Cooley Law School cuts ribbon on Tampa Bay Campus

RIVERVIEW, Fla., Oct. 31, 2012--Thomas M. Cooley Law School formally marked the opening of its new Tampa Bay campus with a dedication ceremony on Wednesday, October 31st. The new campus, located at 9445 Camden Field Parkway, is Cooley's fifth campus and the first outside of Michigan; the school's other campuses are located in Lansing, Grand Rapids, Auburn Hills and Ann Arbor. Over 250 people attended the event at 9445 Camden Field Parkway, including Cooley's founder and president emeritus, the Honorable Thomas E. Brennan. Speakers included Don LeDuc, president and dean, Cooley Law School; Jeffrey Martlew, associate dean, Cooley Law School-Tampa Bay campus; Robert J. Nader, president, Hillsborough County Bar Association; Honorary Emiliano Jose (E.J.) Salcines, senior judge, 2nd District Court of Appeals; Gwynne A. Young, president, The Florida Bar; Haile Spratt, president, TMC/TB Student Bar Association; and Al Higginbotham, commissioner, Hillsborough County Commission. "We're excited to begin a new chapter for Cooley Law School in Tampa Bay and dedicate a campus for our growing student population outside of Michigan," said Don LeDuc, Cooley Law School's president and dean. Renovations to turn an existing building into a state-of-the-art law school began in September 2011. The Riverview, Florida site was once occupied by Progressive Insurance. Now complete, the 132,000-square-foot building can accommodate approximately 700 students. It includes a 25,000-square-foot law library, 336-seat auditorium and 24 classrooms. The 13.3 acre property also contains on site parking for more than 500 cars. The Tampa Bay campus began offering evening classes to 109 students this past May. Morning classes started in September and afternoon classes will start in January 2013. Currently there are 275 students enrolled in classes at the Tampa Bay campus. The full curriculum for the campus will be rolled out over a three-year period. Once it is in place, Cooley will employ approximately 53 full-time faculty and staff and about 35 part time-faculty in the Tampa Bay area. ''This campus is an exceptional learning environment because it has been tailored to meet the educational needs of today's law students," said Jeff Martlew, associate dean of Cooley's Tampa Bay campus. "We are pleased with the enthusiastic reception of the local bench and bar and we look forward to building a strong relationship with the Tampa Bay community.'' Published: Thu, Nov 8, 2012

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