Five UO projects prioritized in OUS budget proposal to Governor

As part of its 2012-13 budget proposal, the Oregon University System asked for a total of $341 million in state funding for capital projects and included a list of the top 21 priorities. The Governor will consider the OUS’s priorities for inclusion in his draft budget, which he will submit to the Legislature in December. Five University of Oregon projects made it on OUS’s list of priorities:

  • Expansion of Straub and Earl Halls: ranked second on OUS’s priority list, this project, located in the academic core of campus, will add approximately 1,000 classroom seats dedicated to general university use, including a highly needed 500-seat lecture hall. The budget proposal requests $11 million in state bonds for the project, which will cost a total of $22 million.
     
  • Renovation of Chapman Hall: ranked third on OUS’s priority list, this project will completely renovate and reorganize Clark Honors College spaces, consolidate all the college’s functions in one location, and integrate existing classrooms and faculty offices with student lounges, computer facilities, and study areas. The budget proposal requests $7.4 million in state bonds for the project, which will cost a total of $10.2 million.
     
  • Science Library Expansion and Remodel: ranked twelfth on OUS’s priority list, this project will completely remodel the existing underground science library and create a new Science Learning Commons that will support advanced research and problem solving in a variety of scientific disciplines.  The budget proposal requests $8.4 million in state bonds for the project, which will cost a total of $16.8 million.
     
  • Huestis Hall Second Floor Renovation: Ranked fifteenth on OUS’s priority list, this project will create a facility for cutting-edge training in life science technology and application. The budget proposal requests $4 million in state bonds for the project, which will cost a total of $8 million.
     
  • Global Studies Building: ranked eighteenth on OUS’s priority list, this project will add a new campus building that will house College of Arts and Sciences academic departments and programs within the Oregon Consortium of International and Area Studies and International Affairs units and centers, as well as a 400+ seat new general university use classroom with break-out spaces. The budget proposal requests $9.1 million in state bonds for the project, which will cost a total of $18.2 million.

A full listing of OUS’s capital funding priorities is available in the State Board of Higher Education’s August 3 Docket.