By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Concordia University Chicago announced Tuesday a $5.9 million initiative to renovate its Walter and Maxine Christopher Center for Learning and Leadership, converting classrooms and offices into modern science laboratories at its River Forest campus.
The project is fully funded by donors and aligns with growing demand for health science programs at the private university, according to a news release on the university’s website.
“This project is a significant investment in our future and the needs of our students,” University President Dr. Russell P. Dawn said in the news release. “It is also a testament to the faithfulness of donors who believe in our students, in our mission, and in the future God has for Concordia-Chicago — and for that, we are deeply grateful.”
Phase 1 will renovate 11,120 square feet across the second and third floors of the Christopher Center, which opened in 2002. Four classrooms on the second floor will become microbiology, cellular and molecular biology, and general biology labs.
On the third floor, faculty and staff offices will be converted into a dissection lab featuring a cadaver dissection room and a virtual dissection room equipped with Anatomage Tables and spatial reality displays, according to the news release. The phase also adds 1,600 square feet of new floor space above the existing CULearn area.
Future phases will include additional learning spaces in the Christopher Center and renovations elsewhere on campus.
Construction is scheduled to begin in December and is expected to be completed by August 2027, in time for the next academic year. Milwaukee-based Catalyst Construction and Chicago-based FGM Architects are partnering on the project.
“Facility renovations will occur in spaces that have served the campus for decades and which will now be repurposed for current and future students to use for years to come,” Vice President for Administration Glen Steiner said in the news release. “Making these enhancements in a prudent, fiscally responsible manner allows us to grow and thrive while remaining good stewards of the resources entrusted to us.”
The Concordia-Chicago Board of Regents approved the plan in June. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod granted approval in September.
The initiative aligns with the university’s fiscal year 2027-29 strategic plan, which calls for campus enhancements and investment in health, science and technology programs, according to the news release.
Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Rob Balza said the renovations would help the university meet growing demand for healthcare workers.
“The world needs more healthcare workers who are formed by Christian ethics, who uphold the dignity and sanctity of human life; embrace vocation and servant leadership; and provide holistic care for patients’ minds, bodies, and souls,” Balza said in the news release. “That’s what Concordia-Chicago is uniquely positioned to provide.”
The facility upgrades follow the 2023 opening of a $1.6 million simulation and skills lab in the Christopher Center to support the university’s new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Earlier this month, the university also announced a $3 million federal grant to support students pursuing health sciences careers.
Concordia University Chicago is located at 7400 Augusta St. in River Forest.
