Students arrived on the Wesleyan College campus this fall to find the new Munroe Science Center, a dynamic campus centerpiece, open for business. A dedication ceremony on November 2, 2007 officially celebrated the opening of Wesleyan's first academic building in more than forty years, although the $12.5 million facility has been bursting with activity for months.

Wesleyan and almost four hundred friends of the College celebrated the dedication of the new state-of-the-art science facility in a ceremony that honored three extraordinary alumnae -- sisters Mary Gray Munroe Cobey ‘34, Julia Munroe Woodward ‘34, and Margaret Munroe Thrower ’35 -- for the incredible gifts they and their families have shared with Wesleyan College over the past 75 years. Surgeon, oncologist, medical educator and civic leader Dr. LaSalle Doheny Leffall, Jr. delivered the ceremony address. Leffall has served as visiting professor at hundreds of medical institutions in the U.S. and abroad. His professional life has been devoted to the study of cancer, especially among African Americans. More about the ceremony.

Wesleyan broke ground on the Munroe Science Center Friday, March 3, 2006. Friends of the College enjoyed watching the progress of construction through the webcam. Just click and view the completed project! The Munroe Science Center opened in August 2007 for fall semester.

The new state-of-the-art science facility will serve an increasing number of Wesleyan students enrolled and majoring in biology, chemistry, psychology, and computer science while also addressing the great need throughout our state and nation for women who are skilled in medicine, scientific research, computer technology, and mathematics. In addition, the building houses the College's new Center for Women in Science and Technology.

Externally, the structure features classical Georgian-style architecture in keeping with the historically significant buildings on Wesleyan’s campus, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Clad in brick and cast stone, the building’s exterior is rich in texture. Three arches grace the entrance on the south façade, which faces the campus quad, in keeping with the other buildings that face the quad. Six Doric-style columns ornament the front entrance on the north façade, which faces the main road leading into the city of Macon.

Internally, the facility showcases innovative materials, a modern and highly functional layout, and strict attention to environmental and biosafety standards. Features throughout the building such as new fume hoods, a built-in deionized water system, an environmental room, and modernized air handling represent huge advances in terms of safety and comfort. Energy- and water-saving devices such as occupancy sensors and waterless urinals are resource-sensitive.

“The Munroe Science Center provides Wesleyan with a state-of-the-art facility for teaching students about modern scientific theories and techniques,” according to Munroe Chair of Life Sciences and Associate Professor of Biology Wanda Schroeder, Ph.D. “And faculty members are particularly excited about how the facility provides more opportunities for hands-on research experience.”

Through its eleven teaching laboratories and nine research laboratories, the new facility will encourage faculty/student collaboration on research projects, contain interactive laboratories for specific experimentation, and offer individualized instruction in an environmentally efficient and safe setting. State-of-the-art laboratories include cell biology, ecology, physiology, immunology, and instrumental analysis labs as well as general biology, physics, and chemistry labs. While teaching laboratories serve as classrooms, a small seminar room and two technologically advanced classrooms also are used for instruction. Among its many specialty science spaces, the 42,000-square-foot facility includes an astronomy observation deck, a greenhouse, and a community learning center.

“The increase in space and number of labs is by itself a huge advance, aside from how high-tech and lovely those spaces are,” said Wesleyan Associate Professor of Biology Jim Ferrari, Ph.D. “We in Biology are going from two teaching labs to five! This means we don’t have to set up then take down lab materials like we used to, when multiple different classes were using the same room every week. This is great for students because they can study the materials that are left out not just for a day but for a whole week.”

Aside from more efficient use of space, Dr. Schroeder noted, “We now have the technology (Smart boards, etc) needed to take advantage of all the technologies available for more effective teaching methods such as DVD and web animations. Information, such as diagrams drawn in class, can now be saved to the Wesleyan server so that students can have access of this information outside of class time. Professors now use Power Point presentations in class with vivid illustrations and embedded videos for teaching. My teaching style has totally changed in the last five to six years with the advent of new technologies. The new labs and equipment make this even more available to instructors and students.”

The new research spaces provide more opportunities for students to be engaged in scientific exploration, which in turn provides them with a much better understanding of what they are learning in class. These opportunities are vital to the student’s success for admission to professional and graduate programs.