Southern Nazarene University welcomed a large crowd of guests May 8 to the J.D. and Mary West Science Laboratory for the dedication of the university's newest academic facility.

Named for the late J. D. and Mary West, whose lead gift launched the university's Campaign for the Sciences, the 26,000 sq. ft. building features spiraling windows and modern architecture that echoes the spacious classrooms and laboratories furnished with cutting-edge equipment and teaching resources. The building was designed by Troy D. Rhodes & Company and constructed by Lingo Construction Services.

Members of the West family, representatives of the J. E. and L. E. Mabee Foundation, the Find Us Faithful Foundation Colorado, and several individual lead donors were present for the ceremony and recognized by SNU President Loren Gresham as instrumental in making the Campaign for the Sciences successful.  Mark Winslow, dean of the College of Natural, Social and Health Sciences at SNU, offered words of appreciation on behalf of the faculty and students, citing the resources and environment as being major factors in the high success rate of SNU graduates applying for professional programs, and instrumental in attracting top students and faculty.

Following the litany of dedication led by Gresham, University Pastor Blair Spindle offered a prayer of dedication. Richard Cantwell capped the ceremony by leading the Doxology.  After the dedication, Winslow and members of the faculty of the Biology and Chemistry departments provided tours of the classrooms and laboratories.

For more dedication photos, a time-lapse video of the construction, and information on the Campaign for the Sciences, visit snu.edu/cfts.

--Southern Nazarene University