Grand opening for MSU's Secchia Center

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Years of planning, designing, digging and building culminated Friday along the Grand Rapids Medical Mile when Michigan State University hosted the grand opening of the Secchia Center.

Funded privately and named for its largest donor, Peter Secchia, the facility is the linchpin to MSU's expansion of its College of Human Medicine.

A private dedication ceremony for the $90 million center is set for 5:30 p.m. Friday. Dignitaries slated to attend include Secchia, the former US Ambassador to Italy; Sen. Debbie Stabenow; Rick Breon, the president and CEO of Spectrum Health; and MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon.

A public open house is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Tours will be provided, and MSU mascot Sparty will be there. The seven-story, 180,000 square-foot building houses labs, classrooms and offices.

Business owners, experts in the medical field and many others all agree -- the Secchia Center will have a positive influence on the Grand Rapids economy.

Already, signs of optimism are prevalent.

Homeowners are investing money into properties in older neighborhoods down the street from the med school. Nearby business owners believe the school's development will protect them from the recession.

"We've seen an increase in students, but also staff that is coming down to the store and in the area, so it's been good," said Leonne van der Velde, the owner of Ferris Coffee.

And it's outside dollars that are funding the drive.

"There are many forms of subsidies for physicians and students," said Lody Zwarensteyn, of the Alliance for Health. "Those subsidies will come from outside -- some of our tax money coming back to us -- but also from taxes from communities that don't have medical schools."

The big impact of a med school doesn't necessarily come from the students, experts said. It's more about the activity they create.

"You have the students, you have the faculty and staff," Zwarensteyn said. "You have the support groups. Everything from the maintenance of the buildings to the exterior, you name it, those are jobs."

A lot of med school tuition is paid in subsidies from the federal government. Then, there are research grants.

"They bring researchers, they bring support staff -- there are many, many positive outcomes," Zwarensteyn said. "There also is an outcome in product development."