Pictured at the groundbreaking, from left, are Bill Burke, Chairman of the Board, Grace College & Seminary; Dan Hann and Greg Sasso, former Biomet executives and personal friends of Dane Miller; Dan Williamson, Group President Joint Reconstruction, Zimmer Biomet; Mary Louise Miller, Honorary Chair, Aspire Campaign for Grace College & Seminary; Dr. Bill Katip, President, Grace College & Seminary; Rich Haddad, CEO & President, K21 Health Foundation; Hayden McCloskey, Grace College environmental studies student; Dr. John Lillis, Provost, Grace College & Seminary.

WINONA LAKE — Grace College broke ground today, March 24, on the $8 million Dr. Dane A. Miller Science Complex that will be replacing the current Cooley Science Center on the east side of the Winona Lake campus.

Since the Cooley Science Center was opened 38 years ago, the department has grown exponentially and now includes 13 different majors and 11 pre-professional tracks. The Cooley Center also houses the newly named Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams since its founding 10 years ago.

Dr. Bill Katip, president of Grace College & Seminary, announced that the project will renovate the existing 22,500 square feet of the Cooley Science Center, as well as add an additional 13,000 square feet of modernized space. It will feature upgraded laboratories and classrooms, and will provide a state-of-the-art area for lakes and streams research. The new complex will also feature additional office spaces and two multi-purpose rooms.

“Our growth in health and environmental science and pre-medical fields has necessitated that we build modern classrooms and purchase updated equipment. The Dr. Dane A. Miller Science Complex will be a state-of-the-art facility, with the latest in labs and equipment, to train world-class biologists, chemists, engineers and medical professionals at Grace College,” said Dr. Katip.

The new science complex is named after Dr. Dane Miller, a Warsaw and Winona Lake resident for nearly 40 years and the co-founder and 39-year president and CEO of Biomet. In 2013, when the steering committee for the Aspire Campaign was formed, Miller made the advancement of science his priority. He and his wife, Mary Louise Miller, have invested substantially in the local community, including at Grace College & Seminary.

“The Millers have generously given of their time, wisdom, and resources to Grace College over the course of our friendship,” said Dr. Katip. “We are delighted that Mary Louise allowed us to name this complex in memory of Dane,” he said.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, a bronze bust of Dr. Dane Miller, donated by friends of Miller, was unveiled. The bust was initially designed to be displayed somewhere within the Village of Winona to commemorate Miller’s contribution to the town, but after the new science complex was announced it was decided that the bust will be displayed in the lobby of the new Dr. Dane A. Miller Science Complex.

Dr. Katip announced that more than $7.1 million has been committed, to date, toward the total $8 million. This includes gifts from Mrs. Mary Louise Miller, Zimmer Biomet, and a $1 million grant from the K21 Health Foundation to fund a new area for the Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams.

“Dane would be elated about the new complex and deeply honored that Grace would recognize him in this way,” said Mary Louise Miller.

The complex is part of the Aspire Campaign for Grace College & Seminary, a $37 million campaign announced March 23. For more information or to give to the Dr. Dane A. Miller Science Complex and the Aspire Campaign for Grace College & Seminary, visit grace.edu/aspire or call (866) 448-3472.