Clayton State to debut new science building Thursday

Clayton State University will unveil its long-awaited $25 million science building at a 10 a.m. ceremony on the campus Thursday.

The three-story, 58,610 square foot facility features stacked biology and chemistry suites, which blend research, prep and teaching labs. Its classroom inventory includes two 64-seat classrooms and three 36-seat classrooms. The facility also houses eight teaching laboratories, eight research laboratories, prep rooms, seminar space and faculty offices.

In addition to benefiting Clayton State’s 7,000 students, it is expected to meet a critical need in the southside’s efforts to attract more graduates with Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics - or STEM - skills, university officials say. The lack of a dedicated science facility had limited the university’s past enrollment. The new facility will help produce more entrepreneurs, nurses and healthcare professionals for medical facilities on the southside, officials noted. Gov. Nathan Deal pledged a couple of years ago $2.9 million to equip the facility.

Campus officials along with state and local dignitaries are expected to attend the dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony which will be held at 2000 Clayton State Blvd. in Morrow.