WSU unveils new ag, water quality center

CELINA - Wright State University-Lake Campus' new $3 million, 8,190-square-foot agriculture and water-quality center will have an impact beyond the campus, officials said on Friday.

More than 100 community members gathered for the center's official opening on Friday.

"This new state-of-the-art facility will further cement Lake Campus' role as a leader in agriculture education and the study of water quality," Wright State University President Cheryl Schrader said before cutting the ribbon.

The facility includes two classrooms that can seat 24 students each or can be combined into one room, agriculture and water-quality labs; an outreach facility for community meetings and a lobby and conference area.   

"These spaces will enhance the educational and research opportunities and make the center a focal point for partners to work proactively to support regional agriculture and water quality issues associated with nearby Grand Lake State Marys," Schrader said.

To meet area needs, campus officials began offering agriculture elective courses in 2008 as part of existing programs, said associate agriculture professor Greg Homan, who is also a Mercer County commissioner.

Since then, Homan has been instrumental in helping the university create numerous certificate and degree programs, Schrader said. More than 65 students are enrolled in the agriculture program and 70 percent of the students work on their family farms.

Lake Campus Dean Jay Albayyari said he hopes the program helps students learn "agriculture practices in a green fashion."

The program also uses Grand Lake as a real-life laboratory, Schrader said. For several decades campus staff have studied the chemical and biological aspects of water quality in the surrounding watershed.

Lake Campus officials are working on several projects with academic and government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, Ball State University and Sea Grant to study biological and chemical patterns in the water, assistant communications director Jim Hannah said in a news release.

Schrader said she is "tremendously proud of the growing agriculture and water-quality research programs."

"I look forward to seeing quality research being produced by our faculty and students in the new center," she added.

State Sen. Matt Huffman, R-Lima, emphasized that not only will college students but also high school students will be able to benefit from the the center through Lake Campus' partnership with Tri Star Career Compact, which is constructing its new facility on the other side of State Route 703.

"It's going to be a tandem project for economic opportunity," he said.

Funding for the center came from $1.5 million in state funds allocated by then-State Sen. Keith Faber. The remainder was raised by Wright State officials, according to Hannah.

Looking toward the future, Faber, R-Celina, who is now a state representative, said he hopes this center will "give the next generation of kids the opportunity to meet their God-given potential."