Staff Reports

The Avera Health and Science Center at SDSU has received a $250,000 gift from 3M.

Mike Magnuson and Mark Shoup of the Brookings 3M facility presented the money to President David Chicoine and other university leaders Feb. 11. Shoup is a 1995 mechanical engineering alumnus. As a student, Shoup studied chemistry in the lower level of the renovated portion of the facility.

Magnuson is manager of the Brookings 3M plant; Shoup is production manager for the Tape Converting Department at the Brookings facility.

The university will name a prominent chemistry laboratory after 3M in recognition of the company’s gift.

“This gift from the 3M Foundation is not only an important investment in our facility, it is an important philosophical investment in science,” said James Rice, head of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at SDSU. “South Dakota has very few chemical industries, and this gift gives our students a very clear vision into a career path for those who major in chemical molecular sciences.

“It shows that 3M…is willing to invest in the long-term education and commitment to students who are interested in a career in science,” Rice said.

“3M is pleased to invest in SDSU and to support efforts to prepare students for future success,” said Bob MacDonald, president of the 3M Foundation. “It is important that all students have an understanding of science, and we are excited that students from all disciplines will benefit from courses in this building.”

Chicoine thanked the company’s local leaders for 3M’s long-standing partnership with SDSU. Nearly 200 SDSU graduates have worked for 3M.

“We rely on these partnerships to move the university forward and expand our capabilities in the health sciences,” Chicoine said. “3M’s investment will have a long-range impact on our campus, the city of Brookings and the state of South Dakota.”

3M built its plant in Brookings in 1968. It now employs more than 700 people.

The 3M chemistry laboratory is dedicated to general chemistry, including courses required for pre-nursing, pre-engineering, pre-med, pre-dentistry and pre-allied health. The laboratory is used from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. most every day and serves nearly 400 students every week.

The Avera Health and Science Center is a 144,600-square-foot facility that serves as home to the College of Pharmacy and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. It provides instructional classrooms and laboratories for undergraduate education, along with laboratory space for graduate and faculty researchers. The building was dedicated in September 2010.

The Avera Health and Science Center is a project of the SDSU Foundation’s It Starts with State campaign. The facility was made possible by a $15 million investment by Avera Health. The campaign aims to raise $200 million over a six-year period ending in 2012. It is the largest fundraising campaign ever in South Dakota.