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Higher education institutions submit revised projects for bond package Wednesday, Sep 6, 2006 By Betsy Turner Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Several Arkansas college and universities are seeking to have different projects funded by a statewide bond proposal but most went with their original plans in a revised list that the state Department of Higher Education released Tuesday. Gov. Mike Huckabee on Aug. 9 called a second special election for the $250 million bond package to fund higher education infrastructure and technology needs to coincide with the Nov. 7 general election. The proposal failed by a slim margin in a December special election when paired with a controversial proposal to reauthorize a $575 million highway bond issue that voters handily defeated. Under the higher education bond proposal, the state's 10 public universities and 22 two-year colleges would receive $150 million for capital improvements and technology upgrades under the proposal. The rest would be used to pay off existing bonds. The state's higher education institutions were allowed to submit new projects but could not alter funding amounts. The state Higher Education Coordinating Board will consider the changes at a Sept. 8 meeting. The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, which would receive the largest appropriation in the bond package, previously planned to spend $16 million for a Nanoscience and Technology Building. University of Arkansas System President Alan Sugg said school officials changed the proposal and now want to build a general use, 33,000-square-foot building because of increased enrollment. "With the growth that's occurring at the University of Arkansas Fayetteville, they are in desperate need of more classroom buildings and more general purpose laboratory buildings," Sugg said. Arkansas State University leaders have decided to seek construction of a new building and renovation of an existing building in its amended proposal. The university would get $7.6 million for the two projects. ASU President Les Wyatt said $4.2 million would go towards renovating Chickasaw Hall, which was built in 1974, for College of Nursing and Health classes. Wyatt said the building has high ceilings and could be renovated to make sloped classrooms that hold up to 100 students. He said the extra classrooms are needed to provide instructional areas for additional nursing and health students. "Our existing space on campus is very limited and as a result we have to turn students away from admission to the nursing program," Wyatt said. The remaining $3.3 million would match federal grant funds to build a 21,344-square-foot business building called the Delta Center for Economic Development. The building would have six classrooms, which seat 32 to 72 students each. Wyatt said replacement of Wilson Hall, which was on the previous proposal, was still needed and hoped to get funds in the 2006 legislative session. He said it would cost around $20 million to replace the building. In other proposed changes, the University of Arkansas campus in Monticello scrapped plans to renovate three buildings and proposed instead to pay for $3.2 million in network and software upgrades. Chancellor Jack Lassiter said the current administrative software package used by the university is 20 years old and needs to be replaced. He said the software, which is used for financial aid, billing and other services, soon would no longer be supported by the manufacturer. Sugg, who is leading a campaign in support of the proposal with UCA President Lu Hardin, said many of the universities and college leaders revised projects because they had a change in priorities from a year ago. He said both new and old projects were all needed for Arkansas higher education institutions to compete with neighboring states. |
