Washburn University opened doors and widened eyes at the dedication ceremony Saturday afternoon for the newly-renovated Stoffer Science Hall.

Opening remarks were given by JuliAnn Mazachek, president of the Washburn Endowment Association. Mazachek thanked donors for the $2 million in donations received for the improvements and then introduced Jerry Farley, university president.

“One of our greatest strengths as a teaching institution is and has been our science department and we want to provide state-of-the-art facilities for the students,” said Farley.

Farley also mentioned the Apeiron presentations of the day before as an example of what undergraduates can do when provided with quality resources and equipment. He also thanked Jack Hamilton and Capital Federal for what he said was the largest donation Washburn had received from an organization, and Dean Ferrell of Ferrell Construction.

Farley described the features of what he termed the “largest academic project at Washburn since the tornado” before turning the microphone over to Gordon McQuere, dean of the college of arts and sciences. McQuere declared Stoffer Science Hall “the home of four very happy programs.”

After the speakers, there was a ceremonial ribbon cutting with oversized scissors. When the ceremony was finished, there was an open house inside of Stoffer until 3 p.m. Biology students were on hand to give tours of the building, while chemistry and physics students and professors showed off their laboratories and equipment. Students that had participated in research presented that research to anyone who wanted to listen.

“The event was successful in recognizing everyone who made the renovations possible,” said Lacey Bryant, a pre-med student. “It was great to be able to meet people who helped to make an impact on our academic environment. We definitely enjoyed it.”