Representative’s Renderings by Lewis Godwin
Thank you for taking the time to open our Southern Region newsletter. There was no resting after SCUP–46 in July at National Harbor, MD for our region. Two one-day conferences and our regional conference kept us all busy and provided us with excellent opportunities for education, inspiration, and connecting with our colleagues in SCUP. I hope you didn’t miss these, but if you did, here are the highlights: Orlando One-Day Valencia College hosted a one-day conference on August 16th entitled “The Changing Face of Higher Education in Florida” with an attendance of 85. Don’t let the title fool you; everything presented was applicable to our own states and situations. Long-time SCUP member and regional board member Tom Woodward of Heery International said to me at the conclusion of the day; “This was the BEST one-day SCUP that I have ever attended!” He was correct. All day I wished that we had captured audio and video of the program. It was one engaging speaker after another. An extra special thanks goes out to Valencia College for hosting and especially to Susan Kelley for envisioning the day and lining up an incredible parade of speakers. Clemson One-Day On the heels of the Orlando one-day, Clemson University hosted one on September 14th under the title of “Town and Gown: Building Partnerships for Prosperity”. This conference was held in conjunction with the International Town and Gown Association (ITGA) and was attended by 82 participants. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend, but the reviews I received were no less stellar than those from Orlando. San Antonio - Regional Conference These two fine one-day conferences led up to an outstanding annual regional conference in San Antonio on October 2nd through the 4th. This year’s planning committee, led by Michael Watson of Watson Tate Savory Liollio, did an outstanding job. The speakers, concurrent sessions, receptions, facilities, and weather were all outstanding. And, yes, we set a new regional conference record with 223 attendees, breaking last year’s number of 200 in Charleston. David Rea of University of Texas-Austin is already busy planning next year’s conference in Raleigh and we will announce the dates for that conference soon. Regional Council Changes I want to welcome new members to the regional council. Elsa Pena of West Georgia University joins Gita Hendessi as our sponsorship co-chair. Pena is replacing the highly ineffective Lewis Godwin in this role. Howard Wertheimer of the Georgia Institute of Technology is joining us as he takes a place on the awards committee. Wertheimer replaces Tim Fish of Cooper Carry who served us for three years with dignity and panache’. Finally, Lee Jarboe of McCarthy recently brought her skills and energy to the council as the vice-chair of membership. Lily Berrios of the Sizemore Group has now transitioned from regional representative to volunteer coordinator. I have some mighty big pumps to fill as I follow Lily. Berrios served us with grace and wisdom for the past three years. She moved us forward and provided the SCUP Board with excellent participation. Lastly, region members Ken Higa of Lord Aeck Sargent and Nancy Nusbaum of Texas State University-San Marcos joined the SCUP Board along with me in July at SCUP–46. New Sponsors Finally, I would like to welcome some new regional sponsors. Barton Malow, SpawGlass, Brailsford & Dunleavy, Cutler Associates, FKP Architects, Mackey Mitchell, Hunt Construction Group, Pfluger Associates, and Sizemore Group have recently joined our ranks of sponsors. I really appreciate the support that these companies have made to our region, along with other sponsors. Our list of sponsors is becoming a Who’s Who of some of the most experienced consultants and service providers of higher education in SCUP’s Southern Region. Please take time to continue reading our regional newsletter. I look forward to seeing many of you at one-day conferences as we announce them throughout the year.
Lewis Godwin REGIONAL SPONSORSSCUP’s Southern Region is proud to present our sponsors. Thank you sponsors for your continuing support and participation:
Platinum
Gold
Silver
Bronze SCUPers, please contact our generous sponsors for information about their services and products and let them know how much we appreciate them.
Note to potential sponsors: 2012 METRO MINI CONFERENCESThe Southern Regional Council is planning the next Metro Mini events to be held in various areas of the region. Suggestions for these one day events should be sent to Bob Gunn, special events chair, bgunn@clarknexsen.com. COMMUNICATIONS REPORTJohn Russell, Communication Chair, john.russell@angelo.edu Greetings and we hope all of you are having a great fall. As many of you know, we just had the the SCUP Southern Regional Conference in San Antonio, Texas. A great time was had by all as we learned about planning and development strategies for the coming years. Many thanks go to the conference committee chaired by Michael Watson, and the local committee chaired by Nancy Nusbaum. I am sharing several photographs of the conference on the following pages.
At this year’s conference we had our first golf outing and six of us had a great time at The Quarry golf club. More than 200 people showed up in San Antonio. Many shared their ideas on campus planning, various projects they have completed, and ideas they have to make planning and projects more successful. We had the official welcome by our new leader of the Southern Region, Lewis Godwin, and said thank you to Lily del C. Berrios, who did a remarkable job leading us the past years. We are looking forward to the great things that Godwin will do for the region in the coming years. We had some truly remarkable plenary speakers starting with Ricardo Romo, the president of San Antonio, who opened the conference at the Sunday evening plenary session. This was followed by a great reception at the International Center, which overlooks the river.
Monday started with an opening plenary session with Diane Snyder, who is the vice chancellor of finance and administration for the Alamo Colleges. We then adjourned the plenary for a day full of concurrent sessions. We concluded the day with a riverboat tour of the San Antonio River and the adjacent river walks.
Tuesday brought another day of concurrent sessions, lots of fun, and then a phenomenal closing plenary by Denise Trauth, President of Texas State University. We even had some walking tours along the way. All in all we had a fantastic conference. If you were not able to attend the conference, please make plans now to attend the next Southern Conference which will be in North Carolina.
SCUP Southern Region News is published by the SCUP Southern Region Council to inform members and friends about SCUP’s Southern Region’s plans, activities, and issues. You will note in the following articles that members of the southern region periodically contribute articles and information to the SCUP Southern Region Newsletter. Feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone who might be interested. Then invite them to join SCUP so they can get their own newsletter each quarter. We have a great newsletter for you this month with a lot of timely information from your states. Please thank the Communications Coordinators for their hard work. If you have Ideas or articles that you think need to be included in the next newsletter, that would help make this newsletter better, please let me know. Our communication coordinators work hard to bring you the most up-to-date information available. We currently have several opportunities for any of you interested in working on the newsletter. I invite any of you interested in working as a communications coordinator to contact me. We have several vacancies and need people to represent Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and the Virgin Islands. I would be happy to discuss the duties of this position and the typical time commitments. Special thanks go to the SCUP staff at for their technical assistance with SCUP Southern News and for emailing it to regional members, SCUP officers, and other friends interested in the mission and activities of SCUP. MEMBERSHIP REPORTAlan Travis, Regional Membership Coordinator alan.travis@usg.edu SCUP’s Membership Committee has been developing strategy associated with retention and recruitment of members. We have been working with two task forces emerging leaders and emerged/senior leaders. The purpose is to understand how SCUP serves or could serve the constituency new to planning and those that are recognized leaders in planning. The task force information that is being gathered will have influence on future membership strategy and programming particularly on a regional level. In the Southern region we are in the process of articulating a membership committee which would not only welcome new members but actively promote SCUP to potential members, volunteers, and ideas are welcome! Please feel free to contact Alan Travis, alan.travis@usg.edu or Lee Jarbo at hjarbo@mccarthy.com — we are here to help! New Members from August to November
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT REPORTWatson Harris, Regional Professional Development Coordinator, wharris@mtsu.eduwharris@mtsu.edu Does your institution need a refresher in strategic planning? Then invite the SCUP Planning Institute to your campus and experience an integrated interactive approach to planning designed with your campus in mind. Workshops have been given in Wisconsin, New York, Texas, Oklahoma, and Virginia. Two institutions in the Southern Region, Texas A&M University at Kingsville and Northeastern State University in Oklahoma, have already hosted the planning institute. If you are interested in learning more about the SCUP Planning Institute, go to www.scup.org/page/profdev/pi/oncampus. Although SCUP’s Southern Region is hosting very successful regional conferences and metro-minis, we may not be reaching you. If you have ideas about bringing these learning and networking opportunities closer to you, whether through state and/or local events, please send your ideas to me at wharris@mtsu.edu. VOLUNTEER REPORTLily Berrios, Regional Volunteer Coordinator lilyb@sizemoregroup.com WE NEED YOU! SCUP has a variety of volunteer opportunities for members. We need program reviewers, conveners, committee members, state representatives, etc., at both regional and the international levels. Volunteering is a great way to network and to learn more about what others are doing in higher education. Get involved! Send me an email today at lilyb@sizemoregroup.com and become a volunteer for SCUP!!! AWARDS REPORTHoward Wertheimer, Awards Committee Member SCUP's award programs recognize and applaud individuals, teams and organizations whose achievements exemplify excellence and dedication to higher education. The awards and deadlines are:
For more information, go to the awards webpage. NEWS FROM STATE AND AREA COMMUNICATION COORDINATORSALABAMA Need Volunteer! ARKANSAS Need Volunteer! FLORIDA Marilyn Etheridge, metheridge1@verizon.net
Florida Atlantic University Imagine if the powerful currents of the Gulf Stream off Florida's coast could be utilized to generate electricity and eliminate the need for fossil-fuel and nuclear power plants. The benefits could be enormous. Researchers at Florida Atlantic University are doing more than imagining that possibility. They are preparing to conduct tests on its feasibility. FAU's Southeastern National Marine Renewable Energy Center is one of three centers nationally designated by the U.S. Department of Energy to study ocean energy and development. The other two centers in the Pacific Northwest and in Hawaii are studying energy potential from waves and tides and from temperature differences in water depths, respectively. The FAU center is exploring the Gulf Stream and devices to test its electric power production are being developed at its Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in St. Lucie County, FL. The potential use of the Gulf Stream has been under consideration for a long time as an energy source, but testing that potential is farther along than previously, thanks in part to more than $17 million in state, federal and private funding for the FAU center. Running northward off Florida's East Coast, the amount of water flowing through the Gulf Stream is about 30 times the amount of water that flows in all the world's oceans. Four submerged buoys measure the speed of the current at different depths off Fort Lauderdale and radar traces currents on the ocean surface. Harbor Branch is creating a buoy that will relay information on generators being used. A 20-kilowatt generator with a 10-foot diameter propeller also is under construction at Harbor Branch. Key to feasibility will be developing a generating system that will not affect the Gulf Stream itself and will not harm marine life. Environmentalists are cautiously optimistic that ocean energy can be utilized as an attractive alternative to existing power plants.
NEW COLLEGE OF FLORIDA US World News Report ranked New College of Florida the no. 6 public college in their annual rankings of the Best National Liberal Arts Colleges. New College also ranked in the top tier of all National Liberal Arts College, coming in at no. 94, up five spots from last year. The 2012 ranks the seventh consecutive year New College has been ranked one of the nation’s top 100 liberal arts colleges overall by U.S. News & World Report. It also marks the seventh year in a row New College has been ranked in the top six among public colleges, with military academies in the top four spots this year. New College is the only liberal arts college in Florida to be listed in the nation’s top 100. New College of Florida landed the no. 16 spot on Forbes’ “Top 100 Best Buy Colleges for 2011” and was featured as one of the country’s best colleges for the 10th consecutive year in The Princeton Review’s Best 376 Colleges 2012 Edition. USF to Host Republican Presidential Primary Debate Tampa, FL The University of South Florida will be the site of a January Republican presidential primary debate being presented by NBC News, the St. Petersburg Times, National Journal and the Florida Council of 100. The GOP primary debate will air live on NBC on Monday, Jan. 23, from a small theater at USF. NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams will moderate. The Florida primary is Tuesday, Jan. 31. The debate will follow the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries. This will be the first weekday primetime airing of a primary debate on a broadcast network in the 2012 election cycle. "Florida will be at the center of next year's presidential election, and this is the state where national issues like the economy and health care loom especially large," said Paul Tash, Times Chairman and CEO. Florida Board of Governors co-hosting National Science Foundation workshop for researchers, educators in January 2012 As the Florida Board of Governors devotes resources and talent to achieve and sustain efforts that will make Florida an international leader in knowledge-based innovation economies – which includes but is not limited to “STEM” degrees (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) – it is well-known that research at all levels in the State University System often leads to successful market commercialization of discoveries by faculty and students. The Board of Governors is co-sponsoring a workshop with the National Science Foundation (NSF) on Jan. 12 in Orlando to further increase the competitiveness and success of Florida-based researchers. The State University System of Florida has maintained its Top 4 national ranking among public institutions for total R&D expenditures for several years. The latest ranking, FY 2009-10, is based on data from the National Science Foundation’s own Annual Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges. The ranking is based on the State University System of Florida’s tabulation of more than $1.6 billion in annual research expenditures – an amount that reflects remarkable growth of more than 30 percent just in the past five to six years. All seven of the NSF’s “directorates” that support science and engineering research and education will be represented at the workshop: Biological Sciences; Computer and Information Science and Engineering; Engineering; Geosciences; Mathematics and Physical Sciences; Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences; and Education and Human Resources. The NSF is an independent U.S. government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. It is Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health. The NSF was created by Congress in 1950 “to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense… .” Its director and all 24 Board members serve six-year terms. Each of them, as well as the deputy director, is appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
LOUISIANA
Legislation - Restructuring Citizens of the Shreveport area are independently pushing for a possible merging of Louisiana State University-Shreveport and Louisiana Tech University some 70 miles away. A key goal of the merger would be to foster closer collaborations between Louisiana Tech and the LSU medical school in Shreveport. A proposed merger would likely face strong opposition from the LSU System. Should the Board of Regents adopt the study the state Legislature will debate the merger next spring. The conversion of Louisiana State University - Alexandria in 2003 from a two year community college has left an education gap in central Louisiana. That gap will now be filled by the creation of Central Louisiana Technical Community College pending legislative approval next year. Funding – Federal LSU AgCenter received a $17.2 million federal grant to research biofuel creation from sugarcane and sweet sorghum. Approximately one-third of the grant will go toward biofuel education for Louisiana farmers and the creation of a biorefinery at the LSU AgCenter Audubon Sugar Institute. Funding - State State approves funds for investments in higher education. The state Legislature Governance Commission for Louisiana's higher education hosted talks with national officials this month regarding the future of higher education funding in Louisiana. The most critical issue discussed was the possible rise of tuition to cover the loss of state funding. Funding - Private $500,000 private donation from Mike McCallister, Louisiana Tech University alumnus and chairman and CEO of Humana Inc. plus a matching donation from the Humana Foundation went to help fund new athletic facilities and the College of Business at Louisiana Tech. Soon to be published. Service Learning online publication soon to be released. This from the journal's web site, "The Journal of Service-Learning in Higher Education is an online, international, peer-reviewed journal for the dissemination of original research regarding effective institutional-community partnerships. Our primary emphasis is to provide an outlet for sharing the methodologies and pedagogical approaches that lead to effective community-identified outcomes. The Journal of Service-Learning in Higher Education is a subscription-free journal with a review board made up of various academic disciplines of the member institutions of the University of Louisiana System as well as other nationally and internationally accredited colleges and universities and affiliated organizations." Online Learning Editorial on the opportunities and potential growth of online learning to better utilize facilities and accommodate a rapidly growing student population.
SOUTH CAROLINA Wofford College Receives High Rankings - The fourth annual rankings of “America’s Best Colleges” by Forbes Magazine show Wofford College 73rd overall for colleges and universities in the country, and the highest-ranked South Carolina institution. This independent liberal arts college located in Spartanburg, SC also ranked 14th among the “Best Colleges in the South”. Forbes used a formula based on the quality of teaching, great career prospects, graduation rates and low levels of debt. The College was also recently listed as one of the country’s best undergraduate institutions in “The Best 376 Colleges” by The Princeton Review. SC State Dedicates New Science and Research Complex by Honoring Eighth President – Earlier this spring, South Carolina State University, located in Orangeburg, SC completed a three-story modernized science complex that bears the name of Dr. Leroy Davis, the University’s eighth president. The Leroy Davis, Sr. Science and Research Complex serves as an annex to the original Hodge Hall, and houses the Department of Biology and Physical Sciences. An office tower, research space, two auditoriums, five conference rooms and state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories are also featured in the facility. Dr. Davis who was president from 1996 to 2002, proudly says, “This building is phenomenal and exceeds my greatest expectations. It’s a fantastic place of discovery and learning.” On an additional note, SC State University was recently identified by Forbes Magazine as the exclusive Historically Black College and University (HBCU) for research in the state of South Carolina. MUSC’s Medical School Ranks Among Ten Most Popular – According to a May U.S. News & World Report, the Medical University of South Carolina’s College of Medicine was among the ten most popular medical schools in the country. Rankings were based on the percentage of admitted students who chose to enroll in a specific program. The College ranked eighth overall, with an enrollment of 156 students or 73.9 percent of 211 accepted students that chose to attend the school in the 2010-2011 academic year. MUSC also ranked 91st among medical school research programs, and 73rd in the U.S. News’ ranking of top primary care programs. Citadel’s Academic Support Center Receives National Award – The Academic Support Center of The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, will be awarded the 2011 Frank L. Christ Outstanding Learning Center Award in September for a four-year college or university. The award, presented by the National College Learning Center Association recognizes outstanding work done by college learning centers to foster student growth and development. The center at the Citadel offers eight programs to support undergraduate and graduate students to develop successful learning strategies, improved reading and math skills, and enhanced academic performance in all subject areas. OKLAHOMA Need Volunteer
TENNESSEE Tennessee Wesleyan College has rolled out a new, high-performance converged mobile network that will give students, faculty, and staff access to secure, reliable wired and wireless Internet access. Learn more here. A study designed to gauge the economic impact of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) on the economy of the state of Tennessee for FY2010 concluded that UTHSC’s total economic contribution to the state amounted to more than $2.3 billion. Learn more here. AT&T is contributing $10,000 to each of Tennessee's community colleges to accelerate students' progress toward certificates and degrees. Learn more here. Policies, like learning spaces, can be designed for a desired behavior; a case study of budgeting academic space from Middle Tennessee State University…in the current issue of Planning for Higher Education or available for download here. Three new deans have started their jobs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and one other will begin work on January 1, 2012. Learn more here.
TEXAS With the SCUP 2011 Southern Region Conference behind us, I’d like to thank all of the attendees who joined us here in San Antonio. The conference offered us all many worthwhile introductions to the varied issues institutions face today: securing funding, planning for long-range development, and accommodating change. It was an ideal venue to introduce our own local universities and colleges, like the University of Texas – San Antonio, Texas State University, and the Alamo Colleges System, who are creating new opportunities for student advancement while dealing with unprecedented growth. Most of all, everyone enjoyed the local flavor of San Antonio, whether it was a first-time introduction, or a repeat visit. As we continue introduce ourselves and reconnect with each other, I hope we continue to learn valuable lessons from our fellow SCUP members across the region, as well as ‘right up the road.’ Thanks again for attending! Former legislator, state comptroller named finalist for A&M System chancellor The Texas A&M University System will soon welcome home one of its own with the announcement earlier this week that Texas A&M graduate John Sharp has been selected as the lone finalist for chancellor of the System. Sharp, who graduated from Texas A&M University in 1972, was student body president and a member of the Corps of Cadets, has now come full circle with his alma mater and after a 21-day mandatory waiting period, will take over the reins of the 19-member A&M System. Sharp called the appointment "a dream come true." North Central Texas College eyes two options for bond package Regents for North Central Texas College recently reviewed two options for campus improvements to help make a decision on whether to call a bond election in November. Voters in May rejected a proposed $32.5 million bond package calling for a major renovation of 100 existing buildings and three new buildings. Following that defeat, college officials asked the architect to prepare two less expensive options. Option A is a $31.2 million plan including many upgrades in the original bond package, including a new health sciences center, a new student services and academic support building, new agriculture building and a major renovation of existing buildings. Option B is a $26.9 million option without the agriculture building and reduces from 47,000 square feet to 40,000 square feet and provides renovations to existing buildings, but includes a health sciences center. Regents are expecting to call a bond election for November 8 at a special meeting on Aug. 23. UNT alumnus pledges largest gift in university history The University of North Texas recently received a $22 million donation from entrepreneur and alumnus Charn Uswachoke - the largest gift in UNT's history. The money, some of which is expected to qualify for matching state funds, will be divided among the College of Music ($10 million), College of Engineering ($6.5 million) and College of Business ($5.5 million). "I wanted to help the next generation have a better education so that we all can have a better world," said Uswachoke, who holds a master's degree from UNT. Angelo State approves updated facilities master plan. Angelo State University officials recently approved an updated facilities master plan that includes more living quarters for students and more support for the distance education curriculum. Expecting to accommodate 10,000 students by 2020, ASU officials revised the master plan to provide appropriate facilities for housing students, additional classrooms, support facilities as well facilities to meet recreation and social needs. Texas Tech announces new bachelor's degree in wind energy. Texas Tech University will offer an innovative, new Bachelor of Science in Wind Energy degree program this fall. The curriculum aims to educate students for positions beyond the usual engineer and technician graduates, and into a wide range of positions that include weather forecasters, financial analysts and government liaisons. "As the renewable energy field continues its rapid growth and development, the wind energy job market will continue to broaden," said program director Andy Swift. Advanced wind energy test facility moving to Texas Tech University Sandia National Laboratories, one of the country's premier research and engineering facilities, will partner with Texas Tech University and a clean energy company to operate a wind energy test facility at Tech's Reese Technology Center. The initial installation includes two wind turbines and three anemometer towers, which researchers will use to examine how wind farms can be more productive and collaborative. The facility is expected to be in use next year. Lone Star College System approves $9.19 million for technology Trustees for the Lone Star College System recently agreed to spend $9.19 million to upgrade technology while approving the system's $276.75 million budget for 2011-2012. Faced with reduced state funding, Lone Star officials already agreed to increase the credit hour tuition by $2 per credit hour, the fee for a distance learning class by $5 per credit hour and a new $20 per semester infrastructure fee for on-site students, said Chancellor Richard Carpenter. The new infrastructure fee will be used to maintain campus infrastructure, including sidewalks, building amenities, parking areas and roads, he added. ACCD moves forward with Hays County annexation after ruling The Austin Community College District (ACCD) is moving forward with annexation into the Hays Consolidated Independent School District (HCISD) despite legal challenges filed by a Hays County resident. Although approved by voters by a 59 percent margin, moves to annex the District have been delayed by legal obstacles posed by a resident who filed suit against the measure. The most recent court decision dismisses the resident's last appeal, allowing ACCD to move forward with the bond issuance process. (Bonds could not be issued while the appeal was ensuing.) State leaders announce Western Governors University Texas State leaders recently established Western Governors University Texas, an online college that leaders say will give Texans an affordable and flexible path to a higher education degree. The university will offer bachelor's and master's degrees in key workforce areas including nursing, education and information technology. WGU Texas is a subsidiary of Western Governors University, which was founded in 1997 by governors in 19 states, including Texas. More than 25,000 students across the nation are enrolled at WGU, which has grown more than 30 percent annually. Texas A&M Regents approve capital building plan for WTAMU The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents has approved a slate of agenda items for the System's West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) campus, including a capital building plan for 2012. As part of the capital plan, regents appropriated $10.9 million for the expansion of the 43-year-old Jack B. Kelley Student Center (JBK). The expansion is set to include a single-story addition with a partial basement and will feature a common area, new office space, Veteran's Center, visitor information center, kitchen, lounge, conference rooms and a multi-purpose area. Expansion of the facility was approved via student referendum in 2009. UTMB plans to cut jobs in response to loss of state funds Officials with The University of Texas Medical Branch recently announced plans to cut 250 jobs - 120 from the hospital and another 130 in its program that cares for state prisoners. The cuts are directly related to a loss of state funding. The Legislature slashed $114 million previously headed to the medical branch in the next two years, and about $10 million for the prison contract. Employees in the Correctional Managed Care program were given 60 days notice and had 48 hours to request to be reassigned to another position. It is not clear how many people will ask to be reassigned. City OK's $3.3M for UT Health Science Center's research facility San Antonio city leaders recently pledged $3.3 million to UT Health Science Center San Antonio to complete the South Texas Research Facility, which will be Bexar County's largest research building in history. The $150 million facility will contain 125,000 square feet of laboratories where at least 350 scientists and staff will work in four theme areas - cancer, healthy aging, the neurosciences and regenerative medicine. The three-floor facility is expected to be complete by September and occupants can begin moving in Oct. 15. Austin Community College authorizes purchase of mall land The board of trustees of the Austin Community College District recently moved forward in efforts to buy the remaining track of land at Highland Mall for about $15.9 million. Trustees Monday authorized the acquisition of the last parcel of land at the mall. ACC officials have agreed to buy about 17.3 acres of land, a two-story building with more than 225,000 square feet of space and a small retail site in the purchase expected to be finalized in August, said Dr. Stephen B. Kinslow, president and chief executive officer of ACC. Once the deal is finalized, ACC will own 100 percent of the land at the retail mall and 642,000 square feet of space in three of the four anchor buildings located on the property. Renovations are expected to begin in the next three years on interiors of the three major former retail buildings at the former mall site. It provides access to major highways, public transportation and plenty of parking for students, faculty and staff, Kinslow said. Plans call for consolidating administrative space for the college district, providing additional instructional space for students, creating a continuing education center, a convocation center, a conference center and a wellness and professional development center at the Highland Mall site of ACC, he added. Texas A&M System to seek $1.2 billion federal biosecurity center Texas A&M System officials recently formed a team to compete for a $1.2 billion biosecurity center to create vaccines to fight infectious diseases and other emerging biological threats. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will decide where the facility will be located. Current plans call for the biosecurity center to contain the manufacturing infrastructure to create at least 50 million doses of a pandemic flu vaccine within four months. It would also help train a workforce to keep the vaccine manufacturing business in the United States, said Brett Giroir, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives for the A&M System. No final estimates are available on the financial impact of the proposed biosecurity center, but one competitor estimated the facility would create 1,000 jobs directly and an additional 6,000 jobs indirectly. 'The Quad' to get makeover at Texas A&M campus A $13.7 million renovation of the Corps of Cadets dorm area at Texas A&M University was approved Thursday by the TAMU System Board of Regents. The project will include rebuilding Harrell Hall into 110 two-bed dorms. The nearby Learning Study Lounge D will be demolished and a new four-story Leadership Learning Center built in its place. Financing for the project will come from a loan that will be paid back through housing fees. The renovations are the first in what is expected to be a five-year series of upgrades to the buildings that make up "The Quad," the oldest dorms on campus. The learning center will be patterned after the Bright Football Complex, which opened in 2003 and features 125,000 square feet of locker rooms and training facilities. The learning center will house academic advisers' offices, multi-purpose computer labs, meeting and training rooms and a cadet lounge, with wireless Internet throughout. Texas State regents approve Center for Research Commercialization Texas State University System regents recently OK'd building plans for a $7 million facility, which will serve as a technology accelerator for start-up companies. The Center for Research Commercialization, located on a 40-acre site in San Marcos, will be funded by Higher Education Assistance Funds, an Economic Development Administration grant and the City of San Marcos. The facility, which will focus on green and bio-technology companies, will provide tenants access to wet labs, clean rooms and office space. Information above taken from Texas Government Insider, Strategic Partnerships Inc. unless otherwise noted. |
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