Simon Hall dedicated

Simon Hall is not the first contribution the Simon family has made to IU and Bloomington, said Mayor Mark Kruzan Tuesday at the Simon Hall dedication ceremony.\n“Now you can literally go from Simon Hall to a Simon Mall in a matter of a few minutes,” Kruzan said to a crowd of about 300.\nKruzan was one of several who spoke during the ceremony about the benefits Simon Hall will provide for IU and the state’s life sciences initiative. Other speakers included IU President Michael McRobbie, Provost Karen Hanson and members of the IU board of trustees.\nSimon Hall is the first of three multidisciplinary science buildings IU plans to build to enhance its life sciences initiative, said IU Media Relations Specialist David Bricker. \nIU broke ground for the second building north of 10th Street three weeks ago, Bricker said. The third building is still being planned.\nBricker said Simon Hall has no classrooms and was built for office and laboratory space only.\n“There is a desperate need for laboratory space on campus,” Bricker said. “In some cases, scientists are sharing labs.”\nBricker said 11 faculty members have moved into the building.\nThe new research space in Simon Hall has been “great thus far,” said Viola Ellison, assistant professor of biology. Ellison moved from her old laboratory in Myers Hall to her new laboratory on the third floor of Simon Hall Sept. 18. \nEllison said she sees Simon Hall as “biology central” because it’s located between both Myers Hall and Jordan Hall. Underground passages link the three buildings, Ellison said.\n“We needed more space,” Ellison said. “We were really crowded. Since we moved over here, people are taking our \nold space.”\nSimon Hall was an opportunity for the Simon family to give back to IU, said philanthropist and 1980 IU graduate Cindy Simon Skjodt. Generosity is something Simon Skjodt said her father preached to his family.\nSimon Skjodt said she was pleased the building fit in the middle of campus. It will give future generations great opportunities for research, Simon Skjodt said.\nSpace inside the 141,084-square-foot building has been divided among researchers in several fields including microbiology, genetics and biophysics, according to a University Communications press release.\nStudent trustee A.D. King said he wants to hear from students who are benefitting from the new research space. He said the construction of Simon Hall aligns with the strategic life sciences goals IU and the state are pursuing.\n“It’s one more opportunity, one more step to making IU a leader in life sciences around the world,” King said.