STATESBORO — Georgia Southern University is kicking off construction of a new $37 million building that will upgrade its biology classrooms and labs.

Gov. Nathan Deal was scheduled to attend a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for the new Biological Sciences Building on Georgia Southern's campus in Statesboro.

The biology building will have 155,394 square feet of space for classrooms as well as 10 teaching labs and 15 research labs.

Georgia Southern officials say construction is scheduled to be completed by the spring of 2013.