In 1998, ASU began the implementation of a campus master plan that defined many of the projects we see underway at this time. For example, the early objective to close the campus to vehicular traffic has been achieved by construction of the new Student Union on Aggie Road. The placement of the Biosciences building and the pedestrian mall adjacent to it has closed Caraway Road through the center of campus. While these developments are still underway, we already can realize a safer environment for pedestrians on campus, as compared to the previous danger of several street crossings.

Another objective was to expand the residential aspect of student life on campus. This goal has been realized in part by the completion of the Collegiate Park Apartments and the first phase of family housing at the Indian Village apartments. Additional parking for employees and commuting students has been a long-term objective, so we now have a central campus parking facility, additional surface parking in several locations and, later this spring we will begin construction of a major parking area adjacent to the library.

While these and other changes already have emerged as expressions of the campus master plan, the plan also indicated changes that could be realized over the next decade or so. We have known, for example, that new classroom buildings must be developed for nursing and health professions, for business and economic development activities, and for the wide range of courses now taught in Wilson Hall. As the result, preliminary plans have been drawn for a new liberal arts building and a new business building. These projects await funding, but schematic depictions of the buildings can be seen today. We also have planned modifications to the existing Chickasaw building to permit expansion of the nursing and health programs from their current location next door.

We also recognize that our current residential halls, Twin Towers and Delta Hall, are aging and may be near the end of their effective utilization. Costs of upkeep, operation, and the potential modification of these facilities have been weighed in comparison to the cost of new and more desirable facilities in which students may live on campus.

Recently we began a major expansion of the plan that will have significance in the immediate future. The information that follows is meant to give a brief description of changes we will witness over the next decade as the result of approvals given recently by the Board of Trustees.

As planned, the Chickasaw building will be renovated for the programs associated with Nursing and Health Professions as soon as the current Student Affairs occupants relocate to the newly remodeled Reng Center for Student Services. The remodeling of the Reng Center has now begun, in conjunction with ongoing construction of the new Student Union. While this entire project is behind schedule, we anticipate that some of the new Union space will be in use within a few months. Renovation of the Chickasaw building will begin next year, and will be financed through the sale of bonds approved by the Trustees.

Although it will not be visible to observers when complete, we will build a chilled water distribution system to serve some existing and future buildings. An outcome of this development will be a more cost-effective utility program, but more apparent to all will be the removal of the large cooling tower adjacent to Wilson Hall and the restructuring of the landscape and walkway systems in this area. The chilled water loop will be financed through bonds.

The removal of the last historic mobile homes has been completed, and many former residents have relocated into the Indian Village Apartments. Because there is 100% occupancy of these new apartments, we soon will begin construction of Phase II of the project, another 92 units. This $7.5 million complex will be paid through bonds over time with rent from residents. Construction is estimated to run 12-18 months.

Twin Towers, the largest campus residence facility, is outdated and is becoming too expensive to maintain and operate. It is not a popular facility. Delta Hall has been closed because of health issues and will require significant investment to rehabilitate. Replacement facilities for Twin Towers and Delta Hall will require considerable ground area to accommodate the 700-plus students who will need to be relocated. This ground may now have been identified and has been approved for purchase from the Arkansas State College Foundation as a part of a land acquisition, as depicted on the attachment to this report. The large tract of 30.8 undeveloped acres situated east of Caraway Road across from the Collegiate Park apartments will be considered as a prime location for new student apartments. This location will provide easy access to the new Student Union and dining facilities, and will be within a reasonable walking range of academic teaching facilities. This potential construction site provides attractive rolling terrain, mature trees and ponds. Architects and contractors will design a unique living facility in a beautiful environment for approximately 840 students.

Undeveloped lots, shown on the attachment, may be designated for student organizations, such as Greek chapters, academic or service groups. Approximately 36 existing detached family homes also will be acquired and added to the rental inventory of the university. This attractive residential neighborhood so near the heart of the campus should continue to be attractive to employees for some time to come, and will be maintained for this purpose by the university for the foreseeable future. The acquisition of the undeveloped land, construction of student apartments there, and the purchase of the homes in the neighborhood will be financed through bonds that will be repaid by tenants who will live in these facilities.

With these residential needs met, we may speculate on the projected needs for academic and support facilities, funding for which is more difficult to identify and obtain. ASU has been fortunate to have received significant private support for construction of the alumni center, several athletic projects, a new health facility, and spaces that may be built as the result of bequests. Larger-ticket items, such as major classroom buildings, may have to depend upon the state for support, or be built as the result of a combination of public and private funds.

ASU periodically prepares and presents to the Legislature a wish-list of capital projects. The current list of proposed projects, identified as an attachment, is an accumulation of items from previous lists and those that have become priorities for the future. The list is long and expensive. In these difficult financial times for the state, how can $100 plus million be found for projects like these, and those that will be suggested by other universities?

The answer may lie in a bonding program at the state level, similar in character to the bonds issued by ASU for the projects mentioned earlier. A state bond issue of this magnitude may be like the College Savings Bond program of the 1980s, which provided funding for recent academic building construction at ASU. A new state bond issue probably will be necessary to address improvements in public school facilities across the state mandated by the Lakeview decisions of the Supreme Court of Arkansas, because the cost of those improvements will be significant. It would be possible and desirable to bundle higher education projects into that bond to produce facilities the universities will need through the 21st century. Moreover, if higher education is not included in this bond package, it will be a long time before the state can afford to finance construction that falls outside the school’s bond package. Because private support for public facilities is so scarce, the state bond possibility is significant for growth of the universities, including ASU.

As the result of current and immediate construction work at ASU, we soon will realize the goals of the master plan to have a campus environment that is safe, efficient, attractive, and conducive to the important work that occurs here. We also will have a place that will form the pleasant memories and happy associations of the thousands of students who will come to call this place their alma mater.

I would be grateful for your comments on this material or about any other aspect of Arkansas State University. Please address electronic correspondence to president@astate.edu.

Les Wyatt, President
 

Attachments: Land Diagram  Capital Projects Request

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