Friday, May 05, 2006
Trustees select architects for business building; approve operating budget
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An architectural firm in Missouri partnering with an Evansville firm and a Michigan firm were selected on May 5, 2006, by the USI Board of Trustees to design the business building on the USI campus. Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum (HOK) of St. Louis, Hafer Associates, PC, of Evansville, and The Campus Studio of Ann Arbor, Michigan were recommended by the Trustees Construction Committee. Wilke Structural Engineering is a consulting firm on the project. According to USI Vice President for Business Affairs Mark Rozewski, the Trustees Construction Committee looked nationally for firms which could design the USI business building. The Trustees limited their selection process to firms or joint venture partners which have successful business building projects in their portfolio of work. Evansville firms teamed with national firms for the selection process. HOK has had business school design experience. They designed the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western University and the Owens Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. They also designed University of Oklahoma’s engineering building among others. In other business, the Trustees approved a 10-year capital improvement plan, the operating budget for the 2006-2007 academic year, and miscellaneous fees. The business building is included in the capital improvement plan for the near term, 2007-2009. Implementation of the plan is contingent on state funding allocations. The 2005 Indiana General Assembly appropriated $2 million for planning the building, and the University will be requesting $29,900,000 for fee replacement bonding authorization in the 2007 legislature. If funding and state approvals are given, construction could start as early as 2008. In the medium term, 2009-2011, renovation to a classroom building; housing-related buildings (renovation to a student residence building and a new residence building); an art, theater, and music center; and parking facilities are planned. The 2011 to 2017 term includes student residence building renovation and replacement, a general classroom building, a student residence building and a student residence dining facility, plus parking facilities, the third phase of expansion for the Recreation and Fitness Center, an addition to the Physical Activities Center, and the second phase of the campus roadway system. The Trustees approved a $73 million operating budget. The budget is based on state appropriations, student fees, and other income. Fees for the 2006-07 academic year were set last year, following a directive of the Indiana General Assembly to set mandatory fees (tuition) for a two-year period on or before May 30 of any odd-numbered year. The approved rates are $148.65 per credit hour for a resident undergraduate student; a resident graduate student pays $215.85 per credit hour. A report by the Academic Planning Council, which projects future degree programs, was reviewed by the Trustees. Implementation of these programs is contingent on funding and appropriate approvals. For the current biennium a name change from dental hygiene education to dental hygiene is proposed. In the 2007-09 biennium, two two-year programs, 10 baccalaureate majors, and four graduate programs are proposed. Pharmacy technician and physical therapist assistant would be offered as associate degrees. The majors for four-year degrees are arts and heritage management, biochemistry, business economics, criminal justice, entrepreneurship, environmental science, health informatics, manufacturing technology, occupation therapy assistant, and respiratory therapy. The graduate programs are imaging sciences, food and nutrition (dietetics), physical therapy, and special education/exceptional needs. Five four-year majors and three graduate programs are proposed for 2009-2011. Anthropology, business/engineering, forensic science, geography, and music are majors planned, and communications, environmental science, and medical records and health informatics are graduate programs being considered. |
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