Michael and Mary Jaharis Science Laboratories

The Michael and Mary Jaharis Science Laboratories, Carroll's first all gift- and grant-funded building, opened in fall of 2016. It has become an essential component of science education and scientific research and innovation—that rivals those of most institutions in Wisconsin, the Midwest and beyond. In many ways, it has captured the pioneering spirit of Wisconsin's first institution of higher education.

Carroll University Jaharis Science Labs Exterior
interior stairwell of jaharis with sculptural lighting feature

Building Features

The Michael and Mary Jaharis Science Laboratories features multi-functional classrooms with open space and moveable tables as well as private, controlled research spaces. Wireless technology provided through laptops and iPads allows students to collaborate and project their findings onto several screens in many of the rooms. 
  • Modern cadaver dissection laboratory
  • Anatomage dissection table 
  • Large storage/preparation room dedicated to anatomy and physiology
  • Vivarium suite/animal holding area 
  • Zoology collection laboratory
  • Aquatic suite
  • Instrumentation laboratory 
  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer
group of students working together dissecting a cadaver
overhead view of the anatomatage table showing the muscular system
white rat on a steel table
biology and chemistry laboratory
NMR machine

About Michael and Mary Jaharis

portrait of Michael and Mary Jaharis

The main gift for the building, also the largest gift received in school history, was a donation from the late Michael Jaharis, his wife Mary and the Jaharis Family Foundation. Jaharis was a 1950 graduate of Carroll.

By naming the facility the Michael and Mary Jaharis Science Laboratories, we not only recognize this magnanimous and prominent alumnus and his family, but also his renowned business acumen in the biopharmaceuticals industry, his philanthropy on an international scale, his profound life of lived faith and his deep appreciation for family. 

In many ways he lived the Carroll University mission—grounded in the liberal arts preparing students for vocational success, lifelong learning and service in a diverse and global society. We are most grateful for this support and honored to have the Jaharis name on this building.

Project Background

Carroll University's $24 million, Michael and Mary Jaharis Science Laboratories is a project ingrained with the pioneering spirit of Wisconsin's first institution of higher education. The building was the initial step of a three-phase project to "improve academic quality and strengthen the core educational experience for students." At its opening, the facility became the first new academic building to be constructed on campus in more than 50 years. 

The building came at a time of necessity, as nearly two-thirds of Carroll students major in the sciences. The university is especially strong in the health and medical science fields and has experienced unprecedented demand for programs in the fields of nursing, physician assistant studies, physical therapy, public health, psychology and exercise science/physiology.

History of the building site

The Michael and Mary Jaharis Science Laboratories now stands where Maxon Hall once was. That  building was named after Howard L. Maxon, who attended what was then Carroll College and graduated in 1886. After graduation, he went on to be a banker, lawyer and land manager. When Maxon died in 1957, he left $65,000 to Carroll and those funds were used to construct Maxon Hall.

The Maxon Hall project broke ground in 1960, and opened its doors to faculty, staff and students in September 1961. The hall originally housed the math, geography and art programs. It was home to the first computer on campus, an IBM 1620 purchased by the math department, and to the geography department's weather station that featured wind velocity instruments and rain/snow gauges located on the roof.  

Prior to the demolition of the building in January 2015, Carroll University's Department of Visual and Performing Arts turned the building into a living canvas filled with art installations in their exhibition titled, "The Catalyst Project."

Construction Time-lapse

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