January 31, 2006

Cooley Opens Third and Fourth Floors of Cooley Center

Ribbon Cutting Invitation
Click to see Front		Click to see Back

[ Slide Show of the Event ]     [ 3rd & 4th Floor Plans ]

Lansing, Michigan — A ribbon-cutting ceremony this afternoon marked the culmination of 11 years of development as the final two floors of the Cooley Center were unveiled to the public. The $4.5 million final phase of the Cooley Center, located in downtown Lansing, completes the third and fourth floors and consists of three major classrooms, a large assortment of smaller classrooms, the career services office, student organization offices and an adjunct faculty office.

"The completion of the Cooley Center signifies our continued dedication to offering top-notch educational facilities to our lawyers of tomorrow,” Cooley President Don LeDuc said. "From the large courtrooms to the expansive lobby area, which is great for events and meetings, this facility will allow Cooley students the very best learning environment."

The 10-floor Cooley Center serves as the main hub for the Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s Lansing campus. Completed in three phases for more than $50 million, students began using the facility in January 2000.

First-phase construction of the Cooley Center covered seven floors (1, 2 and 6-10) and was completed in December 1999. Second-phase construction included the state-of-the-art courtroom complex located on the fifth floor of the Cooley Center. The courtroom officially opened for use in February 2004.

"The Cooley Center is truly one of the crown jewels in the Lansing community," Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero said. "It is vital for the Michigan economy to grow young professionals in areas such as law to ensure this state’s continued success. I’m ecstatic that the heart of the country’s largest law school is right in our backyard."

Cooley's Lansing operations are housed in:

• The Cooley Center at 300 S. Capitol
• The Brennan Law Library, at the corner of South Washington Avenue and Kalamazoo
• The Temple Building at 217 S. Capitol

Most operations housed in the Temple Building will now relocate to the Cooley Center.

William Schoettle, chief operating officer and vice president of finance for Cooley, said the completion of the Cooley Center will allow the school to immediately update certain areas of the Temple Building – a facility that has been used by Cooley since the 1970s.

"The Temple Building is a great part of our history at Cooley,” Schoettle said. “The completion of the Cooley Center will now allow us the opportunity to restore some of the Temple Building. Our first step in restoring the building will begin soon with the renovation of the Temple Building’s fifth floor, along with adding technology and upgrading its two largest classrooms on the fourth floor."

Founded in 1972, Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the country. Cooley has three campuses across Michigan: its campus in downtown Lansing, its downtown Grand Rapids campus in west Michigan and its Rochester/Oakland University campus in southeast Michigan. In addition to the Juris Doctor program, students at Cooley can also pursue a Master of Laws degree in taxation or intellectual property. Find out more about Cooley Law School by visiting the Cooley Web site at www.cooley.edu.