Contact: Rob Ostrander 202.224.7627 Shana Stribling 202.224.0309
Monday, March 6, 2006

KIRKSVILLE, MO B U.S. Senator Kit Bond today toured Truman State University’s Magruder Hall. The Senator praised the University’s new facility, which brings together classrooms, laboratories, and offices for faculty, staff, and students in four Science disciplines - Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Agricultural Science.

“This new facility will serve as a building block as we work to make Missouri the biotechnology corridor in the United States,” said Bond. “I will continue to partner with our public and private research institutions to build the capacity to draw the technological know-how, investment, jobs and better education to Missouri.”

As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Bond secured $1.5 million in federal funds for life sciences equipment in the four new teaching laboratories in Magruder Hall in fiscal year 2004.

Bond stressed that the life sciences field, supported through projects like the renovated and expanded Magruder Hall, will bring jobs and economic growth to Missouri. Since he served as the state's Governor, Bond has been a strong supporter of expanding the life sciences industry in Missouri. He worked with scientists, producers, academic leaders, economists and private technology providers at every level to build Missouri's technological capacities.

Bond has been Congress' leading advocate of the new biotechnology revolution, earmarking more than $450 million for plant genomics. In addition he secured millions in federal dollars to build state-of-the-art-facilities and lab space at Missouri institutions and has directed funding to state research initiatives. In addition to the federal funding Bond has poured into the development of biotechnology, he has also been a strong voice of behalf of the revolution, both in the United States and abroad.

The new Magruder Hall is twice as large as the old science building with 100,000 net square feet for classrooms, laboratories, and offices for faculty, staff, and students. A plaque was placed by the door of each one of the new laboratories recognizing Senator Bond's work on our behalf of the new Hall. At the north end of the building is an attached 1800 square foot planetarium and multimedia theater that will eventually support 72 seats under a 40 foot projection dome.

Bond also praised Truman for continuing to meet its mission as Missouri's premier public liberal arts and science institution. Truman continues to offer a high-quality undergraduate experience, high-quality of students and faculty, and student outcomes after graduation, at an affordable cost.