IMMEDIATE                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        JANUARY 13, 2004

GRAND OPENING OF ABAC’S AG SCIENCES BUILDING JANUARY 27

            TIFTON--Dr. Thomas Meredith, Chancellor of the University System of Georgia, will be the featured speaker on Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. at the grand opening of the new $7.1 million Agricultural Sciences building at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. The event is open to the public.

            The 39,000 square foot building, which has the capacity to serve 706 students, includes

seven classrooms, including a distance learning classroom, five general labs, two computer labs, and an outdoor animal science lab. The building also includes a multi-purpose classroom, which will be used for conferences, the ABAC evening program, and the Public Service & Business Outreach Center.

Academic areas that will use the building include Animal Science, Plant Science, Ag Economics, and Family and Consumer Sciences. Although the building is primarily for agriculture classes, the classrooms are also designed for multi-disciplinary usage and are available to all divisions on campus. Students began using the building when spring semester classes began on Jan. 12.

            Dr. Larry Allen, Chair of the Division of Agriculture and Forest Resources, said the new building is a wonderful addition to the ABAC campus and has received a very positive response from the entire campus community.

            “This new state-of-the-art building is user-friendly and provides the most up-to-date technology for students, greatly enhancing their educational opportunities” Allen said. AThe building combines multi-disciplinary facilities and is a showplace and a source of pride for the Ag Division and the entire ABAC community. It=s not just an ag building; it=s an ABAC building.”

            The Agricultural Sciences building is located next to the Yow Forestry/Wildlife building just off Perimeter Road.  ABAC’s $1.5 million Pedestrian Mall extends from the front door of the new building to the front of the Donaldson Dining Hall.

ABAC President Mike Vollmer, Regent Julie Ewing Hunt, Allen, and Bo Dotson, a sophomore ag economics major, will also participate in the ribbon cutting to open the new project.

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