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BOR approves expansion of Butts-Mehre, new professorships
BRITTANY COFER
Issue date: 6/11/09 Section: News
The Board of Regents approved requests from the University to renovate and expand the Butts-Mehre building and to establish nine new professorship positions.
In the June 10 meeting the Regents approved a request from the University to expand and renovate the Butts-Mehre Building. The project, with a budget of $39.5 million, will be funded through the University's Athletic Association.
The project includes a 53,000-square-foot expansion and a 40,000-square-foot renovation of the Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall to "provide for new and upgraded training facilities, meeting rooms, offices, practice areas, event space, and new technology systems distribution," according to the proposal.
Tom Jackson, vice president for Public Affairs, told The Red & Black construction for the project will begin next month.
The Regents approved 236 renovation projects for the University System's 35 campuses - 44 of which are University-related, and have a total cost of more than $18 million.
Project requests from University System schools totaled $136 million for fiscal year 2010, but only $60 million was allocated for that purpose in the state budget, John Vanchella, director of strategic communications at the Regents, said.
He said the approved projects were for "things that are ongoing needs to maintain campuses."
Some of the projects approved for the University included a roofing replacement program, fire code deficiency program and sanitary sewer replacement program.
"These [projects] are the kinds of things that you can't just say 'We're not going to do that,'" Vanchella said.
The Regents also approved nine professorship positions, which were each leftover requests from 2006, when the University System's Office of Academic Affairs was undergoing a period of administrative transition.
Each professorship is fully funded by endowments or other gifts, and as of 2006 the funds for each were sufficient to cover the cost of the professorship.
Distinguished professorships, of which there were four approved, require a funding level of $400,000, according to the Board of Regents Policy Manual. Professorships require $200,000 in endowments or other monies.
Jackson said with professorships, sometimes there is already someone in the position, but sometimes the department needs to advertise to fill it.
The Regents also approved a request from the University to increase the credit hour length of the Bachelor of Science in Education with a major in health and physical education from 120 to 129 semester hours. The Regents approved similar requests in February 2005 for three other majors offered under the Bachelor of Science in Education degree.
According to the proposal, the reason for the increased credit hours is to give students time to be prepared in both health and physical education, while taking the equivalent of one full academic year of field experience and internships.
In the June 10 meeting the Regents approved a request from the University to expand and renovate the Butts-Mehre Building. The project, with a budget of $39.5 million, will be funded through the University's Athletic Association.
The project includes a 53,000-square-foot expansion and a 40,000-square-foot renovation of the Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall to "provide for new and upgraded training facilities, meeting rooms, offices, practice areas, event space, and new technology systems distribution," according to the proposal.
Tom Jackson, vice president for Public Affairs, told The Red & Black construction for the project will begin next month.
The Regents approved 236 renovation projects for the University System's 35 campuses - 44 of which are University-related, and have a total cost of more than $18 million.
Project requests from University System schools totaled $136 million for fiscal year 2010, but only $60 million was allocated for that purpose in the state budget, John Vanchella, director of strategic communications at the Regents, said.
He said the approved projects were for "things that are ongoing needs to maintain campuses."
Some of the projects approved for the University included a roofing replacement program, fire code deficiency program and sanitary sewer replacement program.
"These [projects] are the kinds of things that you can't just say 'We're not going to do that,'" Vanchella said.
The Regents also approved nine professorship positions, which were each leftover requests from 2006, when the University System's Office of Academic Affairs was undergoing a period of administrative transition.
Each professorship is fully funded by endowments or other gifts, and as of 2006 the funds for each were sufficient to cover the cost of the professorship.
Distinguished professorships, of which there were four approved, require a funding level of $400,000, according to the Board of Regents Policy Manual. Professorships require $200,000 in endowments or other monies.
Jackson said with professorships, sometimes there is already someone in the position, but sometimes the department needs to advertise to fill it.
The Regents also approved a request from the University to increase the credit hour length of the Bachelor of Science in Education with a major in health and physical education from 120 to 129 semester hours. The Regents approved similar requests in February 2005 for three other majors offered under the Bachelor of Science in Education degree.
According to the proposal, the reason for the increased credit hours is to give students time to be prepared in both health and physical education, while taking the equivalent of one full academic year of field experience and internships.
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