Published: Friday, June 29, 2012 1:09 AM CDT

Officials at Mount Marty College announced that the Otto Ullrich Trust Fund has gifted $150,000 to the school to build the Otto Ullrich Memorial Botanical Laboratory.

The laboratory will be constructed as part of the new science center project, which will move all nursing and science operations and classrooms at the college into the old library space.

Ullrich spent most of his life as a clerk at the Manhattan Bar and Cafe in Yankton. He also was an active member of the Elks Club and was proud of the opportunities that Yankton presented to its youth. Since his passing in 2006, the Otto Ullrich trust has dispersed more than $400,000 to various education-based charities and civic organization. However, this is the largest donation they have given so far.

Construction on phase one of the project, which includes science labs and the greenhouse, is expected to start this fall, and should take about a year to complete. Phase two of the project, which is the nursing facilities, is expected to begin shortly after phase one of the project is complete, and will take a shorter amount of time to complete.

Phase one of the project will include five new labs, two for chemistry, two for biology and one for physics. There will also be offices for science faculty members and the greenhouse addition.

The entire project is expected to cost about $3 million, with the greenhouse costing $150,000 — all $150,000 donated from the Ullrich Trust Fund.

“We are very fortunate that the trust has chosen to memorialize Otto Ullrich with a botanical lab on campus,” Mount Marty President Dr. Joseph Benoit said. “It’s nice to have a named building on our campus from someone who had such a large impact on the Yankton community.”

The new greenhouse, along with the other lab rooms that will be constructed, will allow students to engage in aspects of science education that are clearly aligned with educated individuals in science. The new center will also allow for more hands-on opportunities for students, and more problems-based learning opportunities as well.

Benoit noted that the lab will give students the opportunity to learn more about biological diversity, ecosystems and the interactions of organisms with their environment. He added that students will also be given the chance to deal with species that may not typically be available without a greenhouse because of the harsh South Dakota winters.

“Students’ educational experiences are enhanced because of the greenhouse,” Benoit said. “We are quite excited about the donation.”

He added the new science complex will allow for the community and region to have new opportunities not present before for education in the sciences.

“These will be wonderful new educational spaces for us,” Benoit said. “It is a great opportunity to have newer facilities to educate our students in.”

Barb Rezac, Chief Advancement Officer at Mount Marty, has high hopes for the project and the impact it could have on the community.

“I hope the new project will generate confidence in what we’re trying to accomplish here at Mount Marty,” she said.

She added that, while officials at the college are focused on this project, they’re also thinking about ahead to improving some of the other facilities on campus.

Rezac approached members of the trust this past March to propose the greenhouse to them. She finally heard back from them in June approving the donation and kick-starting the efforts on the greenhouse.

“We worked back and forth on the proposal for a few months before we finally got the go-ahead,” she said.

“The impact of a facility like this is going to last for years,” Benoit added.

He noted that Mount Marty should be able to recruit and retain students from other areas because of the new facilities and opportunities they allow for students in the science and nursing fields.

The potential for more students at Mount Marty benefits the economy of Yankton.

“There is a natural economic impact that occurs,” Benoit said. “When family and friends visit students, the economic impacts really can’t be measured in a lot of ways.”

Benoit noted that he wants to have the entire nursing department located on the north side of campus, where the new science facility will be located.

Rezac added the nursing program has expanded in recent years, and it will expand even further this coming fall, when the Masters of Nursing program will begin. She said that there was a big need for more offices for nursing faculty, and the new project will allow for that, along with new, state-of-the-art technology for students in the program.

Both Benoit and Rezac thanked the Trust Fund members for their kind donation to the    college.

“The greenhouse will show the community every day Otto Ullrich’s love for youth and gardening,” Rezac said. “It will memorialize him each day and we are really grateful for the generosity of the trustees in selecting this project.”

“Ullrich was a key example of someone who did a lot with his life,” Benoit said.

Rezac added, “The new greenhouse and science center will make a big difference in the lives of a lot of people.”

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