June 29, 2001                                                                           

Contact: Elizabeth Conlisk (614) 292-3040

OSU mission drives capital improvement budget requests

Trustees approve FY 2002-2004 requests to legislature

COLUMBUS -- Ohio State’s Academic Plan is driving the university’s state capital budget request for fiscal years 2003 and 2004, in which building projects are prioritized to address teaching, research and student needs.  The Board of Trustees approved the recommendations Friday (6/29) and now must submit the request to the Ohio Board of Regents.

Capital funds are state funds the university receives every two years that are earmarked for specific capital improvement projects.  The Board of Regents requires capital requests to include a six-year plan that charts university construction activity during this biennium and the next two biennia, as well as the state funding history of projects not yet completed, said William J. Shkurti, senior vice president for business and finance.  

Six projects — Main Library rehabilitation, Robinson Lab replacement, a new psychology facility, a student recreation center, the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital and improvements to the campus infrastructure — will require $68.7 million of the likely $75 million state capital appropriation available in the biennium including FY 2003 and FY 2004, Shkurti said.  The remaining $5 million to $10 million in state funds for those years – covering work completed between July 2002 and June 2004 – will be focused on research facilities and a study of critical deferred maintenance needs in Hughes Hall, home of the School of Music, he said.

Executive Vice President and Provost Edward J. Ray emphasized that the Academic Plan, the university’s blueprint for achieving worldwide renown for academic excellence, is the motivating factor behind these requests.  While the Main Library rehabilitation is one of only two capital projects specifically mentioned in the Academic Plan, the remaining projects either support the goal of expanding research or provide enhanced instructional space needed to attract and retain top-notch faculty, students and staff, he said.

With the advice of the Space Facilities Committee and the appropriate vice presidents, a list of 36 major project requests totaling more than $1.5 billion was narrowed to 12 projects for possible inclusion in the upcoming capital request, Shkurti said.  Basic renovation projects of $1.5 million or less are not included and are funded by a separate line item, he said.

Projects were reviewed by the offices of Academic Affairs, Business and Finance, Research, Health Services, Student Affairs and Development, as well as the University Senate’s Fiscal Committee and Committee on the Physical Environment.  Reviewers examined proposals’ academic priority, physical need, financial feasibility and physical feasibility

“Aligning the project’s objectives with the goals of the Academic Plan was an overriding factor in the recommendations,” Ray said.  The six projects and the amount of state capital funds recommended for FY 2003-04 follow:

• First on the priority list is the rehabilitation of the Main (William Oxley Thompson) Library.  A recommendation of $4.2 million in state funds in 2003-04 is to be used for detailed planning and design.  “The Thompson Library is in many ways the intellectual heart of the campus,” Ray said.  Construction is expected to begin in 2005 and conclude by 2008. The project is expected to cost at least $70 million, with $50 million to $70 million in state funds to be matched by at least $20 million resulting from private fund-raising.
• While the Department of Mechanical Engineering is one of Ohio State’s highly ranked academic departments, Robinson Lab is one of the university’s worst deferred maintenance problems.  The university is recommending a $72.5 million project: $52.5 million in state funding and $20 million in private fund-raising.  The university is asking for $20 million in state capital funds for 2003-04. 
• The university is requesting $15 million in state capital funds for construction in 2003-04 and an additional $17 million in the following biennium to build a new facility for the Department of Psychology.  The facility will be located between Lazenby and Cunz halls, south of the existing Larkins Hall, and will provide an additional 28,200 square feet of space for the department.  A Selective Investment department, Psychology instructs more undergraduate majors and more honors students than any other department.
• A student recreation center, which includes research, teaching and office space for the School of Physical Activity and Educational Services, addresses the Academic Plan goals regarding the teaching and learning environment.  A recommendation of $28 million in state funds will be used for academic space in the first phase of construction, scheduled for completion by June 2004.

·        The Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital is primarily a clinical facility and is critical to the financial viability of the University Medical Center.  In the current biennium, $2.5 million was provided for planning.  No additional state capital funds are required for the $82.5 million project because a financial plan is being developed to make the heart hospital a self-supporting facility, Shkurti said.

·        The university is requesting $1.5 million in state capital funding in the next biennium to help assist with improving the campus infrastructure needed to support additional construction, Ray said.

These six projects are those to which the university committed in the FY 2001-02 capital process and which have already received Board of Trustees approval.  Although the recreation center and heart hospital will be completed without additional state funds in future biennia, the four remaining commitments will require an additional $67 million in FY 2005-06, Shkurti said.

“This means the remaining funds will have to be carefully targeted to the highest priorities in the Academic Plan and must be leveraged to the maximum extent with other resources,” he said.

An additional four projects on the list consisted of three sponsored research facilities and $1 million in planning funds to determine whether a new structure should be built for the School of Music or whether Hughes Hall should undergo a complete renovation, Ray said.  The research facilities listed in the proposal are:

• The College of Medicine and Public Health has approval for a Biomedical Research Facility that would house the seven major areas of biomedical research in approximately 200,000 ASF.  No state capital funds are requested for this project, which is expected to be funded principally with funds generated from sponsored research conducted in this facility.

• The Office of Research has proposed adding 25,000 square feet of lab animal space by expanding existing space in Pressey and Wiseman halls.  The total cost is estimated at $17 million, with funding coming from a combination of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, private grants and state funding
• The College of Optometry has requested support for an addition to Fry Hall — its existing facility — to create additional space for sponsored research.  The University is requesting $3.6 million in state capital funding in the FY 2003-04 biennium for the project.

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