Cooper-Wilson Center for Life Sciences on October 28, 2008. Pictured (l-r) are Willis Willey, chairman of the CBU Board of Trustees; Martin Thompson, secretary of the Assisi Foundation of Memphis board; Barbara Jacobs, director of the Plough Foundation; Lance Forsdick, president of CBU; Dr. Marguerite Cooper; and Bob Wilson.
CBU trustees and benefactors officially broke ground on the new Cooper-Wilson Center for Life Sciences on May 4, 2007. The finished building opened for classes with the Fall semester 2008, and was officially dedicated on October 28, 2008. The new building, a freestanding addition to the existing and renovated Assisi Hall Science Learning Center, is named to honor the commitment of Dr. Marguerite Cooper, who has taught chemistry at CBU for 30 years.
Susan and Bob Wilson, Cooper’s daughter and son-in-law, also made a generous contribution to the new building. The couple said the donation was about leaving a legacy for Cooper—who said she wept when she found out about the new science building.
Askew Nixon Ferguson Architects designed the building, which adds more than 30,000 square feet to the current 37,000-square-foot Assisi Hall. A
covered two-story connector runs between the two buildings, framing the new Plough Sciences Courtyard.
The total project cost is $14 million, including a $1 million endowment for annual maintenance and operation of the facilities. Major benefactors at this point, in addition to the Wilsons, include the Plough Foundation, the Assisi Foundation of Memphis, and an anonymous donor.
The Cooper-Wilson Center is designed to allow for maximum flexibility to integrate new technologies as they emerge. It also allows for academic expansion in the science program due to additional classrooms, labs, and multi-purpose rooms. New labs are designated specifically for natural science and physics, and all labs are outfitted with new and updated instrumentation.
Space is specifically dedicated for pre-health students pursuing medical, dental, pharmacy, nursing, and other graduate professional health degrees. The complete project, which also includes a complete renovation of the existing Assisi Hall, includes increased faculty and office spaces and full ADA compliance throughout the entire facility.
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